Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s epic feud explained: timeline
Drake and Kendrick Lamar got bad blood. But it used to be mad love.
The beef between Drizzy Drake and K-Dot dominated headlines in 2024 — and has done anything but abate ever since.
Now, just days after winning five Grammys for his Drake diss track “Not Like Us,” including the coveted Record of the Year and Song of the Year trophies, the Los Angeles rapper is set to take the field at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show. According to reports, Lamar plans to perform the song that dominated the Billboard rap charts last summer.
With more than 80,000 in attendance at the Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday and likely over 100 million watching at home, the stage is set for K-Dot and Champagne Papi’s feud to be broadcast to more people than ever before.
And though the beef really started to burn over the last year, the relationship goes back over a decade.
For the uninitiated and those just looking to brush up, here is a timeline of Drake and Lamar’s epic feud.
November 2011: Lamar features on Drake’s second album
Drake and Lamar began as pals, with the Canadian native featuring Lamar on his song “Buried Alive Interlude” off of his second studio album, “Take Care,” which dropped on Nov. 15, 2011.
Lamar was still on the ascendance at the time, while Drake already had a No. 1 album under his belt (2010’s “Thank Me Later”).
February 2012: Lamar opens for Drake on tour
Fresh off the success of his album “Take Care” debuting at No. 1, Drake invited Lamar and A$AP Rocky to open for him on his Club Paradise headline tour, which kicked off on Feb. 14, 2012.
October 2012: Drake and Lamar collaborate on two new tracks
Drake and Lamar worked together on two songs that dropped in October 2012, “Poetic Justice,” from Lamar’s second album, “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City,”?and A$AP Rocky’s “F–kin’ Problems,” later included on Rocky’s debut album, “Long. Live. A$AP,” the following year.
The artists haven’t collaborated on a song since.
August 2013: Lamar disses Drake and other rappers on Big Sean’s ‘Control’
In a guest verse on Big Sean’s 2013 track, “Control,” Lamar listed Drake as one of the rappers he’s trying to overtake.
“I’m usually homeboys with the same n—-s I’m rhymin’ with / But this is hip-hop, and them n—-s should know what time it is,” Lamar raps, before adding, “And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Wale / Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake / Big Sean, Jay Electron’, Tyler, Mac Miller / I got love for you all, but I’m tryna murder you n—-s.”
“Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you n—-s / They don’t wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you n—-s.”
September 2013: Drake publicly shades Lamar for perhaps the first time
One month after “Control” came out, Drake released his track “The Language,” which fans thought took aim at Lamar. “I don’t know why they been lyin’ / But your s–t is not that inspirin,” Champagne Papi raps.
“F–k any n—a that’s talking that s–t just to get a reaction,” he continues, also rapping, “The kid with the motormouth / I am the one you should worry about.”
Apparently jabbing Lamar’s views on wealth, Drake added, “N—-s downplaying the money but that’s what you do when the money down.”
October 2013: Lamar goes after Drake at BET Awards
Lamar seemingly doubled down on his Drizzy digs at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher.
“Nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’ / And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes / Ha ha joke’s on you, high-five,” Lamar freestyles.
“I’m bulletproof / Your shit never penetrates / Pin the tail on the donkey, boy you been a fake,” he went on.
December 2013: Drake speaks out about beef with Lamar
In?an interview with Vibe magazine, Drake talked about “Control”: “Where it became an issue is that I was rolling out an album while that verse was still bubbling, so my album rollout became about this thing. What am I supposed to say? Nah, we’ll be buddy-buddy?”
“Mind you, I never once said he’s a bad guy [or] I don’t like him. I think he’s a … genius in his own right, but I also stood my ground as I should.”
November 2014: Lamar dismisses Drake feud rumors
Lamar tried to quash rumors of a beef between him and Drake.
“It wasn’t no issue from the jump,”?Lamar told the Breakfast Club at the time. “I think people talk about beef … it’s just a whole ‘nother dynamic. I can’t see myself going bar for bar with Drake. We’re two different types of artists.”
