For several weeks, the two behemoths of American rap have been waging a merciless war with punchlines. And their songs are breaking stream records. How did these old friends get there? Explanations.
On the left, hitmaker Drake. On the right, virtuoso Kendrick Lamar. Photos Paul Charbit/Sipa and SADIA/Gamma-Rapho
By Yohan Haddad
Published on May 7, 2024 at 5:47 p.m.
Updated May 7, 2024 at 6:07 p.m.
L‘The story begins in 2011. Drake, a former Canadian actor who became a rap star, invites Californian Kendrick Lamar to perform his own song, Buried Alive Interlude, on his album Take Care. A year later, it’s the second’s turn to invite the first on his album Good Kid, mAAd city, for the piece Poetic Justice. A friendship is forged between the two artists, new hopes for a music industry in full renewal.
But two years later, tempers are starting to heat up. Guest on the track Control by Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar provokes several of his colleagues with a punchline: “That’s hip-hop, these n****s better watch out.” And I speak for Jermaine Cole, Big KRIT, Wale, Pusha T, Meek Mill, ASAP Rocky, Drake […]. I love you all, but I’m trying to kill you. » An explosion which will generate ten years of cold war between Drake and Kendrick, who regularly send barbs at each other without naming each other.
Total war
Today, Kendrick Lamar is seen as a spiritual figure. In thirteen years, he has produced five albums, all praised by critics and fans, which allowed him to win a Pulitzer Prize in 2018. Drake, for his part, has established himself as a “hit maker”, a well-oiled machine which has managed to explode the scores with each project release (nine albums, including one in collaboration with rapper 21 Savage, and seven mixtapes).
End of 2023, a piece, First Person Shooter, sets fire to the powder again. In collaboration with Drake, J. Cole, another juggernaut of US rap, proudly declares: “We are the top 3, as if we had initiated this league. » Nothing happens until March 24, 2024, when things take a new turn. No more half-hearted attacks. On the song Like That by rapper Future, in collaboration with producer Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar arrives by surprise to secure his place as “king”. And intends to set the record straight: “Fuck top 3, I’m top 1!” »
Drake, recovered, re-emerges on April 19 with Push Ups, in which he attacks all the artists who turned their backs on him (The Weeknd, Future, Rick Ross, Metro Boomin…). Kendrick, for his part, is rallied by his small size: “How can you remove our chains?” How do you plan to get there with your size 40 shoes? » In an Instagram post published the same day, Drake added fuel to the fire through a piece using artificial intelligence to model the voice of 2Pac, his opponent’s idol, in order to tackle him directly.
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Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake: From Rhyme Battle to True Crime
Club blow
Kendrick Lamar begins his counter-pressing on April 30 with Euphoria, six-minute piece in which Drake is referred to as “master of manipulation”, while claiming that 2Pac probably “returned to his grave”. The insinuations are gaining momentum. The answers follow one another at a frantic pace.
On May 3, Kendrick posted on Instagram 6:16 in LA, a new piece in the form of a warning. Hours later, Drake responded with Family Matters, who accuses Kendrick of hitting his partner and having a child that is not his, but that of his manager Dave Free. Thirty minutes later (!), Kendrick Lamar delivers the final blow with Meet the Grahams, in which he directly addresses Drake’s father, mother, son, and a supposedly hidden daughter. He compares the rapper to producer Harvey Weinstein, while accusing him and members of his label OVO of being “predators”. The next day, Kendrick does it again with Not Like Us, which takes up the same themes in a humorous tone, accusing Drake of being a “pedophile” : “Are you trying to hit a certain mark?” It’s probably a minor! »
Monday May 6, Drake tries to keep up appearances with yet another song, The Heart Part 6 (a series dear to Kendrick Lamar, who released the first five The Heart), in which he denies being a predator, while reformulating the same attacks towards his enemy.
Who is in, who is out ? The question doesn’t necessarily need an answer. Because this war is above all a war of ego, which consists of showing one’s superiority in an industry that leaves no respite in the era of streaming. This Homeric battle is obviously reminiscent of the one between two other rap giants of the time in the 90s: 2Pac and Notorious BIG. A shooting, which took place on Tuesday May 7 near Drake’s home, could raise fears of such a disastrous conclusion.
