The war between Drake and Kendrick Lamar explained

Tensions are escalating in the rap world, with Drake and Kendrick Lamar exchanging increasingly virulent diss tracks in recent weeks. Here’s a chronological look at the events.

Shawn Michaels Invites Drake, Kendrick Lamar To Settle Rap Beef In WWE Ring | Click to read more https://t.co/SBCbVrAQls

— TMZ (@TMZ) May 6, 2024

Kendrick and Drake’s rivalry dates back to 2013, when Lamar attacked Drake and other rappers on Control. Although he explained in an interview that this was to encourage friendly competition, and despite their past collaborations, tensions escalated when Drake declared that Lamar was an extremely hungry underdog, but that he now had to prove his consistency.

At the BET Hip-Hop Awards, Kendrick takes aim at Drake in a freestyle…

In 2017, Kendrick Lamar issued a subtle criticism of Drake in The Heart Part 4, but the situation changed last March when Lamar amplified their rivalry with his verses in Like That, a collab by Lamar with Future and Metro Boomin.

In Like That, Kendrick Lamar attacks the affiliation between Drake and J. Cole in 2023’s First Person Shooter.

Then, in mid-April, Drake responds to Lamar by releasing two tracks on the same day: Push Ups and Taylor Made Freestyle.

In Push Ups, Drake raps that Kendrick isn’t part of the Big Three and criticizes his enemy’s recording contract. He also mocks his collaborations with Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift, among others.

On the same day, Drake released Taylor Made Freestyle. The song has since been removed from streaming platforms, as it contained artificial intelligence impersonations of Snoop Dogg and Tupac, leading to its blocking by Tupac’s estate.

At the end of April, Lamar released a diss entitled Euphoria, launching one attack after another against Drake.

A few days later, Lamar reinforces his attack with 6:16 in LA.

A few hours later, Drake retaliates against Kendrick by accusing him of abuse in Family Matters, claiming that Lamar had physically assaulted his fiancée, Whitney Alford.

On the same day, Kendrick Lamar releases Meet the Grahams, a scathing response to Drake, in which he addresses Drake’s son Adonis, as well as his parents.

Lamar also talks about an 11-year-old daughter whom Drake has allegedly failed to recognize publicly. In the diss track, Lamar also refers to allegations of abuse aimed at Drake, declaring that the rapper should be in prison for life, just like Harvey Weinstein…

The following day, Lamar reinforces the serious accusations against Drake in Not Like Us, where he advises the girls in Drake’s entourage to be careful…

The next day, Drake releases The Heart Part 6, where he denies Lamar’s allegations, even suggesting that they were fabricated by his own clan in an attempt to trap him.

After several weeks of heated exchanges, some feel that the feud between the two rappers is coming to an end, while others await Lamar’s response to Drake’s final attacks.

Then, on the morning of May 7, 2024, a shooting broke out very close to Drake’s Toronto mansion, seriously wounding a security guard and casting doubt on the motive behind the crime and its potential links to the whole saga.