The Drake vs Kendrick Lamar is the biggest feud in recent rap history.
It’s a fight that’s gone miles beyond the usual lyrical martial artistry, though there has certainly been plenty of that. It has spurred multiple court actions and a stunning rebellion against their shared record label.
It also spawned a song -- "Not Like Us" -- that just won two of the big four Grammys. Lamar performed the diss track during his 2025 Super Bowl halftime show Sunday, with legendary tennis player Serena Williams making a surprise appearance during the song.
Lamar also sported a chain with a lowercase "a" while performing, appearing to throw shade at Drake amid their ongoing feud: In “Not Like Us,” Kendrick raps lyrics like “Say, Drake, I hear you like ‘em young” and “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.”
When Lamar rapped the lyric Sunday -- one of the most popular lines in the song -- the massive crowd at the Caesars Superdome joined in.
Every song Kendrick Lamar performed during the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show
Leading up to the Super Bowl, whether or not Lamar would perform the song was a legitimate question held by fans and critics alike. But as the show went on, things become more clear.
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“I wanna play their favorite song but you know they love to sue,” Lamar told the women dancers behind him, during the show, referencing Drake.
But how exactly did the feud begin, and where do things stand now? Here's a breakdown.
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How the Kendrick Lamar - Drake beef began
It wasn’t always this way. They once were collaborators: On Drake’s 2011 track “Buried Alive Interlude,” on Lamar’s 2012 release “Poetic Justice,” and on A$AP Rocky’s “(Expletive) ’ Problems” that same year.
It didn’t last long. In 2013, the Pulitzer Prize winner Lamar was featured on Big Sean’s “Control,” in which he called out a slew of contemporary rappers including J. Cole, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean himself and Drake.
“I got love for you all, but I’m trying to murder you,” he rapped. “Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you.”
Drake responded in a Billboard cover story, saying “Kendrick’s not murdering me, at all, in any platform.” Lamar took another jab just afterward, at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards.
The rappers launched occasional disses at each other in the following years. Drake beefed with other performers, most infamously Pusha T in 2018, where the latter rapper dropped “The Story of Adidon,” revealing Drake is a father.
In October 2023, J. Cole may have accidentally reignited the beef on “First Person Shooter” with Drake. He rapped “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” referencing Lamar and Drake’s birth name, Aubrey Graham.
Then, just over a year ago, it exploded exponentially. Here’s a timeline of the major developments. It should be noted that diss tracks between rappers often include exaggerated truths and unsubstantiated rumors for dramatic effect.'
Lamar, Drake Feud Timeline
March 22: Lamar disses Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That”
“The big three,” Lamar raps, calling back to J. Cole, “It’s just big me.”
He references Drake’s 2023 album “For All the Dogs,” and also compares himself to Prince and Drake to Michael Jackson: “Prince outlived Mike Jack.”
April 13: Drake’s “Push Ups” leaks
Drake’s response leaks. “You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down,” he raps. (SZA would later be announced as Lamar’s Super Bowl collaborator.)
April 24: Drake responds with a second, AI-assisted diss track and pulls in Taylor Swift
Drake’s second diss track used artificial intelligence technology to include verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, two of Lamar’s influences. In his own verse, Drake accuses Lamar of delaying his response track because of the imminent release of Taylor Swift ‘s “The Tortured Poets Department.” (Lamar collaborated with Swift on “Bad Blood.”)
Tupac’s estate threatened to sue Drake in response, so he removed the song from his social channels.
April 30: Lamar hits back with a nearly six-and-a-half-minute track, “Euphoria”
This is where it gets more complicated. Lamar’s “Euphoria” hits like an opus, unleashing a slew of allegations against Drake. He comes after Drake’s skills as a rapper, use of AI, appearance, racial identity, and parenting.
“I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin’ ’bout that,” Lamar raps.
The title is a reference to the HBO series “Euphoria,” of which Drake is an executive producer.
May 3: Lamar drops a follow-up, “6:16 in LA”
In Lamar’s next diss, titled after a time and location like Drake is wont to do, Lamar targets the company Drizzy keeps. “Have you ever thought that OVO was working for me? / Fake bully, I hate bullies,” he raps, referencing Drake’s record label. “You must be a terrible person.”
According to Billboard, the song was produced by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff — the latter notably Swift’s longtime producer. It samples Al Green’s “What a Wonderful Thing Love Is,” on which one of Drake’s relatives played guitar.
May 3: Drake launches “Family Matters”
Drake hits back with a music video and a nearly eight-minute response, in which he alleges abuse and infidelity in Lamar’s relationship with his fiancée.
May 4: Lamar responds with “Meet the Grahams”
Almost immediately afterward, Lamar addresses Drake’s son in “Meet the Grahams:” “I’m sorry that man is your father.” Lamar also addresses Drake’s parents, and “a baby girl,” alleging Drake has a secret daughter.
He also labels Drake a “predator,” without elaborating.
May 4: Less than 24 hours later, Lamar drops “Not Like Us”
Lamar doubles down, releasing “Not Like Us,” produced by DJ Mustard.
“Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young / You better not ever go to cell block one,” Lamar raps.
It would later reach stratospheric levels for a diss track.
May 5: Drake softens his blows on “The Heart Part 6”
Referencing Lamar’s “The Heart” series, Drake drops “The Heart Part 6.” In the song “Prove It,” Drake challenges Lamar’s allegations, doubles down on his own against him, and says that he does not have a secret daughter.
