The ball is back in Drake's court after Kendrick Lamar dropped his earth-shattering diss song "Euphoria" on Tuesday. Rap fans waited a decade for this beef to take off and it's finally on and popping. So how is the 6 God going to respond? We'll have to wait and see, but one thing we do know is that Drake has a lengthy history of diss songs.
Despite once rapping, “Diss me, you’ll never hear a reply for it” on his 2009 song "Successful," Drake didn't keep that promise when he actually became successful. The target on his back got bigger every year, and rather than shying away from conflict, he embraced it time and again.
We got a taste of Drake's knack for rap beef when he released "Push Ups" earlier this month, firing at Metro Boomin, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, and more. He doubled down a week later with his A.I. “2Pac” and “Snoop Dogg” assisted song “Taylor Made Freestyle.” But are those his best diss songs?
While we wait for the next response in his war with Kendrick Lamar, Complex put together a ranking of Drake's best diss tracks.
11) "Good Riddance"
Year: 2009
Target: Aristo
Notable Bars: "Dog if I were you, I tell you what I would do/I would cut ties with the cops and just make them fire you/ Lose the body pack and the velcro you feed the wire through/ Tell them not to call and that's even if they require you/ 'Cause they the only people recording that wanna hire you.”
One of Drake's earliest diss tracks came right before he blew up nationally. During his come-up, he found himself in the middle of a feud with fellow Toronto rapper Aristo. In a sign of things to come, it started out with the two of them throwing subliminals at each other. Drake fired off some jabs on "Goodnight & Goodluck," but on "Good Riddance," he basically ended Aristo's career.
In his opening line, Drake mentions Aristo directly, making it clear who he's about to eviscerate (and that he's not going to give him any chance to survive). He lets loose on his Toronto brethren by calling him a pedophile, a fake gangster, and broke—basically, all the things Rick Ross is saying about him now.
10) “Taylor Made Freestyle”
Year: 2024
Target: Kendrick Lamar, our fears about artificial intelligence
Notable Bars: “The first one really only took me an hour or two/ The next one is really 'bout to bring out the coward in you/ But now we gotta wait a fuckin' week 'cause Taylor Swift is your new Top/ And if you 'bout to drop, she gotta approve”
As soon as the Drake/Kendrick Lamar back-and-forth began this year, a number of fake diss tracks using artificial intelligence voice filters surfaced online. Rather than succumb to chaos, Drake tried to use it to his advantage.
On “Taylor Made Freestyle,” he utilizes artificial intelligence to rap as “2Pac,” one of Kendrick’s biggest inspirations, and “Snoop Dogg,” who passed the torch to the pgLang rapper back in 2011. He raps as the two West Coast legends, pleading with Kendrick to respond. He uses their voices to call out his longtime rival for going radio silent in the heat of battle. He also claims Taylor Swift has a chokehold over her “Bad Blood” collaborator.
Drake may have rapped as 2Pac, but he channels B-Rabbit. “2Pac’s” verse alludes to Drake’s relationship with Millie Bobby Brown, essentially self-owning a line of attack before Kendrick could use it. His verse isn’t bad, but the lack of shots in the Pac and Snoop verses, plus AI stunt leading to a response from the 2Pac estate, undermine this as an effective diss track.
9) "Two Birds, One Stone"
Year: 2016
Target: Kid Cudi, Pusha T
Notable Bars: "You were the man on the moon/Now you just go through your phases/Life of the angry and famous/Rap like I know I'm the greatest then give you tropical flavors/Still never been on hiatus/You stay xann'd and perk'd up/So when reality set in, you don't gotta face it"
While Drake was busy with Pusha T, Meek Mill, and other rappers in 2016, he also took some time to address Kid Cudi, who criticized Drake for allegedly having ghostwriters. Cudi hopped on Twitter that year and spoke about someone who thinks they are "top 5" but has "30 people write songs for them." He then said his words could apply to whom it sees fit—but then mentioned how Ye and Drake were not supporting him.
Drake caught wind of those tweets and first responded during a live show, saying, "Boy, you getting way too high, you need to Cud-it." Then, a month later, Drizzy dropped the scathing "Two Birds, One Stone," where he mentioned a man who was once on the moon but is now going through phases whose drug use keeps him from facing reality. Drake also had some words for Pusha T and discredited his past life as a drug dealer.
The bars were slick but the "man on the moon" lines didn't sit well with some fans as Cudi, at the time, had checked into a rehab facility after being vocal about his struggles with depression, mental health, and drug use. A few days after the song was released, Cudi hopped on Twitter and wrote, "Say it to face, pussy. You think it's a game. I wanna see you say it to my face. I'll be out soon. Promise." Drizzy and Cudi would seemingly be on better terms as they joined forces on "IMY2" off Certified Lover Boy in 2021.
