Hip-hop has had bigger feuds in terms of consequences — Biggie and Tupac ended in tragedy. But no rap beef in a generation has been more culturally total than Kendrick Lamar versus Drake. It ran through 2024, consumed the internet, produced one of the best diss tracks ever recorded, and is still unresolved enough that Drake just dropped three albums responding to it. Here is everything that happened, in order.
How It Started: The Verse That Lit the Match (March 2024)
The beef formally began with Kendrick's verse on Future and Metro Boomin's "Like That," released in March 2024. In it, Lamar took direct aim at Drake and J. Cole, dismissing their "big three" framing of hip-hop's top tier and declaring himself in a category of his own. Drake and Cole both responded quickly. Cole's response, "7 Minute Drill," was retracted almost immediately — he publicly apologized and said Kendrick had "won that round." Drake stayed in.
The Escalation: Six Diss Tracks in Two Weeks (April–May 2024)
What followed was unprecedented. Over roughly two weeks, Drake and Kendrick exchanged six diss tracks between them. Drake dropped "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle." Kendrick answered with "Euphoria," a six-minute takedown, then "6:16 in LA," then "Meet the Grahams" — addressed directly to Drake's son Adonis and alleging Drake had a secret daughter. The day after "Meet the Grahams," Kendrick released "Not Like Us."
"Not Like Us": The Kill Shot (May 4, 2024)
"Not Like Us" was a different kind of diss. It was not just a battle record — it was a party anthem, engineered to be played at block parties and cookouts, to be chanted at concerts, to become inescapable. It called Drake a predator, listed his celebrity friends as complicit, and named his Toronto neighborhood. Kendrick performed it five times at a free concert in Compton. Drake's response, "The Heart Part 6," landed with a fraction of the cultural impact. In hip-hop circles, the verdict was immediate: Kendrick had won.
The Aftermath: Lawsuits and Grammy Stages (2025)
Drake filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, his own label, alleging they had artificially boosted "Not Like Us" streams. The lawsuit was dismissed. His appeal is still pending. Kendrick, meanwhile, performed "Not Like Us" at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show — with SZA — to an audience of over 100 million people. He won five Grammy Awards for the track, including Record of the Year. He then released GNX, his follow-up album, to critical acclaim and a sold-out world tour.
Drake Responds: Three Albums at Once (May 15, 2026)
After a two-year gap — his longest without a solo record — Drake dropped three albums simultaneously on May 15, 2026: Iceman, Habibti, and Maid of Honour. The combined release totaled 43 songs. Fans immediately began decoding the Kendrick disses hidden across the tracklist, particularly on tracks "Make Them Cry" and "Dust." The rollout was marketing genius — an ice sculpture in Toronto, a CN Tower projection — but critics were divided on whether the music matched the moment. NPR called it Drake "trying to reset the table exactly as it was." Rolling Stone noted he takes aim at everyone from Kendrick to A$AP Rocky to LeBron James and UMG CEO Lucian Grainge. For a full breakdown of what the three albums actually sound like, we have that covered.
Where Things Stand Now
Kendrick has not responded to the three albums. He doesn't need to. He performed at the Super Bowl. He won the Grammys. His tour sold out. The cultural math is not close, and Kendrick appears to be operating as if this chapter is already closed. Whether Drake's three albums are the beginning of a real comeback or the last gasp of a wounded superstar is the question hip-hop is currently arguing about — and will be for months.
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