March 2015: Lamar shades Drake for allegedly using ghostwriters
On his track “King Kunta” from his third studio album, “To Pimp a Butterfly,” Lamar made a dig about rappers who use ghostwriters, which was largely interpreted to be about Drake. “I can dig rapping, but a rapper with a ghostwriter? What the f–k happened?” Lamar spits on the track.
He has never commented on who the barb was about.
June 2015: Drake swipes at Lamar over socially ‘conscious’ lyrics
In an appearance on The Game’s song “100,” Drake hinted that he could “have” all of Lamar’s fans if he “didn’t go pop.”
“I would have all of your fans / If I didn’t go pop and I stayed on some conscious s–t,” Drizzy brags.
January 2016: Obama chooses Lamar over Drake
Then-President Barack Obama got roped into the beef.
Asked?by the Washington Post whether Lamar or Drake would win in a rap battle, Obama replied, “Gotta go with Kendrick,” before adding, “I think Drake is an outstanding entertainer but Kendrick, his lyrics.”
Drake responded just two weeks later on his song “Summer Sixteen,” rapping, “Tell Obama that my verses are just like the whips that he in — they bulletproof.”
2016: Drake raps about why he invited Lamar on tour
In his song?“4PM in Calabasas,” Drake rapped about why he chose Lamar and A$AP Rocky to open his 2012 tour: “When they told me take an R&B n—a on the road / And I told ’em no and drew for Kendrick and Rocky / I tried to make the right choices with the world watching.”
October 2023: J. Cole name-checks Lamar on Drake collab ‘First Person Shooter’
On J. Cole’s hit collab with Drake “First Person Shooter,” the “No Role Modelz” rapper mentioned Lamar by name.
“Love when they argue the hardest emcee / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me? / We the big three like we started a league,” Cole rapped. “But right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.”
March 2024: Lamar claps back at Cole, Drake
K-Dot responded to J. Cole’s verse with his own on Future and Metro Boomin’s hit “Like That.”
“F–k sneak dissin’, first-person shooter / I hope they came with three switches,” he raps. “Motherf–k the big three / N—a, it’s just big me.”
April 2024: Drake releases Lamar diss track, ‘Push Ups’
On April 19, Drake dropped “Push Ups,” which alludes to Lamar’s deal with label Top Dawg Entertainment, Lamar’s fiancée Whitney Alford and makes fun of Lamar’s five-foot-five height.
“Hugs and kisses, man, don’t tell me ’bout no switches / I’ll be rockin’ every f–kin’ chain I own next visit, ay / I be with some bodyguards like Whitney,” he raps. “Top say drop, your little midget ass better f–kin’ / Ay, better drop and give me 50.”
The single’s cover art also features a size 7 shoe sticker.
April 2024: Drake drops another Lamar diss, “Taylor Made Freestyle”
Hours after releasing “Push Ups,” Drake put out a second Lamar diss song, “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
Using artificial intelligence-generated voices?of Snoop Dogg and the late Tupac Shakur, whom Lamar has cited as inspirations, Drake puts down the LA native.
“Nephew, what the f–k you really ’bout to do? / We passed you the torch at the House of Blues / And now you gotta do some dirty work, you know how to move, right? Right?” Drake raps in an AI Snoop-style voice.
Drake subsequently removed the song from streaming platforms after Shakur’s estate sent a cease and desist.
April 2024: Lamar responds with his own diss track, ‘Euphoria’
On April 30, Lamar issued what would be the first of many diss songs about Drake, “Euphoria.” The title refers to the HBO show of the same name, on which the “Hotline Bling” hitmaker is an executive producer.
“I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress / Surprised you wanted that feature request / You know that we got some shit to address,” K-Dot raps. “I even hate when you say the word ‘n—a,’ but that’s just me, I guess / Some s–t just cringeworthy, it ain’t even gotta be deep, I guess.”