8) "Charged Up"
Year: 2015
Target: Meek Mill
Notable Bars: "No woman ever had me star-struck/ Or was able to tell me to get my bars up, I'm charged up”
In 2015, Meek Mill went on Twitter to call out Drake for not helping promote his album and accused him of using a ghostwriter. The claim sparked debates about ghostwriting in hip-hop and led to the release of reference tracks for Drake’s "10 Bands" and "Know Yourself." With many hip-hop purists questioning Drake’s artistry, he fired back with "Charged Up."
On the song, he proved his pen was still sharp—accusations be damned—while undermining Meek by poking fun at how his then-girlfriend, Nicki Minaj, was a bigger rapper. Initially, the song received mixed reviews given how slow and brooding it was, but little did they know it was merely setting the tone for where his feud with Meek was going.
7) "Summer Sixteen"
Year: 2016
Target: Meek Mill, Tory Lanez
Notable Bars: "I'm just a sicko, a real sicko when you get to know me n***a/I let the diss record drop, you was staying right below me, n***a/We must have played it a hundred times, you was going to bed”
Drake was firmly established as one of the top rappers by 2016 and Tory Lanez’ career had just started picking up steam in Toronto. Tensions between the two started bubbling when Lanez dissed Drake during a freestyle on Sway in the Morning in 2015, referencing Drake's infamous Hot 97 freestyle: “I know these n***as about to act scary/ T.O. n***a, only spitting without the Blackberry." Lanez also tweeted that calling Toronto “the six” was “not cool.”
The 6 God caught wind of Lanez’s comments and responded on "Summer Sixteen," succinctly sonning the up-and-comer. The song was also a victory lap for Drake, as he took more jabs at Meek, revealing he rented a hotel room above the Philly rapper as a way to torment him by playing "Back to Back.” Despite the bad blood from this period, though, Drake ended up becoming friendly with both Meek and Tory years later.
6) “4PM In Calabasas”
Year: 2016
Targets: Diddy, Joe Budden, Meek Mill
Notable Bars: “Can't nobody hold me down/Especially not right now/Certain shit is just too wild to reconcile/Take that, take that / No love in they heart so they fake that”
In 2014, rumors circulated that Drake got his shoulder dislocated after getting into a fight with Diddy. The issues stemmed from the beat for Drake’s “0 To 100 / The Catch Up,” which Diddy apparently had first. Diddy eventually claimed that Drake was his favorite artist in various interviews the following year, but Drake didn’t seem to be very receptive to the compliments because his 2016 track “4PM In Calabasas” is all about how the “OGs” can’t stop him.
The song is filled with clever wordplay and subtle shots aimed at the mogul. Drake references Diddy’s “ha ha ha” adlib while using interpolations of Mase’s “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down (Remix).” He also takes shots at Joe Budden, who called him the “golden child” of rap on his podcast. Finally, he discredits Meek Mill’s attempts to reignite their feud. It’s not the craziest diss in Drake’s catalog, or even the best song in the AM/PM series, but it’s taken on a whole new meaning in light of the allegations against Diddy these days.
5) "7AM On Bridle Path"
Year: 2021
Target: Kanye West
Notable Bars: "Told you I'm aimin' straight for the head, not aiming to please/I could give a fuck about who designing your sneakers and tees/Have somebody put you on a Gildan, you play with my seed"
Drake’s AM/PM series often finds him getting introspective, so fans weren't ready for the straight-up onslaught Drizzy had for one of his longtime rivals, Kanye West, on "7AM on Bridle Path."
The song was released after Kanye leaked Drake's Toronto address on Twitter, and Drake proceeded to drag Ye (though he didn’t name him) for his clothing brand, his failed 2020 presidential run, and (mostly) for being past his prime. He also raps, “Why the fuck we peacemakin’ doing’ the explations/If we just gon’ be right back in that bitch without hesitation?” This was a good question because, after a brief peace, Kanye and Drake are on bad terms again. Sigh.
4) "Duppy Freestyle"
Year: 2018
Target: Pusha-T, Kanye West
Notable Bars: "What do you really think of the n***a that's makin' your beats?/I've done things for him I thought that he never would need/Father had to stretch his hands out and get it from me/I pop style for 30 hours then let him repeat”
Drake's feud with Pusha-T and Kanye West took a turn in 2018 when Pusha dropped "Infrared." On that song, Pusha referenced Drake's alleged ghostwriter Quentin Miller, which pushed the 6 God to unleash an excellent response, "Duppy Freestyle."
