Kendrick Lamar and Drake‘s ongoing feud has consumed the world for almost four months now. Ever since K-Dot appeared on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” back in March, the beef has been on. With all the commotion surrounding the battle, here’s a look at all the intricate easter eggs fans may have missed from Kung Fu Kenny.
When Kendrick called out Drake and J. Cole on his “Like That” verse, fans were tuned in to what would happen next. Cole bowed out shortly after the beef began. At his Dreamville Festival in April, he apologized for dissing Kendrick prior on the track “7 Minute Drill.” Shortly after, Drake and K-Dot went absolutely ballistic into that month and May. The pair fired off nine diss tracks that culminated in the release of “Not Like Us.” Kendrick Lamar’s blockbuster song of the summer contender has sat comfortably in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 since it debuted at No. 1 on May 18, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Kendrick then capitalized on the hype with The Pop Out – Ken & Friends Concert, running through a bunch of his hits and closing it out by performing “Not Like Us” a whopping five times. Throughout the all-consuming madness, Kendrick has also littered each diss track and each public appearance with a plethora of hidden Easter eggs. While some of these homages have been obvious, there are a handful of more complex Easter eggs that fans may have missed. As the beef appears to be simmering (for now), here are the most intricate easter eggs from the entire beef.
Kendrick Lamar’s Unique Timing
Kendrick Lamar dropped off “Euphoria” at 8:24 a.m. Pacific Time (11:24 a.m. Eastern Time), a move that was completely intentional. The numbers 8 and 24 are a tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, as they were his jersey numbers. K-Dot held Kobe Bryant in the highest regard.
The Initial Reversed Voice at the Start Has a Hidden Message
The opening backward voice on Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss “Euphoria” is actually of Richard Pryor from the 1978 film The Wiz. Pryor was the title character in the movie. When playing the voice forward, it says, “Everything they say about me’s true.” That line is a nod to Kendrick affirming that everything the “culture” (in addition to K-Dot himself) thinks about Drizzy is true.
Additionally, the late music icon Michael Jackson also stars in the movie as the Scarecrow. Scarecrow joins Dorothy on her journey to meet the Wiz so he can get a brain, seemingly implying Drizzy lacks smarts. On Drake’s “Push Ups” diss track aimed at K-Dot, Drizzy referred to Kendrick as Prince and himself as MJ.
Kendrick Gives a Nod to Kanye West
Kendrick closes out his “Euphoria” diss with the words: “We don’t wanna hear you say n***a no more.” That catchy line is actually an homage to Ye’s 2004 song “Get Em High,” on which Ye croons, “’Cause we don’t wanna hear that weak sh*t no mo’.” K-Dot closing out his diss with a line inspired by Ye appeared to be intentional due to Ye’s longstanding issues with Drake. Ye also tried to get into the ring by hopping on an unofficial “Like That” remix and jumping into the entire saga of “20-v-one” against Drake.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” Diss Track Cover Art
As people were shocked by the shots Kendrick was firing at Drake on “Meet the Grahams,” the song artwork itself contained a lot of interesting details that also added to the war. Kendrick’s artwork includes a larger photo of the artwork he used for “6:16 in LA,” which consists of a bulldog-decorated shirt from Artic’s Shortee Collection.
The photo also includes the black Maybach gloves used on the “6:16 in LA” cover art, jewelry receipts, a jeweler’s business card, prescription pills and a box of Ozempic with Drizzy’s name on it. All of these items allegedly belonged to Drake and were reportedly stolen from a suitcase belonging to his father, Dennis Graham. However, that information is not verified.
Kendrick Lamar Wears Outfit Similar to One Worn by Tupac Shakur
During The Pop Out concert on Juneteenth (July 19), K-Dot paid homage to the late Tupac Shakur by wearing a similar outfit to the one that ’Pac wore to the 1994 Source Awards when he performed “Out on Bail.” Wearing a red hat, a red hoodie with a white T-shirt underneath it and baggy jeans, the only difference between K-Dot and ’Pac’s outfit was the latter performed in a University of Georgia sweatshirt. Both of the rappers donned diamond crosses, with Kendrick’s glistening $600,000 piece being made by jeweler Ben Baller.
Kendrick Lamar Changes Lyrics to “Euphoria”
K-Dot started his set at The Pop Out concert by performing his Drake diss song “Euphoria.” However, he changed some lyrics in the song to diss Drizzy again.
“I’m knowin’ they call you The Boy, but where is a man?/’Cause I ain’t see him yet/Give me Tupac ring back and I might give you a lil’ respect,” Kendrick raps, referencing Drake buying one of Tupac’s old rings.
The original lyric was: “I’m knowin’ they call you The Boy, but where is a man?/’Cause I ain’t see him yet/Matter of fact I ain’t even bleed him yet, can I bleed him?”
Kendrick Lamar Does Drake’s “Hotline Bling” Dance
It was clear that Kendrick Lamar was having a good time at The Pop Out concert. At one point, K-Dot did a little dance in the middle of the stage. Eagle-eyed fans pointed out that the moves were similar to the dance Drake does in his “Hotline Bling” video, marking another dig at The Boy.
Kendrick Lamar Sneaks a J. Cole Ad-Lib Into the Show
When Kendrick Lamar performed his hit song “Alright” at The Pop Out show, he used the backing track for J. Cole’s “Alright (Remix).” Fans noticed this subtle difference and close listeners heard J. Cole saying the word “Yeah” before K-Dot launched into the track. This seemingly implies it’s all good between Cole and K-Dot, after the former apologized back in April.