The year of the the diss track: Drake releases 'Family Matters' and Kendrick Lamar drops 'meet the grahams'
Diss tracks in hip hop are getting a lot of hype in 2024. Big names like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Megan Thee Stallion are igniting an online frenzy with their lyrical jabs.
The diss track, a crucial tool in hip-hop culture for hashing out rivalries, is having a year.
Many of the biggest names in rap — from Kendrick Lamar and Drake to Megan Thee Stallion — have put out tracks in recent months hurling lyrical jabs at fellow artists, with most sparking an online frenzy to decipher the digs.
On Friday, Lamar and Drake dropped their latest takedowns of each other, with the former releasing “6:16 in LA” and “meet the grahams” and the latter sharing “Family Matters.” The two have exchanged blows for over a month. In total, at least 19 diss tracks have been released this year alone, according to an NBC News tally.
Some music experts said this moment showcases how social media has shaped the way rappers handle beef, and how their fans fuel the drama.
Tia Tyree, a professor of communication studies at Howard University, said diss tracks are instrumental for artists to assert their dominance or claim the top spot in the genre.
Rating: 5