When thinking about who the greatest rapper of all time is, many consider Drake and Kendrick Lamar to be at the top. For the past 10 years, arguments over whether Drake or Lamar is the best has been the talk of the music industry. Many consider who has better albums, songs and lyrics when trying to decide, but ultimately the debate never ends. Since 2013, Drake and Lamar have thrown shots at each other in songs, giving fans plenty of reason to assume they do not like one other.
Drake and Lamar’s popularity has been on the rise for many years, causing conflict between the two. Since 2014, Lamar and Drake have been the biggest names in rap.
On Oct. 6, 2023, Drake released his eighth studio album “For All the Dogs” which featured the song “First Person Shooter (feat. J. Cole).” During J. Cole’s verse, he claimed that he, Drake and Lamar are the big three. Many fans believed this was Drake showing respect for Lamar. However, Lamar took it as a diss.
Metro Boomin and Future released the album “WE DON’T TRUST YOU” together on March 22, 2024, which featured Lamar on the song “Like That.” In it, Lamar replied to Drake and J. Cole by claiming that there is no big three because he is the best. Lamar added more disses to the song as well, sparking a war between the two.
Drake finally replied by releasing a leaked song called “Push Ups” on April 14, 2022, which broke the internet by throwing shots at Lamar, calling out his height and claiming that he is not in the big three. On top of dissing Lamar, he also insulted the entire rap community by dropping smaller disses in the song directed at other artists.
“I thought Kendrick’s diss track was for mainstream music and not crazy enough to affect Drake’s legacy,” junior Jaden Zadanowski said. “I thought Drake won the first battle.”
Lamar has thrown shots at Drake on songs such as “King Kunta” and “Darkside/Gone,” in which he calls out rumors of ghostwriting and hidden disses. Drake has also thrown shots at Lamar on songs such as “The Language” and “Stories About My Brother,” in which he calls him out for not making great music and for being overhyped.
“Even though I’m a big Drake fan, Kendrick is known for making art and amazing music and could maybe produce better music than Drake in this battle,” junior Sebastian Mira said.
Some argue that Drake’s commercial success and catchy hooks make him the better artist, while others praise Lamar’s lyricism and storytelling ability. Their beef has become a hot topic in the world of rap, leading to debates on and offline. Every diss track or sneak diss created by the two causes more excitement for the next track, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
“Even though it’s not the popular opinion, I think Drake has better lyrics than Kendrick,” junior Noam Refaeli said.
After the first round of diss tracks, it is clear that Drake won the first battle. This feud has brought him significant commercial success and he provides this battle with the energy and enthusiasm it needs to keep people wanting more.
Fans are expecting another reply from Lamar soon and the battle is sure to continue on. Whether fans are on team Drake or team Lamar, one thing is clear, the debate is a big part of rap culture. As long as they keep making hits, the argument over who is the best will only gain more traction and become even more dividing.
