The hip-hop world was set ablaze when Kendrick Lamar, in a guest verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s album We Don’t Trust You, seemingly detonated a lyrical bomb aimed at Drake and J. Cole. For years, fans had witnessed a cordial, even collaborative, relationship between these titans of rap. So, the question on everyone’s mind became: why did Kendrick Lamar diss Drake, sparking what could be the biggest rap feud of the decade?
The initial signs pointed towards camaraderie. Early in their careers, Drake and Kendrick Lamar appeared on each other’s tracks, hinting at a potential “Big Three” era in hip-hop alongside J. Cole. However, the landscape shifted dramatically on March 22, 2024, with the release of We Don’t Trust You. Kendrick Lamar’s feature on the track “Like That” didn’t just subtly jab; it felt like a direct and forceful assault.
In “Like That,” Lamar’s lyrics left little room for interpretation. He rapped, “Yeah, get up with me, f–k sneak dissing/’First Person Shooter,’ I hope they came with three switches,” directly referencing Drake and J. Cole’s song “First Person Shooter.” He further intensified the diss with the lines, “Think I won’t drop the location? I still got PTSD/ Motherf–k the Big Three, n—a, it’s just big me.” This declaration emphatically rejected the notion of a “Big Three,” positioning Kendrick as standing alone at the pinnacle of rap and explicitly dismissing Drake and Cole’s perceived status.
Drake, while initially silent in the studio, responded to Lamar’s aggression from the stage. During a concert in Sunrise, Florida, on March 24, 2024, Drake addressed the brewing conflict. “A lot of people ask me how I’m feeling. I’m a let you know I’m feeling,” he told the crowd. “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!” Drake’s defiant words, though not a direct lyrical rebuttal at that moment, signaled his refusal to back down from Kendrick’s challenge.
The underlying reasons for Kendrick Lamar’s diss remain a subject of speculation and analysis. While the artists themselves haven’t explicitly detailed the breakdown in their relationship, the competitive nature of hip-hop, coupled with individual artistic ambitions, likely plays a significant role. Lamar’s assertion of dominance and rejection of the “Big Three” concept suggests a desire to firmly establish himself as the unequivocal top figure in the rap game, potentially viewing Drake (and J. Cole) as obstacles or rivals in this pursuit. This lyrical confrontation has opened a new chapter in their relationship, transforming a once amicable connection into a high-stakes battle for hip-hop supremacy.
