Kanye-Drake Feud

The feud between Kanye West and Drake represents one of hip-hop's most significant and enduring conflicts, spanning over 15 years of alternating collaboration and confrontation between two of rap's biggest titans. What began as a mentor-mentee relationship evolved into a complex rivalry characterized by public disses, collaborative projects, brief reconciliations, and renewed hostilities that continues to impact the hip-hop landscape.The relationship originated in 2009 when West directed the music video for Drake's debut single "Best I Ever Had." During this early period, Drake openly admired West, even calling him "the most influential person" on his sound in a May 2009 interview with MTV. The two collaborated on various projects, with West producing "Find Your Love" for Drake's 2010 debut album "Thank Me Later" and Drake providing vocals for West's "All of the Lights" from "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." They also appeared together on the star-studded 2009 track "Forever" alongside Eminem and Lil Wayne, cementing Drake's arrival among rap's elite.The first signs of tension emerged in 2011 when Drake appeared to take subtle jabs at West and Jay-Z's "Watch the Throne" project while teasing a joint album with Lil Wayne. On DJ Khaled's "I'm On One," Drake rapped, "I'm just feeling like the throne is for the taking (watch me take it)," a clear reference to West and Jay-Z's upcoming album. By October 2011, Drake told The Source magazine that his goal was to "surpass" West's accomplishments, stating, "I don't want to be as good as Kanye — I want to be better."Despite these competitive undertones, their relationship remained largely cordial through mid-2016, with West making appearances at Drake's OVO Fest in Toronto in 2013 and 2016. West teased a potential collaborative album during a Breakfast Club Interview, which was further hinted at by mysterious billboards appearing in various cities displaying the logos of OVO and West's G.O.O.D. Music. However, this highly anticipated joint project never materialized.The relationship deteriorated significantly in 2018 when West produced Pusha T's album "Daytona," which included "Infrared," a track containing shots at Drake's alleged use of ghostwriters like Quentin Miller. Drake responded swiftly with "Duppy Freestyle," targeting both Pusha T and West, calling the latter a "leech and serpent" for allegedly resenting former collaborator Virgil Abloh who had left West's Yeezy brand to become creative director at Louis Vuitton. This exchange escalated dramatically when Pusha T released "The Story of Adidon," revealing Drake had a previously undisclosed son with former adult film star Sophie Brussaux and mocking Drake's alleged insecurities about his race.This period saw additional complications, including Drake's allegation that West manipulated him during a Wyoming studio session where Drake shared personal information, including details about his son and played unreleased music like "March 14" which referenced his child. Drake also claimed West deliberately scheduled his album releases to interfere with Drake's "Scorpion" rollout. Another point of contention was the "Lift Yourself" beat, which Drake claimed West had promised to him for $3 million before releasing it himself with nonsensical lyrics about "poopity scoop."For his part, West took issue with perceived subliminal disses on Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode" featuring Drake, even demanding an apology from Scott and claiming Drake had threatened his family, prompting West's then-wife Kim Kardashian to defend him publicly. The conflict intensified in August 2021 when Drake explicitly dissed West on Trippie Redd's "Betrayal," rapping, "Ye ain't changin' shit for me, it's set in stone." In response, West posted Drake's Toronto address on Instagram.Their album rivalry reached its peak in late August/early September 2021 when West's "Donda" and Drake's "Certified Lover Boy" were released just days apart. West's album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 309,000 album-equivalent units but was quickly displaced by Drake's "Certified Lover Boy," which sold 613,000 units in its first week.A surprising reconciliation occurred in December 2021 when J. Prince brokered a truce for the "Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert" at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The event, attended by 70,000 fans and livestreamed via Amazon Prime Video, featured both rappers performing together, with Drake calling it "surreal" to be "on stage with my idol." However, this peace proved temporary. By November 2022, Drake referenced the concert on his collaboration with 21 Savage, "Circo Loco," with the line "linking with the opps, bitch, I did that shit for J Prince," suggesting the reconciliation was merely for show.Subsequent provocations included Drake's April 2023 track "Search and Rescue," which sampled a conversation between West's ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner discussing Kim's divorce, with Kardashian saying, "I didn't come this far, just to come this far and not be happy." Drake further escalated tensions with his November 2023 track "Red Button," where he accused West of being insincere about their truces: "Every time that Yeezy called a truce, he had my head inflated/ Thinkin' we gon' finally peace it up and get to levitatin'/ Realize that everything premeditated."The feud reignited in April 2024 when West inserted himself into Drake's ongoing conflict with Kendrick Lamar by releasing "Like That" remix, a track originally featuring Future, Metro Boomin, and Lamar. On the remix, West targeted Drake with lines referencing his licensing deal with Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge. West later appeared on Justin LaBoy's podcast "The Message," where he credited the "elimination of Drake" as his inspiration for creating the remix, adding, "Drake has a rich baby daddy named Lucian and Universal... My daddy control the spins. My daddy got the DSPs."Despite numerous opportunities for reconciliation over the years, the Drake-West feud continues to evolve as one of hip-hop's most prominent rivalries, reflecting the complicated dynamics of competition, respect, and conflict that often characterize relationships between top artists in hip-hop culture. Their ongoing tension has significantly influenced the landscape of contemporary rap music, inspiring countless discussions among fans and critics alike about loyalty, artistry, and the personal nature of hip-hop competition.Sources: Wikipedia and Billboard*There may be errors on this page.