The Big Three Became One: How Kendrick Lamar Ended Drake’s Reign in 2024

By Lena Voss, Culture Desk October 31, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA

Hip-hop has always been a contact sport. “You’ll have these little jabs and spits, and it’s all good,” Busta Rhymes once said, “because personally, I respect these guys.” But in 2024, respect curdled into something lethal. What began as a friendly flex in 2013 exploded into the most devastating rap war since Nas vs. Jay-Z. Kendrick Lamar didn’t just beat Drake—he erased him. A stadium in Los Angeles sang along to a song that dismantled the Canadian superstar’s entire career. K.Dot won. Drake lost. And the culture crowned a new king.

The Friendship That Fueled the Fire

Rewind to November 2011. Drake’s Take Care was a cultural earthquake, blending rap and R&B into a new blueprint. Kendrick’s Section.80 dropped the same year, positioning him as the West Coast’s next savior. Both were rising at parallel speeds. Drake, ever the strategist, invited Kendrick to interpolate on “Buried Alive.” The result was magic—one of the decade’s best interludes.

By February 2012, Drake brought Kendrick and A$AP Rocky on the Club Paradise Tour as openers. “I fought to get these two artists as my openers,” Drake told the crowd. “You’re responsible for everyone on this stage.” It felt like brotherhood. They later linked on Rocky’s “Fuckin’ Problems,” a top-30 Billboard hit. For a moment, the “Big Three” narrative—Drake, Kendrick, Cole—seemed real.

The Verse That Changed Everything

Then came August 2013. Big Sean’s “Control” featured a Kendrick verse that detonated the industry. Over a menacing No I.D. beat, K.Dot called out everyone: J. Cole, Meek Mill, Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, Big K.R.I.T., even Big Sean and Jay Electronica. “I got love for you all, but I’m tryna murder you,” he snarled. He name-dropped Drake twice. The message? There’s no Big Three—there’s just me.

Drake brushed it off: “It sounded like an ambitious thought.” But the seed was planted. Kendrick’s debut major-label album, good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012), proved his pen was unmatched. Classics like “Money Trees,” “Swimming Pools,” and “m.A.A.d city” made him untouchable. Drake’s Nothing Was the Same (2013) was a commercial juggernaut, but Kendrick’s critical acclaim created a rift.

Subtle Shots and Ghostwriter Scandals

The beef simmered. In 2015, Meek Mill accused Drake of using ghostwriters—specifically Quentin Miller—on Twitter. The scandal overshadowed Drake’s feud with Kendrick. Meek’s Dreams and Nightmares was thriving, but he torched bridges by exposing Drake’s “R.I.C.O.” verse wasn’t fully his. Kendrick, quietly, took notes.

On 2016’s Untitled Unmastered, Kendrick jabbed: “Ghostwriters write your life.” Drake stayed silent. The culture noticed. Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly (2015) and DAMN. (2017) were global masterpieces. Drake’s Views (2016) and Scorpion (2018) broke records but lacked the same reverence.

The Dominoes Fall: 2023–2024

Fast-forward to 2023. J. Cole and Drake’s “First Person Shooter” reaffirmed the Big Three. Cole rapped: “Love when they argue the hardest MC / Is it K.Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?” Kendrick heard it. He waited.

March 22, 2024. Future and Metro Boomin’s We Don’t Trust You dropped. Track six, “Like That,” featured Kendrick. Metro’s triumphant sample set the stage. Then:

“Motherfuck the Big Three, nigga, it’s just big me.”

He torched Drake’s For All the Dogs (“pet cemetery”), mocked his pop collabs, and declared war. The internet imploded.

The Diss Track Onslaught

Drake responded with “Push Ups” (April 19), mocking Kendrick’s height, shoe size, and TDE contract. He even dragged Rick Ross and Future. Mistake #1: attacking Kendrick’s family-like bond with Top Dawg. Mistake #2: “Taylor Made Freestyle,” using AI Tupac and Snoop voices—Kendrick’s top-five GOATs. Tupac’s estate threatened to sue. Drake deleted it.

Kendrick struck back with “Euphoria” (six minutes of venom), questioning Drake’s Blackness, revisiting Pusha T’s 2018 “The Story of Adidon” (revealing Drake’s son Adonis), and threatening exposure. Days later, “6:16 in LA” alleged a mole in OVO leaking intel.

Drake’s “Family Matters” accused Kendrick of domestic abuse and cheating on Whitney Alford. He used good kid, m.A.A.d city’s cover art—symbolically trashing it. Mistake #3: weaponizing family.

Kendrick’s response? “Meet the Grahams.” Within minutes. He addressed Drake’s mother, father, and son Adonis—then claimed Drake hid a daughter. The cover: Drake’s pill bottles. Chilling.

“Not Like Us” (produced by Mustard) was the kill shot. A West Coast banger accusing Drake of predatory behavior. The video? Kendrick smashing OVO owl piñatas with a bat, dancing with his family and Crips/Bloods in unity. It debuted at #1 on the Hot 100.

Drake’s “The Heart Part 6” claimed he fed Kendrick fake info about a daughter. No one bought it. The damage was done.

The Pop Out: A Coronation

June 19, 2024. Kendrick’s The Pop Out concert at the Kia Forum. He performed “Not Like Us” five times. Pusha T, Tyler, the Creator, Steve Lacy, YG—West Coast royalty. Crips and Bloods danced together on stage. Snoop Dogg crowned him: “K.Dot, you the king of the West.”

Drake? Silent. Recent photos show a defeated man—wrinkles, a “Rap Is a Joke” shirt. Lil Wayne played “Not Like Us” at a show. Travis Scott ignored Drake’s albums. The industry turned.

The Aftermath

Kendrick didn’t just win—he rewrote the rules. He exposed Drake’s contradictions: the ghostwriting, the hidden child, the cultural tourism. Hip-hop isn’t just charts—it’s authenticity. Drake built an empire on vibes. Kendrick tore it down with truth.

As Busta said, “It’s a sport.” But this wasn’t a game. This was a coronation. The Big Three is dead. Long live the king.