{"id":487173,"date":"2026-05-16T04:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/487173\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T04:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T04:38:15","slug":"drake-is-still-not-over-the-kendrick-lamar-beef-heres-all-the-proof","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/487173\/","title":{"rendered":"Drake Is Still Not Over The Kendrick Lamar Beef. Here’s All The Proof."},"content":{"rendered":"

The smell of beef is still lingering in the air after Drake<\/a>\u2019s much-anticipated \u201cIceman\u201d album release.<\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019ve somehow avoided the chaos of hip-hop discourse lately, you know it\u2019s been precisely two years since Drake and Kendrick Lamar<\/a> went head-to-head in rap\u2019s biggest battle of the decade.<\/p>\n

The feud famously ended with Lamar widely declared the victor, thanks largely to his searing, Grammy-winning diss track \u201cNot Like Us\u201d \u2014 and capped off by his explosive Super Bowl halftime performance<\/a> that served as the ultimate victory lap.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath, Drake has made plenty of headline-grabbing attempts to rebuild a reputation that, for many, has become the butt of industry jokes<\/a>. Most notably, he sued his label, Universal Music Group, over the promotion of Lamar\u2019s allegedly \u201cdefamatory\u201d record, though the case was eventually thrown out by a judge<\/a> (and Drake is still appealing<\/a>). <\/p>\n

But his biggest response to date has been his rollout last summer of the single \u201cWhat Did I Miss?\u201d \u2014 at the time, his clearest and most direct reflection on the beef.<\/p>\n

That is, until the arrival of \u201cIceman\u201d on Friday.<\/p>\n

The rapper\u2019s ninth studio album also arrived alongside two surprise companion projects, \u201cMaid of Honour\u201d and \u201cHabibti.\u201d Still, the fresh jabs Drake delivers across the new album \u2014 not all of them aimed at Lamar \u2014 are the main attraction for rap fans.<\/p>\n

On tracks like \u201cFirm Friends,\u201d Drake admits he still has \u201ca lot of enemies,\u201d taking aim at several figures who played roles in rap\u2019s civil war before it narrowed into a one-on-one clash between The Boy and the Boogeyman.<\/p>\n

Despite last year\u2019s attempt to move past it all \u2014 \u201cFuck a rap beef, I\u2019m tryna get the party lit\u201d from \u201cGimme a Hug\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s obvious Drake hasn\u2019t fully let the feud go. And neither have the overeager fans, who\u2019ve spent the past two years picking apart every possible reference.<\/p>\n

The battle still clearly looms all over \u201cIceman,\u201d with Drake peppering the album with a ton of subliminal shots, which we break down ahead.<\/p>\n

Kendrick Lamar<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"KendrickKendrick Lamar performs at the halftime show for Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans.<\/p>\n

Kansas City Star via Getty Images<\/p>\n

At the top of Drake\u2019s \u201cIceman\u201d hit list, unsurprisingly, is Lamar, as the Canadian rapper takes several shots at both the Grammy winner\u2019s catalog and his post-beef Billboard chart-toppers. The bars may not be enough to fully reignite their rivalry on wax, but Drake clearly seems intent on getting the final say.<\/p>\n

Lyrics: <\/strong>\u201cWhisper my name and don\u2019t say it too loud\/ \u2019Cause you gotta come here and you know I pop out.\u201d \u2014 \u201cWhisper My Name\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Muggsy Bogues dunked for once, even I\u2019m a bit amazed\/ Yeah, someone give the kid a raise.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Remember\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhite kids listen to you \u2019cause they feel some guilt and that\u2019s how your soul gets fulfilled\/ Handin\u2019 out turkeys on camera inside of your hood, then you go back to the hills.\u201d \u2014 \u201cJanice STFU\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn, who is this guy for real\/ I guess a magician\/ 100 million streams vanished, no one got questions.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Pay\u201d<\/p>\n

J. Cole<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"J.J. Cole performs during 2023 HOT 107.9’s Birthday Bash at State Farm Arena on June 17, 2023, in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

