Toronto police have said a security guard was shot on Tuesday (May 7) outside the home of Canadian rapper Drake.
The security guard, who was standing at the front gate when the attacker opened fire, remains in the hospital in "serious condition." No suspects have been identified yet, and the motive remains unclear.
During a press conference at the scene, the police revealed that the man suffered a gunshot wound in the upper chest at 2:09 AM local time and shared that the incident was a drive-by attack. It remains unclear if Drake was at home when the incident occurred.
Highlights
- A security guard was shot outside Drake's home amidst his feud with Kendrick Lamar.
- Drake and Kendrick Lamar released eight diss tracks against each other in less than a month.
- The feud includes strong accusations of infidelity, ghostwriting, and pedophilia.
When asked whether the attack had any connections to the ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar, officers reiterated that it was "too early" to confirm a motive and refused to comment further on the matter. Furthermore, they mentioned that Drake's team is cooperating with the investigation.
Kendrick had used a photo of the Toronto mansion as cover art for his diss track Not Like Us. The image is a Google Maps picture of Drake's house covered in red map pins, suggesting sex offenders live there.
If you've been on the internet these past few weeks, you've likely heard about Drake and Kendrick Lamar's bitter rap feud.
Image credits: Kendrick Lamar
As it turns out, the two heavyweight rappers used to collaborate frequently on their songs. In November 2011, Drake invited Kendrick for a song titled Buried Alive Interlude on the artist's second album, Take Care. At the time, Kendrick, who is now regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, had just released his debut album, Section 80.
The following year, Kendrick was the opening act for Drake's Club Paradise Tour along with A$AP Rocky. The 36-year-old rapper also featured Drake on the track Poetic Justice from his second album, Good Kid, MAAD City.
In 2013, things started to escalate after Kendrick took shots at several rappers, including J. Cole and A$AP Rocky, in the song Control from Big Sean's album Hall of Fame.
However, Drake made it clear at the time that he didn't feel targeted by the song. "I know good and well that he's not murdering me at all, on any platform. So when that day presents itself, I guess we can revisit the topic," the Canadian rapper said.
The same year, the Compton, California, artist seemingly referenced Drake during the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher, suggesting that the rapper wasn't as unbothered by the song as he seemed.
Drake ultimately responded to the 17-time Grammy winner in 2015 with the track Used To before Kendrick fired shots on his album To Pimp a Butterfly, accusing Drake of using a ghostwriter for his music during King Kunta.
A feud between the two heavyweight rappers has been simmering for years, but tensions escalated in March after Kedrick took direct aim at Drake in the song Like That
Image credits: Kendrick Lamar
More recently, in 2023, Drake and J. Cole collaborated on the song First Person Shooter from the Canadian rapper's eighth album, For All the Dogs. On the track, J. Cole references "the Big Three" that "started the league." Namely, Drake, Kendrick, and himself.
Kendrick wasn't on board with the idea of sharing the podium. In March 2024, the feud became incendiary, with the rappers trading their subtle references for more direct jabs. In the song Like That, Kendrick rapped, "Motherf*ck the Big Three, n*gga, it's just big me."
He also compared himself and Drake to Prince and Michael Jackson, respectively, saying, "Prince outlived Mike Jack."
In the track, Kendrick compared himself and Drake to Prince and Michael Jackson, respectively, saying, "Prince outlived Mike Jack"
Image credits: Drake
The following month, Drake released two diss tracks: Push Ups and Taylor Made Freestyle.
In Push Ups, the 37-year-old musician continued with the "Big Three" theme, naming other artists he considered superior to Kendrick. "You ain't in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down."
He also rapped, "I'm at the top of the mountain, so you tight now / Just to have this talk with yo' a**, I had to hike down / Big difference between Mike then and Mike now."
Meanwhile, in Taylor Made Freestyle, the Toronto, Ontario, star accused Kendrick of not responding to his previous diss track because he didn't want to interfere with the release of Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department.
The song features the AI-generated voices of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, two of Kendrick's idols. (It has since been taken down due to a cease and desist from Tupac's estate, Vulture reports.)
In the next diss tracks, he referred to Drake as a "pedophile" and referenced the Canadian rapper's alleged inappropriate relationship with Millie Bobby Brown
Image credits: Drake
But the most talked-about diss track of the saga is arguably Euphoria, released by Kendrick on April 30. In the track, named after the famous HBO series produced by Drake, the Compton artist brings up the rumors of Drake's plastic surgery ("Didn't tell 'em where you get your abs from") and criticizes his rap skills ("You not a rap artist, you a scam artist with the hopes of bеing accepted").
Additionally, he accuses Drake of being an absent father, rapping, "I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin' 'bout that." Drake is the father of a son named Adonis, who was born in 2017 to French painter and former model Sophie Brussaux.
