The beef between Drake, J Cole and Kendrick Lamar has been a topic of intrigue in the hip-hop world as several other rappers have joined the fray.
So how did this beef start?
Initially, Drake extended a helping hand to Kendrick Lamar by featuring him on his ‘Take Care’ album and inviting him on tour.
However, in March 2024, Kendrick Lamar drew lines in the sand when he dropped the track ‘Like That’ – making reference to Drake and J Cole.
In the song, Lamar made reference to J Cole 2023 song ‘First Person Shooter’ in which he (J Cole) said that Drake, Kendrick Lamar and he were the illest rappers in the world.
“We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali,” J Cole rapped in his 2023 track.
Kendrick Lamar in his March 2024 song ‘Like That’ rubbished J Cole’s claim that the trio are hip hop greatest, stressing that he (Lamar) is the best of them all.
“It’s just big me,” Lamar rapped.
Kendrick Lamar nonetheless spewed most of his venom to Drake, seemingly comparing himself to Prince and Drake to Michael Jackson, noting that Prince outlived Mike Jackson and referencing Drake’s latest album ‘For All the Dogs’ with the lines “fore all your dogs gettin’ buried/ That’s a K with all these nines, he gon’ see Pet Sematary.”
Drake responded nonchalantly, stating that it sounded like an ambitious thought and that he knew Kendrick wasn’t outshining him.
On April 5, 2024, J Cole dropped the surprise album ‘Might Delete Later’ which had a track that dissed Kendrick Lamar.
In his song ‘7 Minute Drill’, J Cole implies that Kendrick Lamar only averages one good rap verse every 30 months, and that he disses other musicians in his music for attention.
J Cole also criticized Lamar’s acclaimed albums ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ and ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’, calling the first song boring and overrated and the second track tragic.
However in a shock move, J Cole apologized for the diss track that took aim at Kendrick Lamar.
He made the apology during a performance at the Dreamville Festival in North Carolina.
While J Cole took a big step to deescalate the feud, Drake added fuel into the fire to keep the beef smoking hot.
Drake appeared to release a diss track against Lamar, versions of which were leaked by multiple X (formerly Twitter) accounts.
In the song, Drake dissed Lamar, Metro Boomin, Future, The Weeknd, Rick Ross.
On the track, which appears to be titled ‘Push Ups’, Drake asked how Lamar was stepping with a size 7 mens on and called him a pipsqueak.
Drake also denounced Lamar’s recent album.
“Your last one bricked, you really not on s–t / They make excuses for you ’cause they hate to see me lit,” he rapped.
Though the song was not officially released by Drake, he posted a photo on his Instagram story showing Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill” facing off with a number an enemies, which some fans took as confirmation that the song was legitimate.
In response to Drake’s song, Rick Ross released his own diss track called “Champagne Moments” hours later, in which he suggested that Drake got a nose job and surgery on his stomach, and called the biracial rapper a “White boy.”
Drake quickly hit back at Rick Ross on his Instagram story, posting a screenshot of a text exchange with his mom, who asked Drake if he had actually received a nose job.
Drake denied that he had the procedure and teased another response to Rick Ross. Rozay then shared a video on his own Instagram page where he talked about “BBL Drake,” referring to the cosmetic surgery procedure known as a Brazilian Butt Lift.
Days later, Drake shared an Instagram post with the caption: “They rather go to war with me than admit they are their own worst enemy.”
A$AP Rocky joined forces against Drake.
Rocky fired shots at Drake in the track ‘Show of Hands’ on Future and Metro Boomin’s second album ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’.
Rocky’s lyrics appear to reference to Drake and Rihanna past relationship. (Note that Rocky has two children with Rihanna whom he is currently dating).
“Men, in their feelings over women, what, you hurt or somethin’?” Rocky rapped.
Meanwhile, gangster rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight, who is serving a 28-year prison sentence for manslaughter, slammed J Cole over the apology on a recent episode of his podcast, ‘Collect Call.’
“J. Cole, you supposed to say what you mean and mean what you say,” Knight said. “To be the best, you gotta beat the best. This is a contact sport. As we used to say back in the day, if you don’t wanna be a gangsta rapper, go be R&B. West Coast, stand up. It’s a victory.”
Kanye West is the latest entrant in the ongoing feud which is evoking the nostalgia of the 1980s East Coast Vs West Coast beef.
The 46-year-old Grammy winner took aim at Drake and J Cole on his remix of Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar’s diss track ‘Like That’ which he debuted during his appearance on Justin LaBoy’s The Download on April 20, 2024.
On his new remix, Kanye plainly states that he is on Kendrick’s side by rapping, “Yo Dot, I got you,” referencing Kendrick Lamar’s former alias K-Dot.
He ends his verse by dragging Drake and J Cole with the lyrics: “Y’all so out of sight, out of mind / I can’t even think of a Drake line/ Play J. Cole, get the p**** dry.”
Shortly after the remix dropped, Kanye doubled down and took to Twitter to post an NSFW meme depicting a woman pleasuring a man after learning he doesn’t listen to J Cole’s music.
Kanye West also dragged Diddy into the fray.
On the remix, Kanye appears to reference the current sex trafficking investigation by FBI surrounding Diddy.
“Can’t stop, won’t stop/ I just f***** your b**** in a Sean John tank top,” Kanye West raps.
Since November 2023, Diddy has faced multiple civil lawsuits alleging various forms of misconduct, including accusations of sexual impropriety and other illegal activities.
Related: 4th woman accusing Diddy of gang-raping her when she was only 17 ordered to reveal her identity
