Kendrick Lamar and Drake is a battle that will never end. It's difficult to recall a time when these two weren't positioned as the yin and yang of the hip hop universe. Drake has proven that he can take L's and still dominate charts, but 2025 continues to be, by and large, the Kendrick Lamar show. The rapper took the world by storm with Grammy wins and a Super Bowl Halftime performance. Now, Dot is proving his commercial muscle by outselling Drake's latest release on Billboard.
GNX reclaimed the number one spot on the Billboard 200 this week. The album, which dropped back in November, sold a whopping 90.5K units. Kendrick Lamar's 2024 release managed to outsell Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR's $OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U, which dropped on Valentine's Day 2025. To make things even more frustrating for OVO fans, the collab album came in second place. $$$4U sold a sold 90K this week, meaning it fell short of GNX by only 500 units. A heartbreaking reversal of the stats from the week before. Drake and PND's R&B-centric album managed to peak at number two on Billboard 200 on March 2, while GNX slid down to three.
Kendrick Lamar Sales Vs. Drake
The Billboard stats also favor Kendrick Lamar from a singles perspective. Drake's "Nokia" may be taking social media by storm, but it currently sits at number 11 on Billboard Hot 100. Lamar, meanwhile, has the number one spot with "Luther." The Compton rapper also claimed numbers three, four and ten with "Not Like Us," "TV Off" and "Squabble Up." Drake's numbers are still wildly impressive, but Dot outperforming him has led to speculation that UMG is purposely stifling the chart success of $OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U due to Drake's lawsuit.
DJ Akademiks proposed this theory as early as February 28. "So I think that 'Nokia' song, I think this is going to be a top 5 song," the streamer predicted. "If this song don't go top 5, that's UMG." Ak claimed that there would be "further conversations" to have if "Nokia" failed to crack the top 5, and the song has peaked at number 10. Expect further conversations. Like we said at the onset, Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar comparisons are never going to stop. That said, Drizzy is already looking forward to the next chapter of his career. He teased a solo album mere hours before the Billboard data came out.
