Drake–Kanye West feud

Hip hop feud

Drake–Kanye West feud

Drake in 2017

Kanye West in 2009

Date| September 13, 2009 – present (15 years, 11 months and 1 day)
Medium| Diss tracks, social media
Status| Ongoing
Parties

* Drake
* 21 Savage

* Kanye West
* Kim Kardashian
* Pusha T
* Meek Mill
* Future
* Metro Boomin

|

Works

* "Duppy Freestyle"
* "Sicko Mode"
* "7AM on Bridle Path"
* "Circo Loco"
* "Search and Rescue"
* "Red Button"
* "Family Matters"

* "Life of the Party"
* "Like That Remix"
* "Heil Hitler"

The Drake–Kanye West feud is an ongoing and highly publicized feud between American rapper Kanye West and Canadian rapper Drake. The conflict has unfolded over several years and has involved public statements, social media exchanges, and musical releases.[1]

## 2009–2017: Background

[edit]

West and Drake had a fair share of interactions before their disputes. West directed the music video for "Best I Ever Had," Drake's 2009 debut single.[2] West also featured in Drake's 2009 single "Forever" alongside Eminem and Lil Wayne.[3] Furthermore, West also wrote for and produced Drake's 2010 single "Find Your Love," alongside Jeff Bhasker, No I.D. and Drake himself. During an interview with The Source Drake revealed he wanted to be better than West and surpass him one day.[4] In May 2011 Drake rapped in the song "I'm on One", "I'm just feeling like the throne is for the taking (watch me take it)",[5] referencing Kanye's joint album with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne that dropped in August 2011.[6] In 2012, Drake and West were neighbors in Hidden Hills, California. After this however, Drake and West would still be on good terms at least until 2018, as both of them featured in Big Sean's "Blessings" in 2015, and West would have features on Drake's "Pop Style" along with Jay-Z and also on "Glow" in 2016 and 2017 respectively and also produce tracks from Drake's 2016 album Views with Drake also having writing credits on tracks from West's The Life of Pablo the same year.

## 2018: Escalation

[edit]

### Pusha T and Drake beef, West involvement

[edit]

Pusha T performing in 2013

Drake and rapper Pusha T had been on bad terms from 2011 until that point.[7] Tensions rose between the two after Pusha T released his album Daytona, which was produced by West.[8] On the album's last track, "Infrared", Pusha T questioned Drake's lyrical abilities, suggesting Quentin Miller had been writing for Drake behind the scenes.[9] Drake responded with "Duppy Freestyle" calling West a "leech and serpent" for resenting his former collaborator Virgil Abloh, as he left West's company Yeezy to become creative director of Louis Vuitton.[10] He also questioned the extravagance of Pusha-T and his brother Malice's drug dealing background. Drake ended the song by denying the ghostwriting allegations brought up by Meek Mill in their 2015 rap beef, and name dropping the wife of Pusha T.[11]

Four days after the release of "Duppy Freestyle", Pusha T released "The Story of Adidon" over the instrumental to Jay-Z's "The Story of O.J.", mocking Drake's alleged insecurities about his race, the relationship between Drake's mother and father, Drake's longtime producer Noah "40" Shebib having multiple sclerosis, and revealing that Drake has a son with French model and former porn star Sophie Brussaux. Pusha T also revealed the scrapped Adidas collaboration with Drake titled "Adidon" was named after Drake's son, Adonis.[12]

Drake appeared on the second episode of LeBron James' HBO show The Shop and implied that West scheduled the releases of Ye, Daytona, and other albums to interfere with the release of Scorpion and seemed to believe that West told Pusha T about his son.[13] Later however Pusha T came forward and claimed Drake's producer Noah "40" Shebib was the one who revealed to him that the rapper has a child.[14] West also apologized to Drake for dropping the albums around the same time as Scorpion claiming he had a lot going on at the time. He also denied telling Pusha T about his son.[15]

### "Lift Yourself" beat

[edit]