May 2024: Lamar drops another Drake diss, ‘6:16 in LA’
Three days later, on May 3, Lamar released another Drake diss, “6:16 in LA,” in which he claims someone at Drizzy’s OVO music label was leaking dirt to him on the Canadian rapper.
“Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me?/ Fake bully, I hate bullies / You must be a terrible person,” he raps. “Everyone inside your team is whispering that you deserve it.”
The song’s title also makes fun of Drake’s songs that have locations and times in their names, such as “6PM in New York,” “9AM in Dallas” and “4PM in Calabasas.”
May 2024: Drake puts out Lamar diss, ‘Family Matters’
The same day — May 3 — Drake fired back with “Family Matters,” on which he accuses Lamar of abusing his fiancée, Whitney Alford. He also alleges Alford cheated on Lamar with one of his collaborators, Dave Free.
“You the black messiah wifing up a mixed queen / And hit vanilla cream to help out with your self-esteem / On some Bobby s–t, I wanna know what Whitney need,” he spits, seemingly alluding to Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown’s relationship.
“When you put your hands on your girl, is it self-defense ’cause she’s bigger than you?”
In his Instagram post announcing the song’s release, Drake wrote: “Stop trying to piece together what I know and go pick up the pieces of your broken home.”
May 2024: Lamar claps back with ‘Meet the Grahams’
The following day, May 4, Lamar put out two more Drake diss tracks.
The first of which, “Meet the Grahams,” accuses Drake of being a deadbeat dad, referencing his 7-year-old son, Adonis, and alleging he has a daughter that he’s tried to hide from the world.
“You lied about your son, you lied about your daughter, huh, you lied about them other kids that’s out there hoping that you come,” Lamar spits.
K-Dot also makes remarks about Drake’s family, his supposed alcohol addiction and gambling habit, along with his alleged cosmetic surgery and use of Ozempic for weight loss.
“Get some discipline, don’t cut them corners like your daddy did,” Lamar raps. “F–k what Ozempic did. Don’t pay to play with them Brazilians, get a gym membership.”
May 2024: Lamar releases game-changing track, ‘Not Like Us’
Hours later, Lamar dropped another Drake diss, “Not Like Us,” which famously accuses Drake of pedophilia. He raps, “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one.”
Referencing Drake’s 2021 LP, “Certified Lover Boy,” he goes on, “’Certified Lover Boy’? Certified pedophiles.”
He also raps, “Why you trollin’ like a bitch? Ain’t you tired? / Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”
The cover art showcases what seems to be a bird’s-eye view of Drake’s estate located in Toronto, Canada. The pic has been altered to resemble a sex offender registry map, which typically highlights the residences of convicted offenders.
May 2024: Drake denies Lamar’s pedophile allegations
Another day, another diss track. On May 5, Drake dropped “The Heart Part 6,” refuting Lamar’s allegations of pedophilia. He also claims someone in his camp leaked false info to Lamar about Drake having a secret daughter so as to catch him out.
What’s more, the title mocks Lamar’s series of songs that include “The Heart” in the title, the last of which being “The Heart Part 5.” The jab is similar to Lamar’s swipe at Drake with “6:16 in LA.”
Denying Lamar’s pedophilia accusations, Drake raps, “You know, at least your fans are gettin’ some raps out of you / I’m happy I could motivate you / Bring you back to the game.”
He adds, “Just let me know when we’re gettin’ to the facts / Everything in my s–t is facts / I’m waitin’ on you to return the favor.”
July 2024: Lamar drops ‘Not Like Us’ music video
On July 4, Lamar dropped the “Not Like Us” music video, which shows him and his fiancée, Alford, along with their children happy and dancing — seemingly a rejoinder to Drake’s allegations of strife in Lamar’s family life.
The video also includes several visual nods to owls, the bird synonymous with Drake’s OVO label. One of these features a scene where Lamar smashes an owl-shaped pi?ata, accompanied by a disclaimer on the screen that reads, “No OVHoes were harmed during the making of this video.”
