LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Kendrick Lamar, winner of the Record of the Year, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, and Song of the Year Awards for “Not Like Us” poses in the press room during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy), TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 2: Drake smiles during the game between the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings during the first half of their basketball game at the Scotiabank Arena on November 2, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

One year ago today, Drake and Kendrick Lamar went song-for-song at the height of their feud.

The other day, I wrote about how Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria” exemplified scholar Walter Fisher’s narrative paradigm theory—using storytelling rather than raw facts to reshape public perception of Drake. The six-minute lyrical spree, packed with dizzying flows and razor-sharp punchlines, arrived nearly six weeks after Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You, which featured the hit single “Like That,” and nearly two weeks after Drake clapped back with “Push Ups.” Tension thickened the air; doubts were cast on Kendrick’s abilities, and the notion that one of the greatest lyricists of our time might be handed an ass-whooping seemed likely. “Understand, no throwin’ rocks and hidin’ hands, that’s law.”

But in the early days of May 2024, we witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime moment in hip-hop. Drake followed the aftermath of “Euphoria” with cryptic social media posts, teasing a mysterious release. His online presence energized his base as they attempted to discredit Kendrick’s attack: He said nothing new, He lied, His voice is weird, and so on. Drake may have leaned into this noise to validate his own efforts, but on Friday, May 3rd, Kendrick executed a masterclass in rap battle strategy.

“Euphoria” was a message to the people—those who had long awaited a response to “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle.” But the moment Drake involved Kendrick’s family, starting with “I be with some bodyguards like Whitney,” he made his first crucial mistake. His second? Sitting on a diss track for too long, believing Kendrick wouldn’t respond swiftly and strategically.

“6:16 In LA”

Let’s begin with “6:16 In LA,” a track that seemingly riffs on Drake’s timestamp records, nods to Tupac’s birthday, and—according to some Americans—“Canadian Father’s Day” (which is, in fact, the same day as U.S. Father’s Day, but I digress). After silencing speculation with “Euphoria,” Kendrick struck again—this time, more personally. “6:16 in LA” felt like the result of a wiretap on a shadowy operation inside OVO headquarters. Few moments have sounded as eerie as the analog static wind and a single “uh” piercing through Instagram’s audio feed.

Its cover art included what were claimed to be items stolen from Drake’s father’s luggage, such as an Ozempic prescription. Some listeners speculated Kendrick was rapping from Drake’s perspective—a debatable theory, but the track’s unsettling aura made it effective. Paranoia pulsed through the speakers as Kendrick laid out what he portrayed as Drake’s playbook: deploying Twitter bots, feeding media personalities like Akademiks with spin, and even allegedly trying to pay for dirt on Kendrick. These claims remain unverified but Kendrick’s conviction cast doubt on Drake’s next move. So even when the highly anticipated track dropped, Kendrick had already blunted its impact to a degree. That didn’t stop Drake from galvanizing streamers to be online the moment it arrived.

“Buried Alive Pt. 2”

Drake may have lost the lyrical war, but both he and Kendrick brought elite levels of pettiness and humor to the battle. “Buried Alive Pt. 2” was a sharp callback to Kendrick’s interlude on Take Care, arguably one of the project’s best verses. This time, though, it served as comic relief—Drake imitating Kendrick’s alien voice and mocking his rise (as well as A$AP Rocky’s). Perhaps most interesting was the line “Twitter ghostwriting your reply,” which retrospectively foreshadowed the discourse around “Not Like Us.”

“Family Matters”

“Family Matters” was positioned to be a generational diss track—and for about an hour, it was. But its impact quickly waned. Unlike “Back to Back,” which had cultural sticking power, this one felt more like a temporary storm. With beat switches and a sprawling seven-minute runtime, Drake pulled no punches. Everyone—from Kendrick to Future, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky, and The Weeknd—was a target. It was a scorched-earth approach to reassert his dominance in the rap game.

Still, “Family Matters” lacked staying power. Its critiques of Kendrick—allegations of domestic abuse and an affair between Whitney Alford and Dave Free—were salacious but unsubstantiated. The personal jabs, like shots at Kendrick’s height, showcased Drake’s wit but failed to land as knockout blows. Instead, they sparked a fact-checking frenzy. Was Kendrick hiding a domestic abuse case? Is Dave Free the father of Whitney’s son? The questions remained speculative, mostly fueled by conspiratorial fans who, one year later, remain fixated on an alleged unclaimed daughter.

Where “Family Matters” ultimately fell short was in addressing Drake’s own cultural contradictions. After Rick Ross labeled him a white boy and Kendrick Lamar questioned his racial identity, Drake doubled down instead of reflecting. Lines like “Always rappin’ like you ’bout to get the slaves freed” lacked self-awareness, especially from an artist whose brand has largely steered clear of political or social commentary.

“Meet The Grahams”

As the saying goes: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. “Family Matters” had its moment, but less than an hour later, Kendrick responded. “Meet The Grahams” was the killshot to the victory lap that was “Not Like Us.” Backed by haunting production from The Alchemist, Kendrick methodically dismantled Drake’s persona, not with punchlines, but with chilling intimacy. Each verse addressed someone different: Adonis, Drake’s parents, an alleged daughter, and finally, Drake himself.

Though less flashy than “Euphoria,” it was far more effective. “Meet The Grahams” eviscerated the impact of “Family Matters.” It made prior allegations feel more plausible, not due to confirmed evidence, but because of the song’s tone, structure, and execution. The eerie cover art—a zoomed-out image of the purported stolen luggage—only added to the mystique.

The song’s impact cannot be overstated. It inspired a wave of speculation across the internet, fueling Reddit threads and birthing “EbonyPrince2024,” a mysterious online figure some likened to a Riddler-esque informant armed with secrets about Drake. In that corner of the internet, the fallout from “Meet The Grahams” continues to evolve

One Year Later…

The day that completely altered the dynamics of hip-hop remains as widely debated now as it was when each of these songs first dropped. Much of that debate boils down to the aftermath—“Not Like Us,”—which dropped the day after “Meet The Grahams”— “The Heart Part 6,” and the divergent trajectories of their careers since.

Kendrick Lamar has ascended to new heights, thanks in part to “Not Like Us,” which added a few more Grammys to his collection. Not to mention the release of his chart-topping album GNX, the success of “Luther” featuring SZA, his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, and launching his international Grand National Stadium tour across North America and Europe.

Meanwhile, Drake has been pushing back against the system, filing a lawsuit against UMG over the success of “Not Like Us” and delivering a long-awaited collaborative project with PartyNextDoor, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. He also released a string of loosies that failed to chart like his earlier work, raised eyebrows with certain features (remember “Wah Gwan Delilah”?), and launched an Australian tour on the same day as Kendrick’s Super Bowl appearance.

The feud has undoubtedly taken a toll on Drake, but with a new solo album reportedly in the works, it doesn’t seem like he’s letting the fallout from “Not Like Us” slow down his creative output.