Paras Griffin via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Rumors of friction between Drake and J. Cole have loomed since the latter\u2019s widely criticized apology for his Kendrick Lamar diss track, \u201c7-Minute Drill,\u201d at Dreamville Fest 2024. Speaking recently on the \u201c7pm In Brooklyn\u201d podcast<\/a>, Cole disclosed that Drake had originally been expected to appear onstage during the festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was planned. He didn\u2019t come,\u201d Cole explained, adding that, in hindsight, he was relieved Drake didn\u2019t show up. \u201cHe\u2019s like, \u2018I didn\u2019t want to come down and put you in a situation on that stage and say something that you would have to stand behind.\u2019 And I\u2019m like, \u2018Thank God that you didn\u2019t, because it left the space for me to receive what I was supposed to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, Drake\u2019s lyrics on \u201cIceman\u201d seem to confirm that he and Cole have had little communication since then.<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cMe, I stood ten T\u2019s and accepted the mission\/ \u2019Cause I\u2019d much rather death than submission\/ How can you press the ignition and let some memories of the past affect your decision?\/ I love you \u2019cause of the history, but if we being real, I could never forgive you\/ And you never called me back, but destiny\u2019s written, for real.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Pay\u201d<\/p>\n

Lucian Grainge\/UMG<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that Drake has been embroiled in legal disputes with his label for over a year now, accusing UMG and CEO Lucian Grainge of streaming manipulation, defamation and conspiracy. Fans have also pointed out that Drake\u2019s three new albums are licensed exclusively through UMG, fueling speculation that the triple release could be a plan to quickly wrap up his deal.<\/p>\n

Regardless, tensions between Drake and the label still appear unresolved, as he raps on \u201cIceman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m fighting the man, not suing a rapper, you boys are not listening.\u201d \u2014 \u201cB\u2019s on the Table\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the golden goose, shakin\u2019 things up at Lucian\u2019s house\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Remember\u201d<\/p>\n

Jay-Z<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Jay-ZJay-Z arrives for the 2026 Met Gala, celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on May 4.<\/p>\n

ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images<\/p>\n

It\u2019s still unclear whether there\u2019s tension between Drake and Jay-Z, or if things are just one-sided on The Boy\u2019s part. Still, Drake\u2019s shots at Hov on \u201cIceman\u201d could be tied to a recent GQ<\/a> interview in which Jay-Z briefly weighed in on the feud between the former and Lamar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too far. It\u2019s bringing people\u2019s kids in it. I don\u2019t like that,\u201d he said. \u201cI sound like the old guy wagging his finger, but I think we can achieve the same thing, as far as sparring with music, with collaborations more so than breaking the whole thing apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes up so much oxygen,\u201d Jay-Z continued. \u201cIt\u2019s like trying to tear down people\u2019s lives. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s worth it at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps that\u2019s why Drake dropped bars like these on \u201cIceman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cWe know how you OGs rocking already, my n***a, the jig is up.\u201d \u2014 \u201cJanice STFU\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take $500K, not the dinner, I never could learn shit from none of y\u2019all.\u201d \u2014 \u201cWhisper My Name\u201d<\/p>\n

Rick Ross<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rick Ross was one of the first rappers Drake targeted in 2024 following the release of Metro Boomin and Future\u2019s \u201cWe Don\u2019t Trust You\u201d album, which featured the Lamar-assisted diss \u201cLike That.\u201d After Ross appeared on the collaborative project, Drake fired back with \u201cPush Ups,\u201d prompting Ross to respond almost immediately with his own fiery diss, \u201cChampagne Moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since then, the former collaborators have continued exchanging petty jabs online, with Ross mostly leaning into trolling Drake \u2014 including right after the release of \u201cIceman.\u201d<\/a> With that in mind, it\u2019s no surprise Drake still had a bar aimed at Ross.<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cDog, I was aiding Ross with streams before Adin Ross had ever streamed.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Pay\u201d<\/p>\n

A$AP Rocky<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A$APA$AP Rocky attends the 2026 Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4 in New York City.<\/p>\n

Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images<\/p>\n

According to A$AP Rocky, Drake\u2019s issues with him are rooted in his relationship with Rihanna<\/a>, which aligns with the fact that many of Drake\u2019s shots over the years have referenced her<\/a> in some form \u2014 including one line on \u201cIceman.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lyrics: <\/strong>\u201cYour baby mama ain\u2019t even post your single, damn\/ Where she at? Yeah, where she at?\/ Your baby mama ain\u2019t even post your single, yeah\u2026 You saw my brother, you was tryna fix it\/ Now you drop your album and you back dissin\u2019, yeah.\u201d \u2014 \u201cBurning Bridges\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cK-Y-S, A-S-A-P, that\u2019s some s**t that you could do for me.\u201d \u2014 \u201cFirm Friends\u201d<\/p>\n

