Feuding rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar are embroiled in an epic war of words that the New York Times said yesterday is filled with “full-bore acrimony and unverifiable accusations.”
The rhymers traded lyrical blows over the weekend via “the rapid-fire release of multiple songs littered with attacks regarding race, appropriation, sexual and physical abuse, body image, misogyny, hypocrisy, generational trauma and more,” the Times added.
But insiders are buzzing about different behind-the-scenes tensions: The rappers share an agent.
Feuding rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar have a power agent in common. AFP via Getty Images
Drake has denied accusations by Kendrick Lamar. WireImage
Lamar is a Pulitzer Prize winner. Robert Hanashiro, Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY NETWORK
They’re both repped by booking agent Brent Smith of Wasserman Music.
We’d say perhaps Smith can package a blockbuster diss tour with the two — but the contention seems too deep.
“Is he picking sides?” wondered an amused agency rival. We guess rolling calls must be weird. Then again, maybe he’s laughing all the way to the bank, as the rival tracks have racked up millions of streams.
The Los Angeles rapper kicked off the barrage of tracks on Friday. AFP via Getty Images
Drake has fired back by dissing Lamar’s fiancée. WireImage
Lamar called Drake a “certified pedophile” in one song, while Drake rapped back, “I never been with no one underage,” before taking a shot at Lamar’s fiancée, Whitney Alford.
Lamar also alleged in verse that Drake has a secret daughter, which the rival rapper denied.
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The furious feud boiled over starting Friday night, when Drake responded to two recent diss tracks from Lamar with a nearly eight-minute tune of his own. Hours later, Lamar released another lyrical broadside, followed by another the next day. Finally (for now), Drake issued a response Sunday night.
Smith was previously a partner at WME. Getty Images
Lamar’s new tracks include “Not Like Us.” Kendrick Lamar/YouTube
The LA and Toronto rappers both have cred well beyond the streets: Lamar’s a Pulitzer winner, while Drake has broken too many Billboard records to count, including having the most songs to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 list.
For his part, Smith joined Casey Wasserman’s company in 2021 after two decades at WME, where he was a partner. He didn’t get back to us.
