Hip-hop megastars Drake and Kendrick Lamar, who are known for their long-standing feud, made history in the world of music, ironically at the same time. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced today that Drake’s early hits Best I Ever Had and Hold On, We’re Going Home have officially gone diamond, pushing his total number of diamond-certified records to an unprecedented ten.
This achievement surpasses singers like Post Malone and Garth Brooks, who had previously gotten nine. For context, in the music industry, diamond certification is one of the highest honors a song can receive when a track reaches 10 million units in sales and streams in the United States. That includes both physical sales and digital streams.
View this post on Instagram
As per The Irish Star, Drake’s Diamond collection now includes sensation hits like God’s Plan, One Dance, Hotline Bling, Sicko Mode, and No Guidance. All of these have topped the charts and have been played during every person’s car ride and streamed on everyone’s Instagram reels.
Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar’s explosive diss track Not Like Us, which is speculated to be a comeback (or diss) track for Drake, has made history of its own. The track has just exited the Billboard Hot 100 after an astonishing 53-week run, making it the longest-charting rap song in history.
Lamar also won five major Grammy awards, which took place on February 2 in Los Angeles. It includes Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Rap Performance. Kendrick’s Not Like Us debuted at number one and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, after which the 22-time Grammy winner also performed it at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show.
For those who have been unaware, Drake and Kendrick’s beef (or fallout) began in 2013 when the latter’s verse of Big Sean’s (another dominating rapper and record producer) Control called out several rappers, including Drake, mocking them to improve their craft.
As the beef remained, it reignited in 2023 when popular artist J Cole said through his track First Person Shooter that the beef, which began with the three men (Kendrick, Drake and J Cole), was the ‘big three.’ But Lamar disagreed with Cole and responded with his verse on the track Like That and claimed that he was alone at the top.
Kendrick Lamar’s other diss tracks aimed at Drake include Euphoria, to which Drake responded with the track Taylor Made Freestyle, which became controversial as it featured AI-generated vocals of Tupac Shakur and OG Snoop Dogg; the backlash led to Drake eventually removing the track. He also dropped Family Matters in 2024, which was a response to Lamar’s track Meet the Grahams, which is a direct jab at the Canadian rapper’s character, his son and alleged daughter
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, Drake has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group, alleging that the label manipulated streaming platforms and radio airplay to boost Not Like Us using fake accounts and paid promotions. Universal has firmly denied the accusations, calling them “offensive and untrue.
In addition, a spokesperson from Universal Music Group told the outlet Variety, “Nowhere in the hundred-plus page ‘legal’ blather written by Drake’s lawyers do they bother to acknowledge that Drake himself has written and performed massively successful songs containing equally provocative taunts against other artists.”
View this post on Instagram
Further, the popular music record group also claimed that Drake purposely participates in a performative rap battle of music and poetry, where people can talk about him in a negative light. He can give it back in the same provocative and personal manner.
While the personal feud between the two giants of the hip-hop world seems to be ongoing, both powerhouses of talent and lyrics continue to dominate the charts in their own right. After all, a true knack can overcome all the hurdles that fame and rivalry can ignite, right?
