How did the beef start?

In March, Kendrick Lamar was featured on Future and Metro Boomin’s hit track: “Like That.” On the song, Lamar had a fiery verse where he denounced being a member of the Big 3 (Kendrick, Drake and J.Cole) and declared that it was only “big me.”

Following Lamar’s bold statement, Drake retaliated with his first official diss track of the beef entitled “Push Ups.”

On the track, he stated:

“You ain’t in no Big Three / SZA got you wiped down / Travis got you wiped down/Savage got you wiped down / Like your label, boy, you in a scope right now / And you gon’ feel the aftermath of what I write down / I’m at the top of the mountain, so you tight now.”

What were the multiple diss tracks from both sides?

From this point on, several diss tracks from both sides emerged. They dropped in this particular order.

“Taylor Made Freestyle” by Drake (April 19, 2024)

“Euphoria” by Kendrick Lamar (April 30, 2024)

“6:16 in LA” by Kendrick Lamar (May 3, 2024)

“Family Matters” by Drake (May 3, 2024)

“Meet The Grahams” by Kendrick Lamar (May 4, 2024)

“Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar (May 4, 2024)

“The Heart Part 6” by Drake (May 5, 2024)

Did Drake drop out of the rap battle?

Ultimately, Drake dropped out of the battle following the meteoric rise of Kendrick Lamar’s final diss track “Not Like Us.”

The song has received five nominations at the upcoming 67th Annual Grammy Awards, including for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year.

On June 19, Kendrick Lamar hosted “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends,” which was a single concert at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA. During the performance, Lamar performed “Not Like Us” five times in a row. Many perceive this moment as Lamar solidifying his place as “winner” of the feud.

On July 4th, Kendrick Lamar dropped the video for “Not Like Us,” which currently has 199M views on YouTube.

Here’s a breakdown of the easter Eggs in the “Not Like Us” music video:

Many have speculated that the red, white and blue apparel and color palettes across the video are a deliberate move on K.Dot’s part. It’s also understood that the song has turned into an unifying anthem between the Bloods and Crips gangs.

In direct response to the command that Drake delivers on his diss track “Push Ups,” Kendrick does a set of 50 push-ups in a makeshift cell, poking fun at the Canadian rapper. In the chorus, Drake told K.Dot to “drop and give him 50,” which is exactly what he did.

At the top of the video, K.Dot dropped some never-before-heard bars and dropped a snippet from an unreleased song. The lyrics go as follows: “I am reincarnated/ I’m a star gazer/ Life goes on I need all my babies/ Woke up looking for broccoli/ High-key, keep a horn on me, that Kamasi/ IP the ownership/ The blueprint is by me/ Mr. Get Off, Get off at my feet.”

While there haven’t been any certified ledes, it’s a glaring indicator that Lamar might drop new music soon.

The video’s ending credits show that Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar co-directed the clip. Drake suggested that there was inner turmoil between Free and Lamar. In particular, Drake claimed that Free is the alleged true father of Lamar’s children. Based on their chemistry in this video, it’s safe to conclude that all is well with the pgLang camp.

In the video, Kendrick repeatedly hits an owl-shaped piñata with a stick. With this scene, it can be inferred that Kendrick is taking the cake and pummeling Drake with the ongoing success of “Not Like Us” since an owl is the logo for his OVO Sound label.

Doubling down on these owl/OVO references, K.Dot has a scene where he looks over a caged owl, which symbolizes his complete authority over Drake and hints at the fact that Drake is subject to his will.

Within the video, there are two figures in the video in all Black wearing Shiesty masks seeking to inflict harm on Lamar. This is an allusion to Drake and his habit of wearing Shiesty masks as shown in the artwork of his Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape and his “Tootsie Slide” video.

During his verse about Drake “liking them young” and highlighting his friends’ questionable antics, Kendrick Lamar is featured in a more comfy replica of a prison cell. This is a direct shot at PartyNextDoor, Baka Not Nice, Drake and his Lamar’s speculation of their pedophile activity.

There’s a scene of a dancer crip walking on what appears to be the  similar backdrop to Drake’s 2013 album ‘Nothing Was The Same’. This scene might hint at the fact that nothing has been the same for Drake since the feud.

In the video, Lamar features his long-time girlfriend turned fiancé Whitney Alford and their children following Drake’s accusation of infidelity. Given their presence, it seems like Drake’s calculations may have been off.

NBA star Demar DeRozan was mentioned on the track: “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither,” which is a play on the Compton raised player leaving Drake’s native Toronto to play for the San Antonio Spurs in 2018. In 2024, DeRozan plays for the Sacramento Kings.

As soon as he gets to what is probably the most popular bar on the entire track, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor,” K.Dot plays hopscotch. This scene seemingly brings home the bar and reinforces allegations that Drake is a pedophile.

Furthermore, toward the end of the video, K. Dot and Free are seen vibing in front of some shipping containers, which suggests that Drake may be associated with human trafficking.

Drake has alluded to the speculation that there was inner strife throughout TDE over monetary contract splits. However, some of the biggest names in TDE show up alongside K.Dot in the video, including Top Dawg, Punch, Jay Rock, ScHoolBoy Q and Ab-Soul.

Any Easter eggs we missed? Sound off in the comments! In the meantime, check out the “Not Like Us” music video below: