In the five months since the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake broke out, the rap battle remains a dominant conversation in hip-hop, especially from the rappers themselves.
Production of diss tracks from the two top MCs came to a screeching halt on May 5th after one of the most memorable weekends in hip-hop history. Over the course of three days, the rap community was mesmerized by the release of a total of six diss tracks, starting with Kendrick's “6:16 in LA” and ending with Drake's “The Heart Part 6.” However, the public chatter from hip-hop notables surrounding everything that happened between Drizzy and K-Dot continues to be at the top of the rap game's proverbial tongue.
The majority of rappers who choose to pick sides, like Ab-Soul and LL Cool J, openly declare Kendrick Lamar the winner of the epic exchange. Drake has certainly seen the support of his peers in the game as well. Rappers who remained neutral usually talk about the overall impact the battle had on the culture and whether or not the whole thing was good for hip-hop.
Interestingly enough, aside from the scathing bars, Kendrick hasn't spoken publicly on the matter at all. However, the Compton co-star's actions spoke volumes. On June 19th, just as the conversation began to slow down from a raging boil to a steady simmer, K-Dot took the stage in Los Angeles with an impressive performance at The Pop Out – Ken & Friends concert.
The show was a shout-out to West Coast hip-hop with Drake-targeted diss tracks like “Euphoria,” “6:16 in LA” and the chart-topping “Not Like Us” serving as concert openers. In the weeks since, opinions from rappers in all corners of the genre have reached a fever pitch. Earlier this month, Kendrick released the music video for “Not Like Us,” which is filled with anti-Drizzy rants that add fuel to the flames.
Drake, on the other hand, seems to be one of the only rappers not continuing the conversation. After engaging in lyrical warfare all spring, Drizzy is enjoying the summer vibes. Between collaborations with pop singer Camila Cabello, appearing at Michael Rubin's elite all-white party, and releasing 100 never-before-seen concert music and videos, Drake put his beef with Kendrick Lamar on the back burner, seemingly unconcerned.
This is not the case for many other rappers. Check out what artists like Sexyy Red, Roddy Ricch, Childish Gambino and more have to say about the battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
