Drake And Kendrick Lamar’s Beef Showcases Rap’s Competitive Spirit

Whenever a rap feud erupts, it has the power to carve a cultural moment. Hip-hop culture has witnessed this play out multiple times, from the orthodox styled Kool Moe Dee vs Busy Bee battle to today's polemical Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rivalry. Each of these moments has helped define an era in hip-hop's history of feuds. Since the dawn of 2024, rap beefs have become increasingly prevalent, some stemming from personal grievances, a desire for competitive advantage, or both. The art of confrontational rapping continues to captivate and energize rap enthusiasts.

If there is anything that defines a rap enthusiast, it is their appreciation for an emcee's ability to play with words in complex ways, use innovative styles, and achieve a magnetic reach that breeds audible harmony. The level of appreciation that hip-hop enthusiasts have for an emcee's lyrical ability is reflected in their rankings among the elite practitioners of this lyrical sport. One of the most common foundational mantras for a hip-hop lyricist is the belief that they are the best. Once they are seasoned in the game of rap, they often pledge themselves to be the greatest of all time, or rather, the GOAT VanEck Vectors Morningstar Global Wide Moat ETF . This is the current situation between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.

The rap beef between the two seems to be just that—a rap rivalry. These rap titans have carved out their place in hip-hop history, each vying to be seen as the greatest of all time in their generation. Their ascent to rap supremacy began around the same time (between 2010-2011), with both releasing debut singles and subsequently creating classic albums. They coexisted within their own unique lanes while sharing a common space at that time. However, it was Lamar’s line, “Motherfuck the big three, nigga, it's just big me,” from Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” that reignited the debate on a massive scale about who was the greatest among himself, Drake, and J. Cole.

The debate stems from the widely acknowledged stance among hip-hop fans that Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole are the top three elites of the New School Era of hip-hop, much like The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, Nas, and Jay-Z are to the 1990s or Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and KRS-One are to the Golden Era. In a 2023 collaboration with Drake titled "First Person Shooter," Cole acknowledged the position and also laid claim to champion status in the name of Muhammad Ali.

“Love when they argue the hardest MC, Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali,” the Fayetteville native rapped, drawing the parallels that formulate the "Big 3" stake, to which K-Dot later responded, further heating up the debate among fans about who truly holds the crown. This is an acknowledgment of the talent and influence at hand, as well as the reality of how fierce the competition is to be recognized as the universal GOAT of one's time.

J. Cole responded with a track called “7 Minute Drill,” which he later redacted. In the song, he criticized Lamar for various issues, including inconsistent music quality and the ingenuity of the diss with bars such as “I got a phone call, they say that somebody dissin,' You want some attention, it come with extensions.”

However, Cole later issued an apology during his 2024 Dreamville set, expressing sincere remorse for challenging Lamar. He said, "​​I moved in a way that I spiritually feel bad on... but at the end of the day, when I listen to it and when I see the talk,” the move to drop the song didn’t sit right with his spirit.

A portion of fans of hip-hop did not approve of Cole's apology and regarded it as an excuse or lacking in competitiveness. In the history of conflicts between two skilled hip-hop lyricists, words are the primary tools used as weapons. They serve as the sole means to authenticate their rap skills as being elite or not. Through records, hip-hop lyricists display their abilities in flow, delivery, wordplay, and multisyllabic rhyming while seeking to defeat a fellow titan rapper. In Cole's case, he didn't opt out of the battle due to defeat; it was a matter of moral choice. It was evident that Cole felt pressured to respond and did so impulsively, without realizing the phenomenon it will stir in hip-hop culture.

Drake wasted no time to respond, as he released not one, but two consecutive diss tracks: "Push Ups" and the since retracted AI-assisted "Taylor Made Freestyle." In "Push Ups," he not only takes aim at Lamar, but also targets several contemporaries. He responded to Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar, and dissed Rick Ross, The Weeknd, and a couple of bystanders. The Canadian emcee goes full-fledged braggadocious in bars like, “This for all the top dogs, drop and give me fifty, drop, drop, And that fuckin' song y'all got did not start the beef with us, This shit been brewin' in a pot, now I'm heatin' up, I don't care what Cole think, that Dot shit was weak as fuck,” Drake raps. He acknowledges the "Big 3" competitive factor and cites it as a brewing battle prior to the release of "Like That."

During this period, many people were eagerly and patiently awaiting K. Dot's response. On Monday (April 30), without any prior indication, Lamar finally replied to Drake with "Euphoria," a six-minute track featuring three beat switch-ups, clever verses, and punchlines aimed back at Drizzy. The Compton native addressed personal concerns he has with Drake regarding reputation, Black appropriation, and cunning maneuvers. Enthusiasts had mixed opinions about who had the advantage; some thought Drake's catchy lines gave him an edge, while others believed Lamar's technical prowess put him in a superior position.

Some even thought that Drake's back-to-back drops may have hurt him by making it seem like he was desperate for a response. Meanwhile, others believed that if Kendrick Lamar failed to respond, he would be challenged and unable to prove himself as the victor. However, the To Pimp a Butterfly rapper dismantled the theory when he caused mayhem on Friday (May 3) by taking to Instagram to debut "6:16 in LA," another diss track aimed at Drake. The track includes several references to fellow rappers at odds with Drake, including Rick Ross, signified by the presence of the Maybach logo on the cover—a nod to Ross's record label, Maybach Music Group. It also references Meek Mill, with whom Drake had a public lyrical battle in 2015, during which he released two diss tracks back to back, one aptly titled "Back to Back.”

The release of the second diss track is Lamar's way of intimidating Drake, ensuring he can also utilize Drake's own tactic of attempting to overwhelm his opponent. Just as Drake "back-to-backed" Meek Mill into a loss, he tried to do the same with Lamar; however, Lamar has entertained his challenge.

“Back To Back,’ I like that record. I'ma get back to that, for the record,” Lamar raps on “6:16 in LA.” Not only did he rap, but he rapped back to back and has fairly reached an equivalent point in what appears to be an early stage of the battle. While this beef is rooted in the quest to be the GOAT, fans from both sides still yearn to witness the two lyrical titans bring their most lethal pens to the booth. This rap beef stands as a testament to the vibrancy and competitiveness inherent in hip-hop culture.

Drake versus Kendrick Lamar sheds light on the lyrical competency that forms the cornerstone of hip-hop rap element and reasserts the message that true hip-hop artistry transcends mere commercial appeal, sales, and accolades. It revolves around delivery, wordplay, schemes and the profound impact a lyricist can make. Being counted among the best in the genre is not merely about claiming a spot; it's about embracing the grand responsibility it entails and proving oneself through every rhyme dropped and every bar spit. The rap rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar not only pleases hip-hop enthusiasts but also maintains the competitive edge of rap, pushing them to innovate in ways that elevate the standard for modern-themed rappers.