The Unbelievable Timeline: 10 Key Moments That Defined The Drake Vs. Kendrick Lamar Beef (2024-2025)

The rap world was irrevocably changed in 2024, witnessing a hip-hop feud so intense and personal it immediately became the most significant battle of the 21st century. What started as a simmering rivalry between two generational talents, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, exploded into a rapid-fire exchange of brutal diss tracks that captivated the globe. This is not just a story of music; it’s a detailed timeline of strategic releases, shocking allegations, and cultural fallout that extended well into 2025, cementing a new hierarchy in the genre.

As of December 18, 2025, the dust has largely settled from the initial sonic war, but the reverberations continue to echo through the industry, from award show nominations to subtle jabs in new music. Understanding the timeline is crucial, as the events were less a slow burn and more a series of high-stakes chess moves played out over a few devastating weeks.

The Genesis of War: From Subliminal Shots to Direct Hits

The rivalry between Drake and Kendrick Lamar has roots stretching back over a decade, but the true, all-out war began with a single, seismic verse. This section details the initial shots that shattered the perception of a 'friendly' competition and launched the most talked-about hip-hop event in recent memory.

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• 2013: The Early Jabs (Control Verse): While not the focus of the 2024 war, it's essential to note Kendrick's famous "Control" verse in 2013, where he named Drake as a rapper he was coming for. This established the competitive tension that would eventually boil over.
• October 2023: Drake's Subliminal Disses: Drake's album *For All the Dogs* contained several lines widely interpreted as shots at Kendrick, particularly on the track "First Person Shooter" with J. Cole, where the 'Big Three' narrative was pushed.
• March 22, 2024: The Gauntlet is Thrown ("Like That"): The official start date. Kendrick Lamar delivered a venomous, uncredited verse on Future and Metro Boomin's track "Like That" from the album *We Don't Trust You*. In it, he directly dismantled the 'Big Three' concept (Drake, J. Cole, Kendrick) by declaring, "It's not the Big Three, it's just Big Me." He also took a direct shot at Drake's hit "First Person Shooter."
• April 5, 2024: J. Cole's Retreat ("7 Minute Drill"): J. Cole initially responded to Kendrick's "Like That" verse with the diss track "7 Minute Drill." However, just two days later, Cole publicly apologized and removed the song from streaming services, effectively leaving Drake alone to face Kendrick, intensifying the pressure on the Toronto rapper.

The Week of Fire: Diss Tracks, Allegations, and Cultural Fallout

The period between April and May 2024 saw an unprecedented exchange of diss tracks, with both artists releasing multiple songs in a matter of days. This is where the beef escalated from lyrical sparring to a personal, mud-slinging contest involving shocking, unverified allegations.

The Rapid-Fire Exchange and the Destruction of OVO

Following J. Cole's withdrawal, Drake and Kendrick engaged in a dizzying, back-and-forth battle, each track raising the stakes and the severity of the accusations.

• April 19, 2024: Drake's First Counter ("Push Ups"): Drake officially released "Push Ups," a confident diss track that took shots at Kendrick's height, his relationship with his label TDE, and his collabs with pop artists.
• May 3, 2024: The Nuclear Option ("Family Matters"): Drake released "Family Matters," a scathing response to Kendrick's earlier track "6:16 in LA" (which alleged internal conflict within Drake's OVO camp). Drake retaliated by attacking Kendrick's fiancée and raising allegations about his family.
• May 3, 2024 (Hours Later): Kendrick's Swift Retort ("Meet the Grahams"): Released almost immediately after "Family Matters," Kendrick's "Meet the Grahams" was dark, accusatory, and deeply personal. It alleged Drake had a secret daughter and accused him of predatory behavior, a theme that would dominate the rest of the feud.
• May 4, 2024: The Knockout Blow ("Not Like Us"): Less than 24 hours after "Meet the Grahams," Kendrick dropped his fourth diss track, "Not Like Us." Produced by Mustard, the West Coast-anthem style track focused heavily on the predatory allegations, using the phrase "certified lover boy" as a term of derision and aiming to brand Drake as a "colonizer" in hip-hop. The track became a massive commercial and cultural hit, immediately being adopted as an anthem.
• May 5, 2024: Drake's Final Word ("The Heart Part 6"): Drake released "The Heart Part 6," a track designed to refute Kendrick's most damaging allegations, specifically the secret daughter claim. He also accused Kendrick of using a ghostwriter. The track was largely seen as a defensive move and failed to gain the cultural momentum of "Not Like Us."

