Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud: Tracing their decade-long rivalry
What's the story
The age-old feud between globally renowned rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar has been the talk of the town in the music industry since 2024.
The tension reached its peak when Lamar's diss track Not Like Us, directed at Drake, won five Grammys including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Now, as Lamar performed this chart-topping song at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, let's take a look at the timeline of their decade-long rivalry.
Initial camaraderie
From friends to foes: Early days of Drake-Lamar's relationship
Drake and Lamar's relationship started on a good note in November 2011 when Lamar appeared on Drake's song Buried Alive Interlude from his second studio album, Take Care.
At the time, Lamar was still on the rise while Drake had already scored a No. 1 album with Thank Me Later (2010).
Their friendship continued into February 2012 when Drake invited Lamar and A$AP Rocky to open for him on his Club Paradise headline tour.
Rising tension
Last collaboration and the beginning of the discord
Drake and Lamar last collaborated in October 2012 on two tracks: Poetic Justice from Lamar's second album Good Kid, MAAD City, and A$AP Rocky's F--kin' Problems.
However, this appeared to be their final collaboration.
The first signs of discord came in August 2013 when Lamar name-dropped Drake in a guest verse on Big Sean's track Control, saying he intended to surpass him and other rappers in the industry.
Ongoing conflict
Public jabs and award show drama: The feud escalates
The Drake-Lamar feud only intensified from there!
It heated up in September 2013 when the former dropped his track The Language, which fans believed was in response to the latter's verse on Control.
In the song, Drake raps, "I don't know why they been lyin'/But your sh-t is not that inspirin."
The next month, Lamar appeared to take a shot at Drake during his freestyle at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher.
Unresolved issues
Drake's response and the ongoing feud
In December 2013, Drake had vented his frustration over the feud in an interview with Vibe Magazine.
He had said, "Where it became an issue is that I was rolling out an album while that verse was still bubbling, so my album rollout became about this thing."
Despite this public acknowledgment of their conflict, the issues between Drake and Lamar remain unresolved to date.
Super Bowl
Lamar puts final nail in the feud during Super Bowl
Fast forward to Sunday (US time)—Lamar took a victory lap during the Super Bowl halftime show.
In his 15-minute set, he teased Not Like Us, briefly playing its opening notes before pausing to remark, "You know they love to sue."
His comment came after Drake filed a defamation and harassment lawsuit on January 15 against Universal Music Group, the label they both share, over the track.