Adam Sandler’s perfectly delivered Uncut Gems line "that’s history right there, you understand?" has perhaps never felt more relevant on the timeline than it has in recent days, despite the moment, and the modern classic itself, being nearly five years old.
Unless you’ve been living under the most carefully constructed, flabbergastingly impenetrable rock imaginable, you’ve likely been deeply invested, one way or another, in the oft-shocking, exponentially diabolical battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. While the beef itself has its roots in "First Person Shooter," released back in October, things didn’t truly ratchet up to Sandler meme levels until the past few weeks.
The focus, of course, has been on the slew of claims Drake and Kendrick have hurled at each other on wax. But atop whose production have these claims been delivered? Below, we take a look at who's behind the boards on all the main 2024 rap war diss cuts released so far. As you'll see, there's a good bit of carefully orchestrated Wait, Didn't That Guy Also Produce for the Other Guy? going on.
"First Person Shooter"
Produced by: Vinylz, Boi-1da, OZ, Tay Keith, Coleman, FNZ
It feels like eons ago that eventual tour partners Drake and J. Cole's Big 3-positing "First Person Shooter" arrived, but its impact has been a sustaining one. In fact, fans later speculated that Kendrick had been asked to appear on the track, which leads us to...
"Like That"
Produced by: Metro Boomin
Kendrick's verse on this Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash took the world by surprise in March. In it, Dot disputes any "Big 3" talk by arguing that it's instead "Big Me."
"7 Minute Drill"
Produced by: T-Minus, Conductor Williams, Al Hug, Elyas
As the only song in this extended series of back-and-forths to be followed by a very public apology, Cole's (ultimately scrubbed) "7 Minute Drill" is quite the outlier here. But as Drake and Kendrick's eventual one-on-one started to truly heat up, some listeners reconsidered their initial mockery of Cole and his apology. Perhaps the path to peace was the best move for Cole after all.
"Push Ups"
Produced by: Boi-1da, Fierce, Coleman, Noel Cadastre
After an extended period of speculation and pre-response hype, the 6 God finally delivered with "Push Ups." Notably, there are several differences between the leaked version of the song and the one Drake later put on streaming.
"Taylor Made Freestyle"
Produced by: Boi-1da, Arthur McArthur, Blank, Cujo Marlo
A.I.-enabled emulations of 2Pac and Snoop made appearances on this one, which Drake later removed following reported threats of legal action from 2Pac's estate. Here's what it sounds like without the A.I. shenanigans.
"euphoria"
Produced by: Sounwave, Cardo, Kyro, Johnny Juliano, Yung Exclusive
As explosive as "euphoria" felt the day it dropped, it seems decidedly mild when compared with what came after. Still, fans were given a tease of what was to come with Kendrick declaring himself "the biggest hater" and referencing Drizzy's approach during his past beef with Meek Mill.
"6:16 in LA"
Produced by: Sounwave, Jack Antonoff
Kendrick back-to-backed Drake with a song that borrowed a title style from the For All the Dogs artist's timestamp series while pushing the theory that there's a mole in the OVO camp.
"Family Matters"
Produced by: Boi-1da, Tay Keith, Fierce, Mark Ronson, Kevin Mitchell
Drake went all out with "Family Matters," notably accusing Kendrick of abusing his fiancée and visually (not to mention destructively) referencing the good kid, m.A.A.d city cover.
"meet the grahams"
Produced by: The Alchemist
From the very first words of "meet the grahams," which arrived shockingly soon after Drake's "Family Matters," it's clear Kendrick is again ratcheting up the tension, this time throwing out accusations of, among other things, another hidden child and mentions of unsubstantiated sex crimes.
"Not Like Us"
Produced by: Mustard
Here, Kendrick continues to dig into the claims of the family-addressing "meet the grahams" while adding in new ones, including one involving Drake and Lil Wayne's girlfriend.
"The Heart Part 6"
Produced by: Boi-1da, SMPLGTWY, Colxmxn, EBANKS
Theories have swirled about alleged moles, perhaps on both sides. In "The Heart Part 6," which, like Kendrick's timestamp series-borrowing "6:16 in LA," sees Drake co-opting a song series associated with his nemesis, it's claimed that any info Kendrick may or may not have received from any alleged mole was intentionally planted. In short, Drake is arguing that Kendrick received bad info by design.