The Lingering Aftermath: 2025 and Beyond

While the flurry of diss tracks ended in May 2024, the impact of the beef continued to shape both artists' careers and the hip-hop landscape throughout the following year. The battle's conclusion was marked less by a final song and more by a shift in public perception and a series of subtle, post-war actions.

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Cultural Dominance and Subtle Disses

Kendrick Lamar's victory was largely cemented by the enduring success of "Not Like Us," which became a cultural phenomenon. Drake, in contrast, began to quietly erase evidence of the battle.

• June 2024: The Deletion of Evidence: Fans noted that Drake began deleting Instagram posts referencing the beef, including the post promoting his final track, "The Heart Part 6." This was widely interpreted as a concession.
• June 19, 2024: The Victory Lap: Kendrick Lamar performed "Not Like Us" live for the first time during an L.A. concert, a moment that felt like a definitive celebration of his win and the track's cultural impact.
• February 2025: The Visual Statement (Super Bowl Halftime Show): During his high-profile performance at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Kendrick wore a striking, diamond-encrusted, lowercase "a" chain. Fans immediately interpreted this as a subtle but direct visual diss, referencing the phrase "a minor" from his diss tracks, further pushing the allegations against Drake. This move demonstrated the longevity of the feud's themes.
• Late 2025: Drake's Quiet Jab ("Dog House"): In a subtle late-game move, Drake included a quiet shot at Kendrick Lamar on his new single "Dog House," a collaboration with Yeat. While not a full-fledged diss track, the line served as a reminder that the tension, though dormant, was not entirely extinguished, showing Drake's continued resentment.
• 2025: BET Awards Nominations: In a rare, public acknowledgement of the battle's significance, both Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and Drake’s “Family Matters” received nominations for Video of the Year at the 2025 BET Awards. This official recognition highlighted the battle as the most defining hip-hop event of the year.

The Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef was a masterclass in modern hip-hop warfare, utilizing not only lyrical prowess but also strategic timing, social media manipulation, and shocking personal attacks. It redefined what a rap battle could be, moving beyond mere boastfulness to deep, career-threatening allegations. The timeline shows a clear escalation, a peak of chaos, and a long, lingering aftermath that continues to influence the music world today.

Key Entities and Diss Tracks in the Timeline

The entire beef hinged on the rapid-fire release of these tracks, each serving as a key chapter in the timeline:

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• Kendrick Lamar's Arsenal:
  • "Like That" (March 22, 2024): The opening salvo, rejecting the 'Big Three' narrative.
  • "6:16 in LA" (May 3, 2024): Alleging internal chaos within OVO.
  • "Meet the Grahams" (May 3, 2024): The most personal attack, alleging a secret daughter and predatory behavior.
  • "Not Like Us" (May 4, 2024): The cultural anthem and definitive "win" track.
• Drake's Arsenal:
  • "Push Ups" (April 19, 2024): The confident, initial counter-attack.
  • "Family Matters" (May 3, 2024): The direct response to "6:16 in LA," attacking Kendrick's family.
  • "The Heart Part 6" (May 5, 2024): The defensive final track, refuting allegations.
• Other Key Entities:
  • J. Cole: Briefly involved, but his retreat amplified the pressure on Drake.
  • Metro Boomin & Future: Their album provided the platform for the initial shot.
  • Rick Ross & The Weeknd: Both were targeted by Drake on "Push Ups," adding to the wider context of the feud.
  • OVO Sound & TDE: The respective labels whose internal dynamics were questioned in the diss tracks.

The sheer volume and intensity of the music released in such a short window ensure this 2024-2025 timeline will be studied by hip-hop historians for decades to come, marking a definitive end to one era and the beginning of another.