The dramatic feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, which reached an apex earlier this year as both rappers released disses in quick succession, generated more than $15.4 million across all of their diss tracks, Billboard reported—and most of the revenue comes from Lamar, who was considered the winner of the feud by many fans and media outlets.
Lamar's "Not Like Us" was the highest-earning diss track by a wide margin. (Photo by Kevin ... [+]
Lamar’s chart-topping, Grammy-nominated hit, “Not Like Us,” was the biggest earner, generating about $7.6 million in streaming, sales and publishing revenue, Billboard reported, accounting for nearly half the $15.4 million total.
Lamar also had the second-biggest hit in the feud, “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin, which kickstarted the beef in March and generated about $4.6 million in revenue.
Drake grossed just under $1 million each for two of his diss tracks, “Family Matters” and “Push Ups,” while Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” and “Euphoria” generated about $800,000 and $440,000, respectively.
Lamar’s diss tracks were the clear winners on the charts: “Not Like Us” and “Like That” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Not Like Us” reigning for six weeks on the Hot 100 and becoming the longest-running song at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.
Drake, however, sold nearly twice as many albums in 2024 as Lamar, with 6.8 million album units to Lamar’s 3.5 million, Billboard reported; the diss tracks wouldn't have boosted either's album sales since no diss tracks were included on Drake or Lamar's albums.
Drake and Lamar both released more diss tracks that Billboard did not analyze, possibly because they were not released on music streaming or purchasing services. Drake released “Taylor Made Freestyle” in April and “The Heart Part 6” in May only on Instagram, while Lamar released the song "6:16 in LA" in May on Instagram. Drake deleted “Taylor Made Freestyle” from his Instagram in April following a legal threat from Tupac Shakur’s estate because Drake had used the late rapper’s AI-generated vocals in the song. Drake reportedly deleted the rest of his diss tracks and posts referencing the feud off his Instagram profile in June.
Long after the dust had settled, Drake brought the feud to court in November with petitions filed in New York and Texas. Drake first made a court filing in New York—which is not a lawsuit, though he threatened he may sue—alleging Universal Music Group, the label that represents both Drake and Lamar, artificially inflated the Spotify streams and radio spins of “Not Like Us.” In a second action filed in Texas, which is also not a lawsuit, Drake alleged UMG paid iHeartRadio to boost radio airplay of “Not Like Us.” He also accused the label of knowing the song’s lyrics contained allegations about Drake that he says are false, including allegations he is a "certified pedophile” and “predator,” yet did nothing to stop its release. The petitions do not accuse Lamar of wrongdoing. Though Drake’s petitions are not lawsuits, they were filed to seek information from UMG, Spotify and iHeartRadio to identify potential defendants and frame a complaint for a lawsuit. Drake’s New York petition claims he may have grounds to sue for racketeering, deceptive business practices and false advertising. UMG rebuffed Drake’s claims in a statement, calling the “suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue” and claiming “fans choose the music they want to hear.”
Lamar first took aim at Drake in his verse on “Like That” in March, slamming a lyric on Drake and J. Cole’s 2023 song “First Person Shooter” in which J. Cole raps that he, Drake and Lamar are the “big three” of rap. Drake and Lamar then began trading diss tracks which included increasingly dramatic accusations. Drake denied accusations that he is a predator and that he fathered a secret child, and he claimed he planted false information to Lamar’s team in hopes Lamar would use it in diss tracks. Lamar was generally considered the winner by fans and the media for his lyrics and the commercial success of his diss tracks, particularly “Not Like Us,” which earned five Grammy nominations. Lamar continued to take a victory lap, being named the upcoming Super Bowl headliner and surprise-dropping album “GNX” in November.
How Much Money Did the Kendrick Lamar-Drake Diss Songs Generate? (Billboard)