Main article: Lift Yourself

Drake revealed during his appearance on The Shop he was briefly invited to West's Wyoming sessions for the album that would become Ye, but instead of leaving with a collaboration, Drake revealed he loved the "Lift Yourself" beat, Drake also revealed later that he and West both had an agreement for Drake to buy the beat for $3,000,000. But instead of selling the beat, West kept it for himself and used phrases based around the words poop, scoop, and whoop. West's verse includes him saying, "Whoop-diddy-scoop / Whoop-diddy-scoop-poop", and the song abruptly ends after the verse.[16]

In September 2018, West admitted Drake had some ill feelings towards him because he used the beat for "Lift Yourself" that Drake originally wanted.[17] West stated that he should have given Drake an opportunity before releasing the final version and also apologized to him over their falling out, which was led to by West's usage of the beat and his role in Pusha T's feud with Drake.[17]

### "Sicko Mode"

[edit]

Main article: Sicko Mode

Between December 13 and 14, 2018, West sent out a series of tweets where he called out Drake for what he labeled "sneak disses" on Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode". He followed up and urged Scott to apologize. West alleged that Drake threatened his life and the safety of his family.[18]

The following day his then-wife Kim Kardashian defended West and told Drake to stop threatening her family.[19]

## 2021: Social media and album conflicts

[edit]

On August 23, 2021, Drake reignited their feud by dissing West on the Trippie Redd song "Betrayal".[20] Later on that day, West shared what seemed to be Drake's Toronto address in an Instagram post he eventually deleted.[21] Drake referenced on the Certified Lover Boy track "7AM on Bridle Path".[22] Drake leaked Donda outtake "Life of the Party" featuring André 3000 during the Certified Lover Boy guest DJ mix on Sirius XM on September 4, 2021, where West originally dissed Drake by name.[23]

West and Drake released the albums Donda and Certified Lover Boy five days apart. Donda was released by West on August 29, 2021, and debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 selling 309,000 units in its first week. This was surpassed by Drake's Certified Lover Boy that released on September 3, 2021, and sold 613,000 units in its first week as well as replacing Donda as No. 1 as it dropped to second.[24]

On November 8, West uploaded a video to his Instagram of him standing next to former Rap-A-Lot Records co-founder J Prince, reading a written apology to Drake in hopes for the two to put the beef aside for a benefit concert for incarcerated reformed gangster Larry Hoover, during West's ongoing effort and call for his release.[25] Days later, West uploaded a picture of him, Drake and J Prince, together outside of Drake's house, confirming the beef was squashed.[26] The Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert was announced to take place on December 9, and was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The two rappers were joined by West's choir, the Sunday Service Choir and was attended by 70,000 fans. The concert was livestreamed via Amazon Prime Video and Twitch, and was broadcast in IMAX theaters.

## 2022–2025: Further exchanges

[edit]

On November 4, 2022, Drake released "Circo Loco" on his collaborative album Her Loss with 21 Savage. On the song, Drake raps "linking with the opps, bitch, I did that shit for J Prince/Bitch, I did it for the mob ties", referencing back to the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert. West would respond to the lyric with a Tweet.[27]

> ye

> @kanyewest

> 

> Enough already I done gave this man his flowers multiple times Let's really see who are real ops are in this music Imagine all the rappers on the game same side and everyone cleaning up each others contracts It's kingdom time Love Drake #lovespeech

> November 4, 2022[28]

West with his then-wife Kim Kardashian at the 2019 Met Gala.

On April 7, 2023, Drake released "Search and Rescue" where Drake used an excerpt of a conversation between West's ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner about Kim's divorce from West: "I didn't come this far, just to come this far and not be happy", Kardashian told her mother in a clip from an episode of their reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians.[29]

On November 17, 2023, Drake released "Red Button" as part of For All the Dogs Scary Hours Edition. Drake called out West for being false when apologizing about their recurring conflict.[30]

On April 19, 2024, West previewed a remix of "Like That", which took aim at Drake and J. Cole, amidst the former's feud with Kendrick Lamar.[31]

On April 6, 2025, West would preview his upcoming single "Heil Hitler" on a livestream with record producer Digital Nas. This version contained an unused line where he refers to Drake as a "faggot".[32]

