Drake Addresses "Rap Beef" On New Album Less Than A Week After Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show: "We Dropping Harder"

After the Super Bowl, Drake has finally responded to Kendrick Lamar. At the height of the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef, the hip-hop world was quick to give K-Dot the victory after the astronomical success of "Not Like Us." Even with the W in his column, Lamar performing the record at the Super Bowl Halfitme Show confirmed beyond all doubt who won.

With Kendrick Lamar dropping the death knell in his feud with Drake, no one expected the Canadian import to respond (with such an obvious loss, no response was needed as far as anyone else was concerned). Still, though, Drake finds a way to respond through his new album with PartyNextDoor, called $ome $exy $ongs 4 U.

While the title may suggest a bevy of love songs, Drake still leaves room to remind everyone that there is still no love lost between himself and his rival.

Drake's New Album Explained

$exy $ongs 4 U by Drake and PartyNextDoor, released February 14, 2025

$ome $exy $ongs 4 U marks Drake's ninth studio album and PartyNextDoor's fifth. The OVO Sound labelmates have frequently collaborated on songs together—most notably "Recognize," "Come and See Me," and "Loyal"—but this marks the first time the two have dropped a collab album together. At under 74 minutes, the album sports 21 tracks supported almost exclusively by the duo, save for two features from Yebba and Chino Pacas. Originally, the album was set for a late 2024 release, but after numerous delays, the pairing settled on an oddly fitting Valentine's Day release.

Even before addressing Kendrick Lamar on the album, Drake and co. sparked controversy following accusations of stealing ideas from a fellow rap artist, Freddie Gibbs, and his 2022 album $ouls $old $eparately, mainly in relation to the dollar signs in the title as well as both featuring rabbit-themed art on the back cover. The controversy with Freddie Gibbs, incidentally, proved to be the perfect gateway in how Drake addresses the idea of rap beef in general on the album, his feud with Kendrick notwithstanding.

Drake's New Album is Full of Rap Beef References

Analyzing Drake's Verses on "Gimme a Hug"

For the 10th song on the new album, Drake takes center stage and flies solo, sending PartyNextDoor to the sidelines so that he can address his critics alone, personally. The track is called "GIMME A HUG," and on it, Drake addresses not only his feud with Lamar, but the industry itself. Rather than solely address the man who created a Grammy-winning diss (and then danced on Drake's proverbial grave by bringing Drake's ex Serena Williams to the Super Bowl Halftime Show to witness), Drake takes shots at any and every person who could be praying for his downfall. The second verse goes as follows:

They be dropping s*** but we dropping harder s***

F*** a rap beef, I'm tryna get the party lit

Tryna get the party lit for the b****es

Despite whatever Ls that Drake has suffered in his feud with Kendrick Lamar, he's quick to dismiss it entirely by saying that he's not worried about the beef or how his image has been hurt because of it and allegations stemming from songs like "Not Like Us." He'd rather focus on partying and making sure the party is hype for the (likely female) suitors. In fact, this whole album and its title feels like a statement to that narrative. His beef with Kendrick Lamar began on Drake's last album, For All the Dogs, where he and J. Cole address Kendrick directly on "First Person Shooter."

Some would assume or even expect Drake's next album would address how the beef has escalated in the time since For All the Dogs. Instead, he released an album full of club records, party songs, and songs made for lovers (or, bare minimum, for women he hopes to party with, so to speak). This isn't the first time he's dismissed a rap beef, as after Pusha T exposed that Drake was "hiding a child" on "The Story of Adidon," Drake responded on the Future collaborative song "Life is Good" with one simple line: "N***** caught me slippin' once, okay, so what?"

Was this the Right Approach for Drake to Respond?

Fans May Not Be Quick to Accept Such a Blatant Dismissal

To Drake's credit, the critically acclaimed "Life is Good" was a hit party song. His fanbase was quick to shrug off Drake losing the rap beef to Pusha T (and the reveal of him raising a son named Adonis in secret) because the music was hot, popping, and it got the party lit. Times have changed since then, especially when the allegations are far more serious. It's hard to say if fans will be so willing to accept another nonchalant "So what?" approach to responding to beef from Drake.

This isn't just a case of Drake supposedly hiding a child. Kendrick Lamar's songs like "Not Like Us" contain far more egregious allegations suggesting Drake's fondness for "A-Minor," something that's been enough to turn away some of Drake's most devoted fans. Even beyond what has been alleged, the difference with "Life is Good" is that the music was critically acclaimed, whereas his new album has not been. $exy $ongs 4 Uhas been critically panned, so fans who justified listening to his music previously struggle to do so now if the music isn't good.

Furthermore, die-hard rap fans lost respect for Drake when he filed a lawsuit against UMG for releasing "Not Like Us." That's something else he seems to address on "Gimme a Hug," alluding to "using you for promotion, truer words had never been spoken." Again, Drake takes a nonchalant approach, but it's too little, too late. When musicians feud, audiences just want to hear good music from both parties. Seeing Drake respond with a lawsuit soured the moment and rap loyalists lost respect for him. This might have been a misstep in addressing Kendrick Lamar, one that continues to cost Drake his fans.