September 2024: Lamar announced as 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show performer
Lamar is revealed to be the headlining performer at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, setting the stage for a very public performance of “Not Like Us” — and possibly a very public takedown of Drake.
The rapper seemingly took a swipe at Drake in a statement released by the NFL on Sept. 8. “Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date. And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one,” Lamar said.
November 2024: Lamar hints he’ll never make peace with Drake
Lamar surprised fans and dropped his sixth album, “骋狈齿,” on Nov. 22, featuring a bar that many interpreted to be about Drake.
“I never?peaced it up,?that s–t don’t sit well with me / Before I take a truce, I’ll take ’em to hell with me,” he raps on the song?“Wacced Out Murals.”?
November 2024: Drake accuses his record label and Spotify of inflating Lamar’s streams
Via his company Frozen Moments, Drake filed a petition in New York on Nov. 25, 2024, alleging his record label UMG and Spotify conspired to inflate streams of “Not Like Us.” The track debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and broke records on the?Billboard rap charts.
In addition to Drake, UMG counts Lamar as one of its artists.
Drake’s filing claims UMG “launched a campaign to manipulate and saturate the streaming services and airwaves” with “Not Like Us,” using bots along with pay-for-play agreements.
The petition also accuses UMG of licensing “Not Like Us” to Spotify at a 30% discount in return for boosting recommendations of the track.
A spokesperson for UMG blasted the allegations as “offensive and untrue.”
November 2024: Drake alleges his record label defamed him
The next day, on Nov. 26, Drake filed his second legal action against UMG, this one for defamation.
The rapper claimed the label could have stopped the release of “Not Like Us,” thus “falsely accusing him of being a sex offender.” His petition also alleges UMG released the track despite knowing that the diss “falsely” accused him of being a “certified pedophile,” a “predator” and a person who should be “registered and placed on neighborhood watch.”
January 2025: Drake implies friends sided with Lamar over him in feud
Record producer Conductor Williams posted then deleted a Drake freestyle — “Fighting Irish”?— on his YouTube on Jan. 3. On the track, Drizzy seems to accuse unnamed friends of siding with Lamar over him in their feud.
“The world fell in love with the gimmicks, even my brothers got tickets, seemed like they loved every minute,” Drake raps. “Just know the s–t is personal to us and wasn’t just business / Analyzing behavioral patterns is somewhat suspicious.”
January 2025: Drake sues his record label for harassment and defamation over ‘Not Like Us’
In his third legal action against his label, Drake sued UMG for defamation and harassment, alleging the company aided in spreading a “false and malicious” narrative about him — meaning that he’s a pedophile — by releasing and promoting “Not Like Us.”
Per the lawsuit, Drake claims UMG “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him.”
In addition to nominal, punitive and compensatory damages, Drake’s filing asks that UMG be ordered to issue a statement saying that Lamar’s allegations in “Not Like Us” are not true.
February 2025: Lamar wins 5 Grammys for Drake diss ‘Not Like Us’
Lamar won five Grammys at the Feb. 2 ceremony for “Not Like Us,” including for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
He also took home trophies for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video.
Drake’s dad, Dennis Graham, attended the ceremony and reacted to Lamar’s wins. “I don’t care nothing about that s—t,” he said?in an Instagram video?captured while he was leaving the Grammys. “That ain’t got nothing to do with me. All the best to him, man.”
He concluded: “I don’t do that bulls—t.”
February 2025: Drake breaks silence after Lamar’s Grammy’s win: ‘Very much alive’
While kicking off his Anita Max Win tour in Australia on Feb. 4, Drake told the crowd: “My name is Drake. I started doing music in 2008,” per a video?shared on X.
“I come all the way from Toronto, Canada. The year is now 2025, and no matter what, Drizzy Drake is very much alive and that’s all thanks to you. I love you.”
