The Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle has been so long – and so massive – that either MC can have the "leg up" on the other at any given point. If you need proof of that, look no further than how their commercial performances are always in competition, and far above the rest of the game.
You may have caught a story yesterday about how Drizzy surpassed 5 billion Spotify streams in 2025, marking him as the first rapper to do so this year and as the most streamed spitter on the platform. Just a day later, K.Dot passed this milestone as well, according to @Kurrco on Twitter.
"luther" Versus "NOKIA"
This is particularly interesting because we can see this tight race manifest in other commercial metrics. For example, the success of "luther" on the Billboard charts has a pretty strong challenger in the form of Drake's solo $ome $exy $ongs 4 U cut "NOKIA," which recently got a music video.
So did the Kendrick Lamar and SZA collab, though, so both songs built up a lot of momentum to try to sustain and even improve their success. As hip-hop media and fans compare the two, neither rival has been able to stop the other's supporters from playing these big hits like wild.
Howver, other comparisons and remarks concerning the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle are not commercial, more nuanced, and decently bipartisan. TDE president Punch, for example, recently had an interview with Curtis King that revealed his true feelings about the 6ix God.
"I'm probably the most unbiased when it comes to this situation," he expressed. "I respect Drake's talent and skill as a songwriter, as an MC. All the success he has. Even conversations I've had with him, he's always been a cool dude. I had to clear this SZA record for him. I don't have no beef or malice towards him. It's that he's battling my guy, so it's up."
Will the tides turn on this rivalry's commercial aspect, and will these hits rise and fall in more volatile and surprising ways? Probably, but it's just as likely that they will change again before we even notice it.