Drake weaves through soulful production with a stream-of-consciousness flow that features some of his best rapping. He sound annoyed that he has to step off his throne and address people beneath him, saying Pusha had “the nerve” and “audacity” to bother him while throwing in an exasperated sigh. He goes on to criticize the G.O.O.D Music duo for holding their own people back and questions the respect Push has for Kanye. He also raps about writing songs for Kanye—undermining Pusha’s narrative about Drake needing ghostwriters to thrive. He ends the song by saying his beef with Pusha would add at least 20,000 units sold of DAYTONA.
Incredibly, Pusha’s own brother No Malice stated the track was “good for hip-hop” in an interview in 2018. Overall, it's a worthy diss song, but it was overshadowed by “The Story of Adidon,” a haymaker that no one (especially Drake) saw coming.
3) "Stay Schemin'"
Year: 2012
Target: Common
Notable Bars: "Shawty wanna tell me secrets 'bout a rap n***a/I tell that bitch it's more attractive when you hold it down/ Kobe 'bout to lose a hundred fifty Ms/ Kobe my n***a, I hate it had to be him/Bitch, you wasn't with me shootin' in the gym/(Huh! Bitch, you wasn't with me shootin' in the gym)"
Although this is a Rick Ross' song, Drake's feature was explosive enough to make it his own. Common unexpectedly dissed Drake on "Sweet" by calling him out for being a rapper that sang, calling the Toronto artist a "bitch." Drake responded with a verse that had hip-hop purists looking at him through a different lens.
In a fiery verse, Drake claimed that Common avoided him in public and ignited a beef to sell records. One of the more explosive lines alluded to Drake's relationship with Serena Williams, Common’s ex, which helped explain why Common would randomly want a beef with Drake.
Drake's bars also caught the attention of Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, who weren't happy with the 6 God mentioning their then-pending divorce (they eventually reconciled) with "Bitch, you wasn't with me shootin' in the gym." Despite the popularity of the line, Vanessa revealed in 2013 that Drake actually apologized for it. Was J. Cole taking notes?!?
2) "Push Ups (Drop & Give Me Fifty)"
Year: 2024
Targets: Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, Future
Notable Bars: "Metro, shut your ho-ass up and make some drums, n***a!"
Drake fired at Kendrick Lamar and half the rap game on "Push Ups (Drop & Give Me Fifty)." Metro Boomin and Future's We Don't Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You contained several subliminals aimed at Drake, but Kendrick Lamar's feature on "Like That" was a definitive signal that the long-simmering cold war between Drizzy and K. Dot was finally an official battle.
On "Push Ups," Drake responds to everyone who have had something to say about him, both subliminally and directly. Most notably, for the first time in their rivalry, Drake took direct shots at Kendrick and ridiculed his short stature while bringing up his relationship with TDE.
He hits his foes with facts, taking ownership of some of Rick Ross and Future’s biggest chart hits. He reveals juicy gossip about The Weeknd’s manager allegedly blowing money. He clowns Metro Boomin with a simple putdown that was an instant quotable. After the song dropped, Drake posted a pic from Kill Bill on his Instagram, and whether he’ll actually get revenge like The Bride remains to be seen, but win, lose, or draw, he did go head first into a 20 v 1.
1) "Back to Back"
Year: 2015
Target: Meek Mill
Notable Bars: "You love her, then you gotta give the world to her/ Is that a world tour or your girl's tour? I know that you gotta be a thug for her/ This ain't what she meant when she told you to open up more/ Yeah, trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers/ Yeah, you gettin' bodied by a singin' n***a."
If there's one thing Drake's rivals have to deal with, it's his ability to craft hit records even in the midst of beef. Diss tracks aren't known for being mainstream hits, but Drake's "Back to Back" peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the first diss song to be nominated for Best Rap Performance at the Grammys.
Four days after dropping "Charged Up," Drake took a headshot at Meek with "Back to Back," where he obliterated the Philly native for not responding in a timely manner and not wearing the pants in his relationship with Nicki Minaj. His "trigger fingers" putdown was so memorable that it gets brought up to this day every time Meek Mill posts another unhinged tweet or rappers take it to social media instead of the booth.
Drake had a masterful rollout for "Back to Back." He used a still from Game 6 of the 1993 World Series, when the Toronto Blue Jays's Joe Carter smacked a walk-off home run to win the series against the Philadelphia Phillies and become back-to-back champions, as the cover art. Then he performed the song at OVO Fest with memes clowning Meek on stage.
To top it all off, not only did he successfully weather the ghostwriting storm, he released "Hotline Bling"—one of his biggest hits ever—in the midst of the battle. A moment so legendary it's best summarized by Snoop Dogg—who wasn't always the biggest Drake fan—who once declared, "This motherfucker don't miss. In the heat of battle he don't miss."