## See also

[edit]

* Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud
* Taylor Swift–Kanye West feud

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Skelton, Eric. "Kanye West and Drake's Recent Feud, Explained". Complex. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
2. ^ "Best I Ever Had by Drake Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
3. ^ "Tale of the Tape | Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem's "Forever"". REVOLT. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
4. ^ "October 2011: Drake reveals his desire to surpass Kanye West's career". Capital XTRA. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
5. ^ "From Diss Tracks to Twitter Feuds: A Timeline of Drake and Kanye West's Complicated Relationship". Peoplemag. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
6. ^ "Jay-Z And Kanye's Watch The Throne Countdown Begins!". MTV. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
7. ^ "The complete history of Drake & Pusha T's rap beef". Capital XTRA. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
8. ^ "Premature Evaluation: Pusha-T's 'Daytona'". Stereogum. May 25, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
9. ^ Daramola, Isaac (May 25, 2018). "Pusha T's "Infrared" Disses Drake and Lil Wayne". Spin. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
10. ^ "Drake Takes Aim at Kanye West and Pusha-T on New Track "Duppy Freestyle"". Complex. May 25, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
11. ^ "Drake Hits Back at Pusha T's Diss Track With 'Duppy Freestyle': Listen". Billboard. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
12. ^ Félix, Doreen St (June 1, 2018). "How Pusha T's "The Story of Adidon" Viciously Undercuts Drake's Celebrity". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
13. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie. "Drake thought Kanye West told people about his secret child but he was wrong — here's everything you need to know about the drama". Insider. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
14. ^ "Pusha T reveals who told him Drake had a son". The Independent. October 18, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
15. ^ "Kanye Apologizes to Drake". Pitchfork. September 5, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
16. ^ Fama, Amanda (April 28, 2018). "The Meaning Of 'Lift Yourself' By Kanye West Has Fans Questioning The Lyrics". Elite Daily. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
17. ^ a b Kreps, Daniel (September 5, 2018). "Kanye West Apologizes to Drake Over 'Lift Yourself' Beat, Pusha-T Diss Tracks". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
18. ^ Kaufman, Gil (December 14, 2018). "Kanye West Says He Has a Problem With the 'Sneak Disses' On Travis Scott's 'Sicko Mode' With Drake". Billboard. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
19. ^ "Kim Kardashian Calls Out Drake for Threatening Her Family". Rap-Up. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
20. ^ Peters, Mitchell (August 22, 2021). "Drake Seemingly Targets Kanye West on New Trippie Redd Song 'Betrayal': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
21. ^ "Kanye West appears to leak Drake's home address as feud continues". The Independent. August 23, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
22. ^ Woods, Aleia (September 3, 2021). "Drake Appears to Go in on Kanye West on New Song '7am on Bridle Path' – Listen". XXL Mag. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
23. ^ "Here's What's Going On With Drake, Kanye West and Andre 3000". GQ. September 5, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
24. ^ "Drake's Certified Lover Boy Unseats Kanye's Donda and Debuts at No. 1 With Biggest Week of 2021". Pitchfork. September 12, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
25. ^ "J. Prince Forces Kanye West to Apologize to Drake and End Their Beef". BlackSportsOnline. November 8, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
26. ^ "BEEF WITH DRAKE IS SQUASHED ...We're Chilling In Toronto". TMZ. November 16, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
27. ^ "Kanye West Addresses Drake's "Circo Loco" Lyrics About 'Linking With the Opps'". Complex. November 4, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
28. ^ ye [@kanyewest] (November 4, 2022). "Enough already I done gave this man his flowers multiple times Let's really see who are real ops are in this music Imagine all the rappers on the game same side and everyone cleaning up each others contracts It's kingdom time Love Drake #lovespeech" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
29. ^ Aswad, Jem (April 7, 2023). "Drake Samples Kim Kardashian Talking Divorce on New Song 'Search & Rescue'". Variety. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
30. ^ Brow, Jason (November 17, 2023). "Drake Disses Kanye West, Pusha T, and Joe Budden in New Songs". Us Weekly. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
31. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (April 20, 2024). "Kanye West Disses Drake & J. Cole On Alleged "Like That" Remix Leaked By Adam22: Listen". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
32. ^ Fisher, Caroline (April 6, 2025). "Kanye West Takes A Shot At Drake In Bizarre New "Heil Hitler" Snippet". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 22, 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Drake

