Drake-Kendrick Lamar Feud: A Timeline Of How Their Relationship Has Become One Of Music Industry’s Biggest Disputes

The hip-hop industry is in a frenzy. What was once a fruitful relationship between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has now turned sour. The two hip-hop icons started their career with collaborations. However, Lamar’s recent feature on Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘We Don’t Trust You’ album has fired the shots. The feud started when Lamar dissed Drake and Cole. He sang, “Yeah, get up with me, f–k sneak dissing/’First Person Shooter,’ I hope they came with three switches… Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD/ Motherf–k the Big Three, n—a, it’s just big me.”

Drake addressed this matter at his concert in March. Drake said, “A lot of people ask me how I’m feeling. I’m a let you know I’m feeling. Listen, the same way I’m feeling is the same way I want you to walk out this building tonight. I got my f–king head up high, my back straight, I’m 10 f–king toes down in Florida and anywhere else I go. And I know that no matter what, it’s not a n—a on this earth that could ever f–k with me in my life!”

While fans wait for more updates on their brewing feud, here’s a complete timeline of their relationship.

November 2011: Kendrick Lamar works with Drake on ‘Take Care’ album

Kendrick Lamar's promising career took a significant leap when he featured on Drake's highly anticipated album, ‘Take Care’. Drake, transitioning from a rookie to a superstar, exceeded expectations with this release, returning to his roots while collaborating with emerging talents like Lamar. Fresh off the success of his project, ‘Section 80’, Lamar's appearance on the ‘Buried Alive Interlude’ shot him to success.

February 2012: Drake invites Kendrick Lamar to Club Paradise Tour

Drake continued to support Lamar by inviting him to join the Club Paradise Tour as one of the opening acts, alongside A$AP Rocky. Lamar's impressive performance on ‘Buried Alive’ earned him rave reviews and solidified his position as a rising star in the hip-hop scene.

October 2012: Drake and Lamar collaborate with A$AP Rocky

The duo appeared on A$AP Rocky's ‘Fu****' Problems’ alongside 2 Chainz. Following the success of this collaboration, Drake and Lamar joined forces once more on Lamar's debut album for the track ‘Poetic Justice.’ The album reached the 26th position on the Billboard Hot 100.

August 2013: Kendrick Lamar takes a dig at Drake on Big Sean’s ‘Control’

Fresh off the success of his major label debut, ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’, Lamar's confidence soared as he boldly called out his peers, including Drake, in a searing take on the state of the industry. Lamar's provocative lyrics shook the landscape as he declared his intention to outshine his fellow artists, stirring reactions from the hip-hop community. Drake responded to Lamar's diss as mere ambition and asserted his confidence in his abilities.

October 2013: Kendrick Lamar hits at Drake at BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher

Lamar further intensified his rivalry with Drake during the BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher. Joined by TDE, Lamar delivered a verse over the instrumental of ‘Shook Ones’ where he took direct aim at Drake in response to their ongoing feud.

December 2013: Drake addresses the feud with Kendrick Lamar

In an interview with VIBE Magazine, Drake emphasized the impact the feud had on his album and also said that he has the right to defend himself while maintaining respect for Lamar's talent. He acknowledged Lamar's genius but remained firm in his stance. He drew similarities between his approach with that of Michael Jordan.

October 2023: Drake collaborates with J. Cole

In ‘First Person Shooter’, J. Cole and Drake dropped the iconic ‘big three line.’ The verse said, “Love when they argue the hardest MC/ Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?/ We the big three like we started a league/ but right now, I feel like Muhammad Ali.”

March 2024: Kendrick Lamar blasts off at Drake in ‘Like That’

Kendrick Lamar collaborated with Future and Metro Boomin on ‘Like That’. He didn't mince words. He dismantled the notion of a "Big 3" involving himself, Cole, and Drake. He said, “Motherf–k the big three, n—a, it's just big me.”

March 25, 2024: Drake addresses the feud at his concert

Opening up to his audience, Drake declared that he was standing tall with his head held high.

April 2024: Drake pushes his diss track on streaming apps

Drake officially released his diss track ‘Push Ups’ on streaming platforms, a week after its initial leak and premiere by DJ Akademiks. In the song, Drake aims at Kendrick Lamar. He also took digs at Rick Ross, The Weeknd, Metro Boomin, and Future on the track.

April 24, 2024: Drake releases second diss track

Drake escalated his feud with Lamar by dropping a second diss track titled ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’ on Instagram. He used AI to emulate the voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg. However, Tupac's lawyers threatened legal action if he didn't remove the track from his social media accounts. He, later, pulled down the song.

April 30, 2024: Kendrick Lamar strikes back

Lamar reignited the feud with Drake through the release of his scathing comeback track, ‘Euphoria’. The six-minute track called out Drake for his use of the N-word criticized his fashion sense, questioned his credibility in hip-hop, and more. In one verse, he also expressed distrust towards J. Cole and Drake.