He sounds notably lethargic on the song — potentially taking a final bow with verses like, “You know, at least your fans are gettin’ some raps out of you / I’m happy I could motivate you.”
May 18: ‘Not Like Us’ hits No. 1
Lamar’s “Not Like Us” goes to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It will spend two weeks at the spot, 38 weeks on the chart, and end become the year’s No. 6 song. It would also do stratospheric streaming numbers, ending 2024 atop Apple Music’s global song chart.
June 19: A hometown victory lap for Lamar
Lamar takes a de facto victory lap with his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert at the Forum in Los Angeles. He performs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in LA,” then is joined by Dr. Dre.
The two West Coast titans perform “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love” before Dre quiets the roaring crowd. He then delivers the “Sixth Sense” quote that opens “Not Like Us”: “I see dead people.”
A crowd of 17,000 including The Weeknd, LeBron James, Ayo Edebiri and Rick Ross rap along to every word. Lamar restarts it twice after the first verse and performs it four times in full.
September 9: Lamar heading to the Super Bowl
Lamar is announced as the halftime headliner at the Feb. 9 Super Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans. SZA is later announced as a guest performer, before the two tour together this spring.
November 8: Lamar racks up Grammy nominations for Drake diss tracks
Lamar is nominated for seven Grammys, all of them for Drake diss tracks. Two are for “Like That,” the Metro Boomin’ collaboration, and five are for “Not Like Us,” including nods for record of the year and song of the year.
November 25: Drake broadens the beef to courts and label
After months of relative silence, Drake takes the fight to court, and takes the beef to another level. He alleges in a New York filing that Universal Music Group — the parent label for both him and Lamar — pumped up the popularity of “Not Like Us” on Spotify and other streaming services. The filing is a precursor to a potential lawsuit that demands the two companies preserve documents.
UMG calls the allegations in the filing “offensive and untrue.” Spotify did not publicly respond but has broadly denied assertions that its streaming figures are or can be inflated.
On the same day, Drake announces that he will tour Australia for the first time in eight years, starting on the day Lamar performs at the Super Bowl.
November 26: Drake strikes in court again
Drake strikes again, this time in a Texas court, where he aims at the radio play for “Not Like Us.” His filing, another lawsuit precursor, alleges UMG conspired with iHeartMedia, the biggest owner of radio stations in the U.S., to inflate plays and numbers for the track.
iHeartMedia did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press at the time, and did not immediately reply to a new request for a response.
January 15: Drake drops the big legal bomb
Drake makes his major legal move, for which the previous ones were only openers: A defamation lawsuit against UMG, alleging it put out and promoted “Not Like Us” even though it promotes false pedophilia allegations against him and suggests listeners should resort to vigilante justice.
It blames the label and the song for attempted break-ins and the shooting of a security guard at Drake’s Toronto home, online hate and harassment and the devaluation of his brand.
The suit does not name Lamar as a defendant.
UMG responds that the allegations are not only untrue but illogical given their years of investment in Drake.
February 2: Lamar wins five Grammys, including two of the biggest for ‘Not Like Us’
A week before his Super Bowl headlining gig, Lamar and “Not Like Us” have an epic night at the Grammy Awards. The track wins song of the year and record of the year and Lamar takes five.
He’s gracious and positive in victory, not mentioning Drake and saying “We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city” before shouting out Los Angeles area neighborhoods.
February 9: Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Show
“Salutations!,” the actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam introduced Lamar at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome for the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show — a powerful, commanding creative choice by the first solo hip-hop artist to ever headline the coveted slot.
As if there were any doubts of the Pulitzer Prize winning rapper’s ability to put on a show.
As dozens of dancers emerged from a Buick GNX clown car style, he launched into an as-yet-untitled new song that had been teased with an online snippet when his “GNX” album was released, then moved into “Squabble Up.” For just under 13 minutes during the halftime show sponsored by Apple Music and Roc Nation, Lamar commanded the field.
Dancers dressed in red, white and blue joined Lamar. But even in their patriotic colors, they were labeled “too loud, too reckless, too ghetto,” by Jackson’s Uncle Sam, who reminded Lamar to “play the game.” Then, he launched into “Humble.,” “DNA.,” “Euphoria” and “man at the garden.”
“Score keeper, deduct one life,” Jackson interrupted again. Lamar launched into “peakboo,” and then teased a performance of “Not Like Us," which levels strong accusations against Drake in its lyrics.
But little was known about Lamar’s halftime performance ahead of time.
Lamar promised to keep his passion for storytelling at the forefront of his plans, and SZA was a previously announced guest performer. They are frequent collaborators; she most recently appeared his recent album “GNX” and was featured on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine.”
SZA appeared on stage for “Luther” and “All the Stars," and the duo will also co-headline a 19-city North American tour this spring and summer, with a stop in Chicago at Soldier Field June 6.
“That’s what America wants — nice and calm,” Jackson said.
'Not Like Us'
And then, like clockwork: Lamar launched into “Not Like Us” — with the removal of the word “pedophiles” in its lyrics — into “tv off.”
He brought out the producer Mustard and tennis superstar Serena Williams was spotted crip walking along to the diss track.
Is there any better publicity than the biggest stage in U.S. sports? Consider this just another step in Lamar’s continued victory lap.
He is also no stranger to the Super Bowl stage, having previously performed at the NFL’s championship game in 2022 as a guest artist, alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem.
“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in a statement in September, when he was first announced as the 2025 halftime performer. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”
Make no mistake about it — that’s exactly what he did Sunday evening.