* Albums
* Singles
* Awards and nominations
* Videography

Studio albums|

* Thank Me Later
* Take Care
* Nothing Was the Same
* Views
* Scorpion
* Certified Lover Boy
* Honestly, Nevermind
* For All the Dogs
* Iceman

Collaborative albums|

* Her Loss (with 21 Savage)
* Some Sexy Songs 4 U (with PartyNextDoor)

Compilations|

* We Are Young Money
* Young Money: Rise of an Empire
* Care Package

Extended plays|

* So Far Gone
* Scary Hours
* The Best in the World Pack
* Scary Hours 2
* 100 Gigs

Mixtapes|

* Room for Improvement
* Comeback Season
* So Far Gone
* If You're Reading This It's Too Late
* What a Time to Be Alive (with Future)
* More Life
* Dark Lane Demo Tapes

Tours|

* America's Most Wanted Tour
* Away from Home Tour
* Club Paradise Tour
* Would You Like a Tour?
* Drake vs. Lil Wayne
* Summer Sixteen Tour
* Boy Meets World Tour
* Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour
* Assassination Vacation Tour
* It's All a Blur Tour
* Anita Max Win Tour
* Some Special Shows 4 U

Related|

* OVO Sound
* DreamCrew
* Young Money Entertainment
* YOLO
* Lil Wayne
* Forest Hill Collegiate Institute
* Vaughan Road Academy
* "Drake Would Love Me"
* "The Story of Adidon"
* "Heart on My Sleeve"
* Virginia Black Whiskey
* Feud with Kanye West
* Feud with Kendrick Lamar
* "Champagne Moments"

Category

* v
* t
* e

Kanye West

* Albums discography
* Singles discography
* Production discography
* Videography
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* Live performances
* Samples
* Unreleased projects

Studio albums|

* The College Dropout
* Late Registration
* Graduation
* 808s & Heartbreak
* My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
* Yeezus
* The Life of Pablo
* Ye
* Jesus Is King
* Donda
* Donda 2
* Bully
* In a Perfect World

Collaborative albums|

* Watch the Throne
* Kids See Ghosts (as Kids See Ghosts)
* Jesus Is Born (as the Sunday Service Choir)
* Vultures 1 (as ¥$)
* Vultures 2 (as ¥$)

Live albums|

* Late Orchestration
* VH1 Storytellers

Compilations|

* Cruel Summer (with GOOD Music)

Visual albums|

* Bully V1

Extended plays|

* Never Stop (with King Combs)

Mixtapes|

* Can't Tell Me Nothing

DVDs|

* The College Dropout Video Anthology
* Late Orchestration

Films|

* We Were Once a Fairytale
* Runaway
* Cruel Summer
* Jesus Is King
* Jeen-Yuhs
* In Whose Name?

Tours|

* Touch the Sky Tour
* Glow in the Dark Tour
* Fame Kills: Starring Kanye West and Lady Gaga (cancelled)
* Watch the Throne Tour
* The Yeezus Tour
* Saint Pablo Tour

Books|

* Glow in the Dark

Fashion|

* Yeezy (brand)
* Adidas Yeezy
* Yeezy Gap
* Nike Air Yeezy

Family|

* Donda West (mother)
* Kim Kardashian (ex-wife)
* Bianca Censori (wife)
* North West (daughter)
* The Wrldfms Tony Williams (cousin)
* Devo Harris (cousin)

Related articles|

* Dropout Bear
* GOOD Music
* GOOD Fridays
* Child Rebel Soldier
* Donda (company)
* Donda Academy
* Presidential campaigns
* Stem Player
* The Hooligans
* Taylor Swift–Kanye West feud
* Drake–Kanye West feud
* Views

* Category

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*[e]: Edit this template