(CNN) — Two of the biggest stars in hip-hop are at odds and people are taking sides.
Kendrick Lamar and Drake have been engaged in a lyrical battle for several weeks, but it intensified over the weekend. The two artists released songs about each other, in one case Lamar didn’t even wait a full hour before releasing a song in response to one by Drake.
Here’s what you need to know about the verses that have been a hot topic in cultural conversations.
First collaborations
There’s a lot we don’t know in terms of why there’s an apparent feud between the two superstar rappers, but we do know there’s history behind it.
Back in 2011, Lamar appeared on Drake’s second album “Take Care” in “Buried Alive Interlude.” It was the same year Lamar released his debut studio album “Section.80.”
The two men were making their way in the industry at the time, with Drake then best known as an actor for his role as student Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen television series “Degrassi.”
The duo toured together and collaborated on the track “Poetic Justice” from Lamar’s second studio album, “Good Kid, MAAD City.”
“King of New York” tries to take “Control”
As one of hip-hop’s rising stars, Lamar leaned into his growing success with the swagger one would expect in the rap game during a guest appearance on Big Sean’s 2013 single, “Control.”
Several artists are mentioned in the song, including Drake. The lyrics of the song say: “I got love for you all but I’m tryna murder you”, a euphemism for outdoing them professionally. Lamar proclaims himself both “King of New York” and “King of the Coast”, that is, king of New York and the East Coast.
Drake told Billboard of the verse, “I didn’t really have anything to say about it.”
“It just seemed like an ambitious thought to me. That’s all it was,” Drake said at the time. “I know very well that Kendrick is not ‘murdering’ me, at all, on any platform. So when he shows up that day, I guess we can get back to it.”
An “Infinity War” of rappers
Over the years, the two have continued to take jabs at each other on their tracks, but this latest feud appears to have begun in October 2023, when rapper J. Cole collaborated with Drake on the song “First Person Shooter.”
In the song, Cole refers to himself, Lamar and Drake as the “Big Three” of rap. Drake compared his own popularity in the game to the stardom of the late singer Michael Jackson.
Lamar apparently didn’t accept the comparisons and hit back in a collaborative track with Future and Metro Boomin that broke in March 2024, titled “Like That.”
Lamar makes it clear in the song that there is no “Big three” only “Big me.” He introduces himself as Prince to Drake’s Jackson, noting that the former lived longer than the latter.
“Like That” is a cut from the album “We Don’t Trust You,” which many believe is full of insults directed at Drake. The apparent hints surprised some listeners, as Drake and Future have been working together for a long time.
Kendrick Lamar on stage in Spain in 2023. Credit: Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press/Getty Images
Things got even more heated when Future and Metro Boomin released the follow-up “We Still Don’t Trust You,” which Billboard magazine declared is “full of Drake disses, not just from Future, but also from The Weeknd and A $APRocky.”
With so many lyrically attacking the Canadian rapper, it started to feel like a Marvel-style Infinity War between hip-hop superheroes. The man who helped start the battle, J. Cole, quickly left the battle.
Cole released “7 Minute Drill” on a surprise project, “Might Delete Later,” in which he went after Lamar, only to later declare that the song was bad. She removed it from streaming services, she publicly apologized and has remained silent since.
Drake strikes back
Last month, Drake released the diss track “Push Ups,” in which he mocked Lamar’s stature and his past collaborations with pop stars.
“Maroon 5 need a verse, better be witty / Then we need a verse for the Swifties,” Drake raps, seeming to mock Lamar’s work with Maroon 5 on their song “Don’t Wanna Know” and with Swift on her song “ “Bad Blood.”
Drake also mocked Rick Ross, who appeared on “We Don’t Trust You.” Ross then began a war of words on social media with Drake, which included accusing Drake of having plastic surgery.
The K.Dot Offensive
Lamar, also known as K.Dot, responded with multiple attacks.
First there was “Euphoria,” which is now as famous for the insults hurled at Drake as it is for letting the general public know that the rapper was also an executive producer of the hit HBO drama. (HBO is owned by CNN’s parent company.)
A few days later, Lamar followed with “6:16 in LA,” which many interpreted as a mockery of Drake’s penchant for titling songs with times and places.
Drake gets personal with “Family Matters”
Things got increasingly personal in this rap battle on Saturday, when Drake dropped the critical eight-minute song, “Family Matters.” In the song he makes accusations of abuse and infidelity against Lamar and his fiancée, Whitney Alford.
Drake performing in New York in 2023. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Don’t mess with a Pulitzer winner
Lest we forget that Lamar made history in 2018 by becoming the first rapper to win a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his album “DAMN”, he didn’t let even an hour pass after the release of “Family Matters” to drop a response, titled ” “Meet The Grahams.” (Drake’s legal name is Aubrey Graham.)
The song gets heavy when Lamar references Drake’s parents and Drake’s paternity, accusing him of having a secret daughter. Lamar followed a few hours later with another song, titled “Not Like Us,” in which he accuses Drake of being attracted to underage girls.
Drake responds
Drake weighed in again on Sunday with “The Heart Part 6.” In this song, Drake claims that he was the one who gave Lamar false information about the existence of a secret son.
“We plotted for a week and then we fed you the information/A daughter that’s 11 years old, I bet he takes it” swallows it), Drake raps.
CNN has contacted representatives for both artists for comment.
