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- By Yemi Abiade
- music writer
Image source, fake images
“Try to strike a chord and it’s probably in the minor.”
Every second Kendrick Lamar hangs on to the last lyric of “minor” in Not Like Us, the incendiary song about fellow rapper Drake, his raspy voice resonates across hip-hop and pop culture.
It is an explosive accusation, made without evidence, that calls into question Drake’s conduct with young women, an accusation now being heard around the world. Drake, one of the biggest artists in the world, vehemently denies this.
Since its release on May 4, Not Like Us has been discussed on social media, played at NBA basketball games, and been a smash hit in DJ booths at parties from London to Los Angeles; From New York to Atlanta, piercing the public consciousness.
And it’s just one of nine songs that make up a mind-blowing, escalating conflict between two titans of modern rap, involving unproven accusations of domestic violence, secret children and pedophilia, all denied.
This is a cold war that has been simmering for the past decade and is finally coming to the surface.
“I think we were all expecting this to happen at some point,” says Minou Itseli, also known as Mimi The Music Blogger, journalist and content creator. “They’ve been sending indirect shots at each other in their music a lot more than we first thought. But no one could have seen the fight go this far.”
Both men have been praised and criticized during the fight, with fans of both men proclaiming their favorite the winner.
But who, if anyone, has come out on top of this?
You’d be forgiven for blinking and missing some details, given how quickly this confrontation has moved forward.
It began with Lamar’s verse on Like That, by rappers Future and Metro Boomin. Drake responded with Push Ups, disparaging Lamar’s accomplishments and status as a rap legend. That track currently has over 70 million streams on Spotify.
Doubling down, Drake’s controversial Taylor Made Freestyle used the AI-generated voices of two of Lamar’s heroes, Snoop Dogg and the late, great Tupac Shakur, to prompt him to respond.
Drake also claimed that Lamar wasn’t responding to his taunts for fear of disrupting the release of Taylor Swift’s new album. Drake raps: “Taylor Swift is your new top” – referring to Lamar’s boss – “And if you’re going to fall, she has to approvemy.”
The message was clear. Drake doesn’t respect Lamar, considered one of the best rappers of his generation, and was ready to tear him down.
Joseph “JP” Patterson, editor-in-chief of Complex UK and founder of TRENCH magazine, tells the BBC: “I may be the only person on this planet with this point of view, but Taylor Made Freestyle was pretty silly. I get it the rap purist. consternation around him using AI verses, but even down to the beat, he was feeling it.”
And then, fans waited with bated breath anticipating the next move. Those on social media felt that Lamar was not ready for the fight, given that he had not yet responded.
His rebuttal was Euphoria, a song that questions Drake’s parenting skills, rumors that he had plastic surgery, and his use of AI.
Lines as simple as: “I hate the way you walk, the way you talk, I hate the way you dress.” resonated with fans due to Lamar’s heated delivery, highlighting everything, and he says everything, that he doesn’t like about Drake.
It was so impactful that Euphoria was used in an official TikTok video for US President Joe Biden’s election campaign against Donald Trump.
Itseli believes this song perfectly sums up Lamar’s stance: “It’s a summary of everything I wanted to say to Drake,” he shares. “If anyone wants a quick summary of Kendrick’s team, they’ll find it all in Euphoria.”
Image source, fake images
Lamar’s 6:16 in Los Angeles followed, where he reflects: “Did you ever think OVO (Drake’s record label) was working for me? / Everyone inside your team whispers that you deserve it.” He threatens to shed forensic light on Drake’s character to discredit his reputation, with the help of Drake’s own label.
Itseli says Lamar was acting perfectly for his audience throughout the entire exchange. “Kendrick knew what to bring and went in for the kill. He studied Drake’s behavior and tailored his songs to each audience. He gave us wordplay, a club hit, concept songs. Drake really couldn’t compete.”
And with this one-two punch from Lamar, fans feared the walls were closing in on Drake. But the Canadian rapper responded with nuclear power.
Family Matters attacks Lamar’s family unit, alleging that his son is the biological son of Lamar’s creative partner, Dave Free, and that he has physically abused his wife, Whitney Alford.
Drake sings: “When you put your hands on your girl, is it self-defense because she’s bigger than you?” referring to the height difference between Lamar and his wife.
Lamar has denied these claims, but the meat had now entered a new realm, uncomfortable for many observers.
In a culture that prides itself on the limitless nature of lyrical battle, where anything can be said about the opponent, some of the criticism has struck viewers as going too far.
The music journalist Alphonse Pierre, writing on Pitchfork, said: “We must consider the women who are the ones who have really suffered, the ones who do not have the ability to speak for themselves.
“Drake and Kendrick don’t think about that at all. To them, this is all just material for jokes and trolling.”
And from there the accusations only increased.
Meet The Grahams, Lamar’s response, addresses Drake’s son Adonis directly, his mother Sandra, his father Dennis and an alleged secret daughter (denied by Drake). Lamar tells Drake in a calming, almost therapeutic cadence: “You have problems with gambling, with drinking, with taking pills and with spending.”
It also highlights Drake’s alleged use of the diabetes drug Ozempic to lose weight. According to Lamar, Drake is not who he says he is and is a broken man beyond repair.
Image source, fake images
Not Like Us, released later that same day, is filled with accusations about Drake with lines like “Certified Lover Boy, certified pedophiles” and “Tell me Drake, I heard you like them young, you better never go to cell block one.”(The suggestion is that Drake would be physically abused if he went to prison.)
It was an incendiary record, but the world was listening, and as of May 11, Not Like Us was the number one song on Spotify’s global chart, with over 57 million streams since its release.
“Not Like Us is my favorite Kendrick song on this issue; so brutal and bop!” says Patterson.
Although The Heart Part 6 would be the next and, as of now, Drake’s final rebuttal. The rappers seem to be done with the battle, ready to move on.
Naturally, fans of both have flocked to proclaim each the winner. Many have praised the lyrics for giving the genre a chance.
Some have said that Lamar forced Drake to up his lyrical game, while others have praised the duo for delivering a landmark moment in rap history.
“Overall, Kendrick won this battle,” Patterson declares. “They both dragged each other to hell with their lyrical jabs, but it’s undeniable who emerged victorious. Drake will still be the superstar rapper that he is – this definitely won’t stop his movement – but he’ll need to be confident enough to accept all the jokes and jokes about losing for the rest of his career. Rap music wins, once again.”
Itseli agrees with the winner. “This will go down as one of the biggest rap issues of the last few decades. It was about culture: Kendrick was concerned about preserving the essence of hip-hop against someone he felt didn’t represent it.
“For rap fans, this has confirmed a lot of what they thought about Drake: that he plays a role; he’s simply a character who switches to whatever musical trend is popular at any time. Kendrick showed that he cares about the art of rap music and You Can Do It While You Sleep. He has so many nuances in his way of creating that he has earned the respect of many.”
Elsewhere, rap commentators like DJ Akademiks and Gillie The Kid have sided with Drake, calling him the winner. “The rules of battle changed for Kendrick,” DJ Akademiks told the Flagrant Podcast.
“Drake got called out scared for taking two weeks to respond to Like That, but when Kendrick takes two weeks to respond to Drake, everyone says he needs time.
“Most of this battle has been Kendrick Lamar saying, ‘I’m going to destroy you as a man.’ But if what he’s said are complete lies, that detracts from what he’s saying.”
Whoever you think won, one thing is for sure. The Meat has entertained the entire world, enhancing the legacy of two generational rap artists.