Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry took a side in the heated feud between the biggest rappers in the world, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The two have traded subtle verbal jabs over the years, but their rivalry escalated significantly with name-dropping involved this year.
The tension began when Drake and J. Cole released a track titled “First Person Shooter” as part of Drake’s “For All The Dogs” album in October 2023. J. Cole referred to himself, Drake, and Lamar as the “Big 3” of rap. The feud intensified when Lamar responded with a surprise diss in his March 2024 track with Future and Metro Boomin, “Like That,” where he claimed that the “Big 3” label was only “big me,” referring to himself.
J. Cole later released a response diss track but eventually removed it from streaming platforms and withdrew from the feud. From that point, the conflict became a one-on-one battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. It culminated in eight full-length tracks of verbal disses exchanged between the two from April to May 2024.
Stephen Curry Picks A Side In Drake vs Kendrick Lamar Rap Beef
While the feud has cooled down since, with Drake focusing on music with a pop sound, the Golden State Warriors star opened up about the heated rivalry when asked about it during an interview with GQ’s Joseph Bien-Kahn.
“I’m a big Drake guy. I’ve been for a long time. I think obviously you know what it is for the rap industry to have that, but I still rock with Drake. Absolutely. Absolutely.”
Curry expressed his slight annoyance about one of Lamar’s diss tracks against Drake, titled “Not Like Us,” seemingly due to hearing it everywhere. The song played at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi after Team USA’s 105-79 exhibition victory over Serbia on July 17. The 2022 NBA Finals MVP remarked, “It’s not the only song in America.” On the other hand, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James responded by saying he loves the song.
Stephen Curry Mentioned In Kendrick Lamar’s Diss Track vs Drake
The NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers was mentioned in Lamar’s diss track “Meet the Grahams” alongside LeBron James. The 17-time Grammy Award winner urged the two four-time NBA Champions to stay away from the Canadian musician.
“Ayy, LeBron keep the family away. Hey Curry, keep the family away.”
The Compton native made several unflattering accusations against Drake, particularly for his alleged involvement with underage girls and hiding a secret daughter.
Six-Time NBA All-Star Also Involved In Drake vs Kendrick Lamar Battle
James and Curry aren’t the only NBA stars mentioned in the feud. Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan’s departure from the Toronto Raptors in 2019 was referenced in “Not Like Us.” Drake, a Toronto native, served as a global ambassador for the franchise since 2013.
“I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither.”
DeRozan, who is also a Compton native, appeared in the track’s music video during the line. He was onstage alongside Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, another Los Angeles native, during Lamar’s Juneteenth concert for a live performance of the song.