DJ Khaled <\/strong><\/p>\n

DJ Khaled attempted to stay neutral during the feud between Drake and Lamar. However, it appears The Boy didn\u2019t take that lightly, particularly after Khaled mentioned he had two tracks featuring the \u201cGod\u2019s Plan\u201d rapper<\/a> on his album last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cMust be Drake Bell,\u201d Drake wrote on social media at the time.<\/p>\n

On \u201cIceman,\u201d Drake delivers a more pointed shot at Khaled, calling out the producer, who was born to Palestinian parents, for staying silent on the ongoing violence in their homeland.<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cAnd Khaled, you know what I mean\/ The beef was fully live, you went halal, and got on your deen\/ And your people are still waitin\u2019 for a Free Palestine\/ But apparently, everything isn\u2019t black and white and red and green.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Pay\u201d<\/p>\n

LeBron James<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"LeBronLeBron James talks to Drake after the Los Angeles Lakers game against the Toronto Raptors on March 18, 2022, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.<\/p>\n

Vaughn Ridley via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Drake and LeBron James were once close friends, but their relationship seemed to sour right after the NBA star publicly embraced Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us\u201d diss<\/a>. This isn\u2019t the first time James has been mentioned in Drake\u2019s post-beef bars<\/a>, and it likely won\u2019t be the last.<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cI shouldn\u2019t even be shocked to see you in that arena\/ Because you always made your career off of switchin\u2019 teams up\u2026 Please stop askin\u2019 about what\u2019s goin\u2019 on with 23 and me\/ I\u2019m a real n***a, and he\u2019s not, it\u2019s in my DNA.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Remember\u201d<\/p>\n

Mustard<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising that Mustard gets a direct name-drop on \u201cIceman,\u201d given that the Los Angeles producer was behind Lamar\u2019s West Coast anthem \u201cNot Like Us.\u201d Mustard and Drake previously collaborated on YG\u2019s \u201cWho Do You Love?\u201d but he ultimately aligned himself with Lamar during the feud.<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cMustard heard about us, gotta catch up to the slaps\/ You ain\u2019t had one since me and YG rapped\/ Facts, nine-hundred million for the tracks, Rack City, bitch, we remember that, yeah, you should try and get back to that.\u201d \u2014 \u201c2 Hard 4 The Radio\u201d<\/p>\n

Pusha T & Pharrell<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"PushaPusha T and Pharrell Williams at the 2025 Footwear News Achievement Awards on Dec. 3, 2025, in New York City.<\/p>\n

Kristina Bumphrey via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Drake and Pusha T have had long-standing tension dating back to 2018, when the two traded a series of diss tracks that ended with Drake largely bowing out of the exchange. Even after the back-and-forth cooled off, the tension has still lingered, with Pusha T\u2019s collaborator and fellow Virginia native Pharrell Williams occasionally catching a stray from Drake.<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cI got all the chains that they ever repped in Virginia\/ I got n****s\u2019 prized possessions, I get possessive on n****s.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Pay\u201d<\/p>\n

The World<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not quite a diss, but Drake wraps up \u201cIceman\u201d with a pointed message aimed at the longtime fans still hoping he might eventually circle back to the more vulnerable, \u201cHeartbreak Drake\u201d era the world once knew.<\/p>\n

Lyrics:<\/strong> \u201cWhat happened to Drake from 2009 when all of the moments was intimate?\/ What happened to Drake with the innocence?\/ I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll be seein\u2019 him again.\u201d \u2014 \u201cMake Them Know\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The smell of beef is still lingering in the air after Drake\u2019s much-anticipated \u201cIceman\u201d album release. Unless you\u2019ve…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487174,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[264],"tags":[4242,1447,18,117,19,17,3181,1448,31318,337,173053,2384,54670],"class_list":["post-487173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-asap-rocky","tag-drake","tag-eire","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-jay-z","tag-kendrick-lamar","tag-lebron-james","tag-music","tag-pharrell","tag-rap","tag-rap-beef"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116582410573243346","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}