Proving that the pen is mightier than the sword, Kendrick Lamar has offered scathing takedown of his longtime nemesis Drake in the lyrics of his new diss track, “Euphoria.”
The new song comes in response to Drake’s recent musical takedown of Lamar, titled “Taylor Made Freestyle” and released on social media (then promptly removed at the behest of 2Pac’s estate).
“Euphoria” addresses all the factors that have played a role in the long-running feud between Drake and Lamar (somewhere out there, Ryan Murphy is taking notes), and marks the second Drake diss track to be released by Lamar in recent months, following on from his verse on the Metro Boomin’ and Future song “Like That” in March.
Given his status as a wordsmith, it can be tricky to decipher Lamar’s lyrics, but we’re giving it a red hot crack with “Euphoria.”
Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics on “Euphoria”, explained.
Kendrick Lamar’s new song “Euphoria” arrives in direct response to “Taylor Made Freestyle,” the diss track released by Drake last week. On that song, Drake goads Lamar into responding, saying his tone on “Like That” sounds “removed,” and questioning why Lamar hadn’t yet been in the studio to craft a response track. Needless to say, Lamar has gotten in the booth, offering a six-minute response in the form of “Euphoria.”
The title of the song might be in reference to the HBO, Zendaya-starring series of the same name, which Drake is a producer of. Lamar has his sights set on dressing Drake down from the outset, saying the “famous actor we once knew is lookin’ paranoid and now is spiralling.” To come for Drake’s acting credits is one thing (we cannot stand for Degrassi slander), but Lamar goes on to rattle off a laundry list of insults, describing Drake, among other things, as a “degenerate”, “distasteful”, “a b***h”, “liar” and a “master manipulator.”
It’s when the beat switches on “Euphoria” that Lamar really begins unloading. He says Drake — by using AI renderings of 2Pacs voice on “Taylor Made Freestyle” — made “Pac turn in his grave.” Lamar later revels in his hater status, telling Drake: “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress.”
There’s a lot of ground to cover in six minutes, and Lamar fires off a host of greivancnes against Drake including, but not limited to, his rejection of a collaboration with Drake, echoing claims that Drake uses ghostwriters for his lyrics, the belief that Drake “doesn’t like women,” and that Drake is a cultural appropriator.
Oh, he also fired shots at Drake’s skills as a father, his racial identity, his supposed cosmetic surgery, and called him “pathetic” and a “scam artist.” Yikes.
While “Euphoria” — with its expansive runtime and no holds barred lyrics — might be enough to put the Lamar and Drake feud to bed, we think it won’t be long before the latter rapper response, and another explainer will be needed.
