Public Feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar Appears to be Nearing its Conclusion or at Least Diminishing The longstanding relationship between the two rap artists began in March when Future and Metro Boomin released the track “Like That,” featuring verses from Kendrick targeting both Drake and J. Cole. This sparked reactions from both Drake and Cole, but Cole quickly defused the situation, only for a feud between Drake and Lamar to erupt. The rap stars didn’t hesitate to release a series of increasingly tense and uncomfortable diss tracks.
First, Drake dropped “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” both aimed at Lamar. Fans of both were thrilled and eagerly awaited responses. Less than 72 hours later, Lamar released “6:16 in LA,” prompting Drake to respond with “Family Matters.” This led to two more shots from Lamar (“Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us”), triggering another retort from Drake (“The Heart Part 6”).
The latter parts of these tracks contain a lot of personal information, as both stars earnestly incorporate into their lyrics—though crucially unverified—accusations of domestic violence, pedophilia, and keeping children secret. Diss tracks, once used by rappers to assert dominance over opponents through lyrical prowess, have largely become outdated since their heyday in the 80s and 90s.
However, while the Drake-Kendrick feud initially seemed like friendly competition between heavyweight hip-hop rivals, their accusations could potentially end each other’s careers, opening the possibility that their feud might escalate beyond the confines of the recording studio and into the courtroom. “Has anyone ever been sued for defamation in a song before?” joked Matt Ford, a legal reporter at the New Republic earlier this week, seemingly alluding to the escalating animosity in the feud between Drake and Kendrick.
Though the answer is no, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen. Daliah Saper, principal attorney at Saper Law specializing in defamation cases, told Business Insider that in the case of either rapper—particularly Drake—facing serious allegations, such as repeatedly alleging pedophilia from Lamar, they might consider legal action to mitigate any reputational damage. However, the legal standard for a successful defamation suit is very high for public figures.