Rap feud heats up as Drake and Kendrick Lamar trade personal attacks
Entertainment
By
Fay Ngina
| May 05, 2024
The long-simmering feud between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake has exploded into a bitter clash, with both artists releasing tracks that target each other's families.
The fight escalated earlier this week when Lamar responded to two diss tracks from Drake with his own song, "Euphoria." In the song, Lamar calls Drake a "scam artist."
Drake fired back on Friday with "Family Matters," criticizing Lamar for bringing their children into the fight. "We could have left the kids out of this," Drake raps, seemingly referencing Lamar's comments about his fatherhood on "Euphoria."
The lyrics appear to be a response to Lamar questioning Drake's parenting skills in "Euphoria." Drake, the world's most popular streaming hip-hop artist, also hints in the song that one of Lamar's children might not be his biological son.
Lamar responded quickly with another diss track, "Meet the Grahams," where he mentions Drake's son, Adonis, and his parents. "I'm sorry that that man is your father," Lamar raps about Adonis, targeting Drake's parenting.
For years, Drake and Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize winner for his music, have been trading insults disguised in their lyrics. However, the recent exchange of diss tracks shows a clear escalation, turning their animosity much more personal and vicious.
Last month, Drake released "Push Ups," a song mocking Lamar's collaborations with pop artists like Taylor Swift and Maroon 5. He followed this up with "Taylor Made Freestyle," another diss track that criticizes Lamar for not responding to his attacks. This particular song sparked controversy because it featured an artificial intelligence recreation of the voice of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur, leading Tupac's estate to threaten legal action.
Lamar finally responded this week with "Euphoria," where he accuses Drake of being more interested in fame than rap, calling him a "scam artist with the hopes of being accepted."
The back-and-forth between these two musical giants has fans on edge, waiting to see who will strike next in this increasingly personal feud.