In the five months since the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake popped off, the rap battle remains a dominant conversation in hip-hop, especially from rappers themselves.
The output of diss tracks from the two top-tier MCs came to a screeching halt on May 5 following one of the most memorable weekends in hip-hop history. Over three days, the rap community was captivated by the release of six total diss tracks, kicking off with Kendrick’s “6:16 in LA” and closing out with Drake’s “The Heart Part 6.” However, the public chatter from hip-hop notables surrounding all that went down between Drizzy and K-Dot continues to be at the tip of the rap game’s proverbial tongue.
A majority of rappers opting to choose sides, such as Ab-Soul and LL Cool J, openly declare Kendrick Lamar as the winner of the epic exchange. Drake certainly has seen his fair share of support from his peers in the game as well. The rappers who’ve remained neutral are typically speaking about the overall impact the battle has had on the culture and whether or not the whole thing has been good for hip-hop.
Interestingly enough, outside of the scathing bars, Kendrick hasn’t spoken publicly on the matter at all. However, the Compton spitter’s actions have been doing all the talking. On June 19, just as the conversation started to slow from a raging boil to a steady simmer, K-Dot hit the stage in Los Angeles with an earth-shattering performance at The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert.
The show was a rallying cry for West Coast hip-hop with diss tracks aimed at Drake like “Euphoria,” “6:16 in LA” and the chart-topping “Not Like Us” serving as the concert’s anchors. In the weeks since, opinions from rappers across all corners of the genre have reached a fever pitch. Earlier this month, Kendrick dropped the music video for “Not Like Us,” which is packed with anti-Drizzy inuendos adding fuel to the flames.
Drake, on the other hand, appears to be one of the only rappers not carrying on with the discussion. After engaging in lyrical warfare throughout the spring, Drizzy is soaking up the summer vibes. Between collabs with pop singer Camila Cabello, popping out to perform at Michael Rubin’s elite all-white party, and releasing 100 gigs of music and never-been-seen videos, Drake has put the beef with Kendrick Lamar in the rearview, seemingly unfazed.
That is not the case for plenty of other rappers. Check out what what artists like Sexyy Red, Roddy Ricch, Childish Gambino and more still have to say about the battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.