Just two days later, Kendrick released another diss track, 6:16 in LA, produced by Taylor Swift's frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff. In the song, he claims to have operatives inside Drake's record label, OVO.
Meanwhile, Drake made accusations of infidelity directed at Kendrick's relationship with his fiancé, Whitney Alford
Image credits: Soundcloud
Drake responded on May 3 with an eight-minute diss track titled Family Matters, in which he suggests that Kendrick's child was actually fathered by his manager, Dave Free. He also makes accusations of infidelity directed at Kendrick's relationship with his fiancé, Whitney Alford.
Kendrick didn't take long to respond. Hours later, he released Meet the Grahams, which continues the theme of family relationships, making it clear, once again, that the discussion has extended beyond proving who's the biggest name in the rap industry.
In the song, he claims that Drake has another daughter who he's been keeping secret from the public. Drake responded to the explosive accusation via an Instagram story, writing, "Nahhhh hold on, can someone find my hidden daughter pls and send her to me…these guys are in shambles."
Kendrick doubled down on the accusations in Not Like Us, a four-minute track released less than a day after Meet the Grahams. There, he refers to Drake as a "pedophile" and says the rapper "likes them young."
The song contains lyrics like "Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young / You better not ever go to cell block one" and "Tryna strike a chord, and it's probably A-minor."
Image credits: iam_kjmiller
Drakes denied the allegations of being involved with a minor in The Heart Part 6. "I've never been with no one underage but now I understand why this the angle that you really mess with / Just for clarity, I feel disgusted, I'm too respected," he raps.
He then adds, "If I was f***ing young girls, I promise I'd a been arrested / I'm way too famous for this sh*t you just suggested."
Also in the song, Drake says, "Only f***kin' with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns, I'd never look twice at no teenager." The verse is a reference to his alleged inappropriate relationship with Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown when she was underage. In 2018, the British star revealed that Drake and her would text each other when she was 14 years old.
“I love him. I met him in Australia and he’s honestly so fantastic and a great friend,” Millie said at the time. “We just texted each other the other day, and he was like, ‘I miss you so much.’”
Following Kendrick's accusation, a video resurfaced on social media that showed Drake bringing a 17-year-old girl onstage and dancing with her while kissing her neck during a Colorado show in 2010.
Following Kendrick's accusations, a resurfaced clip of Drake kissing a 17-year-old concert-goer sparked outrage online
In The Heart Part 6, Drake laughs off the accusation of having a secret daughter, saying the rumor had been deliberately planted by his own team and that Kendrick took the bait.
"You gotta learn to fact-check things and be less impatient," the Hotline Bling singer raps.
A track-by-track timeline of the rappers' feud
“Like That,” by Future, Metro Boomin, and Kendrick Lamar (March 22, 2024)
The song that ignited the conflict. In it, Kendrick dismissed the idea that he’s in a “Big Three” with Drake and J. Cole, rapping, “It’s just big me.”
“Push Ups,” by Drake (April 13, 2024)
The first official diss track of the saga. The song mentioned other artists Drake considered superior to Kendrick. “You ain’t in no Big Three, SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down."
“Taylor Made Freestyle,” by Drake (April 19, 2024)
The song features the AI-generated voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg, two of Kendrick’s idols. In Taylor Made Freestyle, Drake accused Kendrick of not responding to his previous diss track because he didn’t want to interfere with the release of Taylor Swift’s new album.
“Euphoria,” by Kendrick Lamar (April 30, 2024)
Kendrick brings up the rumors of Drake’s plastic surgery, criticizes his rap skills, and accuses him of being an absent father, rapping, “I got a son to raise, but I can see you know nothin’ ’bout that.”
“6:16 in LA,” by Kendrick Lamar (May 3, 2024)
In the song—produced by Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift’s frequent collaborator—the Compton rapper claims to have operatives inside Drake’s record label, OVO.
“Family Matters,” by Drake (May 3, 2024)
In the eight-minute diss track, Drake suggests that Kendrick’s child was actually fathered by his manager, Dave Free. He also makes accusations of infidelity directed at Kendrick’s relationship with his fiancé.
“Meet the Grahams,” by Kendrick Lamar (May 4, 2024)
Kendrick claims that Drake has another daughter who he’s been keeping secret from the public.
“Not Like Us,” by Kendrick Lamar (May 4, 2024)
Released less than a day after Meet the Grahams. In the track, Kendrick doubled down on the accusations, referring to Drake as a “pedophile” and saying the rapper “likes them young.”
“The Heart Part 6,” by Drake (May 5, 2024)
Drake denied the allegations of being involved with a minor and references his alleged inappropriate relationship with Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown when she was underage. “Only f***kin’ with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns, I’d never look twice at no teenager,” he raps.
While it's not certain whether Kendrick will fire back with yet another diss track, the beef between two of the most acclaimed rappers of their generation doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
People had mixed reactions to the rappers' strong claims
