He may be the internet’s favorite cutie patootie, but Kendrick Lamar is not here to play.
The Compton native has been in a heated beef with Drake since last year, and he hasn’t stopped applying pressure. Their feud dates all the way back to 2013, when the two first began sparring, exchanging jabs on songs such as “Control,” and “100.”
Things hit a crescendo when the two superstars went head-to-head last spring, lobbing accusations at one another and creating a spectacle in the process. The spat resulted in songs such as “Like That,” “Push Ups,” “Taylor Made Freestyle,” “Meet the Grahams,” and of course, “Not Like Us,” which has since become a runaway hit.
Not only has the song been a favorite with fans — L.A. natives particularly love it for its true-to-the-city sound — but it was also the recipient of five Grammys at the Feb. 2 ceremony and the highlight of the rapper’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performance.
Through it all, it seems K-Dot has been intentional about launching a blow at his Toronto-bred nemesis each time he’s stepped out. And while there is so much to unpack when it comes to the Kendrick vs. Drake feud, we’ve tried to condense the list here.
Below, check out the 10 times Kendrick Lamar has taken subtle — or direct — shots at Drake since the release of “Not Like Us.”
Wearing the ‘A Minor’ Chain
For his 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show appearance, Kendrick Lamar wore a custom Martine Rose jacket that read “Gloria” across the front, Celine Homme flare jeans and a backward hat featuring a diamond Rahaminov brooch worth $68,000.
And while there was much to be said about the ‘fit, fans quickly turned their attention to the glitzy, lowercase “a” swinging from the rapper’s neck. The bling is believed to be a nod to his “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor” bar from the record.
When He Addressed the Lawsuit
In Jan. 2025, Drake filed a lawsuit against his own record label in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging that Universal Music Group “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track that falsely accuses Drake of being a pedophile and calls for violent retribution against him.”
(UMG responded, “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist—let alone Drake—is illogical … We have not and do not engage in defamation — against any individual. At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song.”)
The lawsuit had fans speculating whether or not Lamar would be able to perform the hit during the Halftime show.
To get the people going during his performance, the “Like That” rapper acknowledged the legal action, saying, “I wanna perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue.” “What song?” his background singers chimed. “That song,” he said as the catchy intro to “Not Like Us” began to play.
He then cut the clip short, saying, “Maybe I’ll think about it,” before going on to perform other hits.
Calling Drake by Name while Making That Face
While Kendrick’s performance is full of powerful and riveting moments, people cannot get enough of the moment he looks directly into the lens of the camera and calls out the “Take Care” rapper by name — grinning broadly all the while.
The moment has already spawned many iterations on the “If I send you this … meme that have since gone viral.
Getting Serena Williams to Crip Walk
When Serena Williams took the stage during Lamar’s set, it was a major moment for Compton, as the two from the California city … made even more !!!-worthy by the fact that the tennis legend is also Drake’s ex-girlfriend.
The pair briefly dated back in 2011, however, on his 2022 song “Middle of the Ocean” off his album Her Loss, Drake took a dig at Williams, saying, “Sidebar, Serena Williams your husband a groupie.” He also revealed that his song, “Too Good,” featuring Rihanna, was about Williams.
In “Not Like Us,” Lamar warns the rapper he “better not speak on Serena,” who then appeared crip walking under streetlights in the Super Bowl performance.
The Grammys Canadian Tuxdedo
For the 67th Grammy Awards, which took place on Feb. 2, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper showed up looking laid-back and unbothered in a Maison Margiela denim jacket, paired with matching jeans and matching blue hat. The look is, of course, otherwise known as a Canadian tuxedo, a subtle shot at Drake’s home country. He was wearing it when the audience loudly sang along to the lyrics of “Not Like Us” — and the viewers at home could hear them chiming in on “ minor…”.
Winning Exactly Five Grammys
This one was more serendipitous than it was by design. At the 2025 Grammys, Lamar won five trophies for “Not Like Us,” and the internet was quick to note that’s the same amount of Grammys Drake has won in his entire career.
When He Performed the Diss Track Back to Back
All seemed normal at Lamar’s “The Pop Out – Ken and Friends” concert at the Kia Forum in L.A. last year. The sold-out concert housed 16,000 people and was a celebration of L.A. pride, good music and Juneteenth.
Towards the end of his set, Kendrick Lamar brought out Dr. Dre and the pair performed “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love,” before the famed producer whispered, “I see dead people,” the introductory line in “Not Like Us.”
In videos shot by fans, the crowd can be heard erupting into screams. The rapper then performed the diss track not once, not twice, not three times — but five times back to back and was joined by A-listers and friends such as Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Tyler, the Creator, DJ Mustard, and more, who took to the stage and added to the hype of the moment.
Recruiting DeMar DeRozan for the Music Video
Speaking of DeRozan, it was by no coincidence that the player appeared at the Pop Out and in the music video.
DeRozan, who comes from Compton, played for the Toronto Raptors from 2009 to 2018. He then returned Stateside to play for the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls before he made his way back to the west coast, where he now plays for the Sacramento Kings, which is why Lamar boasts, “I’m glad DeRoz came home/Ya’ll didn’t deserve him either.”
The Shade All Throughout the ‘Not Like Us’ Music Video
The music video itself is full of subtle and overt jabs that are too nuanced to fully dissect in one article: From the beating of OVO owl, which is Drake’s famous logo, to playing hopscotch a favorite game amongst (a) minors, to having his fiancée, Whitney Alford — at whom Drake took shots — crip walk to show they’re a united front.
“Not Like Us” Cover Art
The shots didn’t just start with the visuals. From the moment Lamar released “Not Like Us” on May 4, 2024, he was already being subversive with his messaging. Outside of the scathing lyrics, the song was also accompanied by equally stirring cover art, which featured an aerial shot of Drake’s Toronto home with labels similar to those used by law enforcement to pinpoint sex offenders.
(As noted in Drake’s lawsuit, Lamar’s track includes lyrics such as “Say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” and claims that Lamar calls Drake a “certified pedophile” that should be “placed on neighborhood watch.” According to the filming, “Drake has never engaged in any acts that would require he be ‘placed on neighborhood watch.’ Drake has never engaged in sexual relations with a minor. Drake has never been charged with, or convicted of, any criminal acts whatsoever.”)
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