Renowned Pulitzer lyricist Kendrick Lamar‘s beef with Drake, a famous hip-hop artist, has exploded across the internet. Bystanders have taken to social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to discuss the diss tracks that Lamar has released in the past month. “Euphoria,” “Not Like Us” and “6:16 in LA” are in response to Drake’s releases “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle“.
Beef Origins
Lamar started his rap career through Drake, who had an opening set on tour with the rapper. With the success of his first albums, Lamar became ambitious and sought to overthrow Drake, rejecting the idea that Drake was part of the “big three” of rap. Since the initial success of his albums, Lamar has stayed relatively quiet and worked on his career until he was featured on Future and Metro Boomin‘s “Like That.” In his verse on the song, Lamar states that there is no big three, adding, “it’s just big me.” Drake returned with “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” which sparked Lamar’s hate even more.
Drake’s Biggest Hater
The song that blew up across social media and brought attention to the beef between the two artists was “Euphoria.” The most prominent lyric that has stood out to people on the internet is “now let me say I’m the biggest hater.” This sets up Lamar to deliver the myriad of issues he has with Drake.
Lamar makes accusations that Drake is a master manipulator and habitual liar. Lamar adds that he believes Drake to be a fraud and that he does not understand the struggles Black Americans go through but pretends to.
“You’re movin’ just like a degenerate, heavy antic, it’s feelin’ distasteful / why calculate you, not as calculated, I can even predict your angles / Fabricated stories on the family front, ’cause you heard Mr. Morale / A pathetic master manipulator, I can smell the tales on you now / You’rе not a rap artist, you a scam artist with the hopes of being accеpted,” read the lyrics to “Euphoria.”
Lamar states that he enjoys Drake’s music, “I like Drake with the melodies.” But he finds it distasteful when Drake attempts to “act tough.” He wants Drake to stay in his lane and continue making hip-hop instead of trying to make up stories to act like he understands the Black American experience because Drake is from Canada. Lamar mocks him by adding Canadian slang into the track, further driving his point that he does not believe that Drake understands the struggles of Black Americans.
Allegations Against Drake
The definition of the word euphoria is displayed on the album cover, implying that Lamar is euphoric in his victory over Drake. Internet theories suggest that this could be another shot against Drake, who was a producer on the hit HBO show “Euphoria,” which has been controversial due to claims it oversexualizes teenagers.
Lamar further addresses the allegations in “Not Like Us,” the lyrics reading, “Why you trollin’ like a bitch? Ain’t you tired? / Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minor.”
This hints at the allegations that Drake faced in 2018 when he posted photos with 18-year-old model Bella Harris. Drake first met Harris in 2016 when she was the age of 16. Drake faced similar allegations when he posted photos with actress Millie Bobby Brown.
The Fight Continues
The two artists have been feuding for many years and will continue to until one comes out on top. Lamar’s metrics have improved, showing more streams of his music since the release of “Euphoria,” while Drake’s have dropped by 5% according to Billboard magazine.
Drake has yet to release a response to Euphoria outside of posting a short clip on Instagram from the movie “10 Things I Hate About You.” In the clip, Julia Stiles‘ character lists things she hates about Heath Ledger’s character. Other than that brief response, listeners and internet users wait on the edge of their seats for Drake’s response.
