Kendrick Lamar Appears To Diss Drake On New SZA Song "30 For 30"

BYElias Andrews2.2K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 1
INDIO, CA - APRIL 13: (EDITORS NOTE: This image contains profanity.) SZA (L) and Kendrick Lamar perform onstage during the 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 13, 2018 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella)
Are we heating up for round two?

Kendrick Lamar and SZA have been a dynamic duo over the past few months. SZA had two standout appearances on Lamar's album, GNX. They announced plans for a Grand National co-headlining tour in 2025. Now, Lamar has returned the favor and dropped a guest verse on SZA's LANA (SOS Deluxe). It's the lone feature on album, and sure enough, it has some subliminal disses packed into it. Lamar appears to go at someone SZA is friendly with, and all signs point to the target being Drake (again).

Kendrick Lamar's verse appears on the song "30 for 30." The rapper makes fun of someone SZA is close with, asserting they are more feminine than she is. "You f*ckin' with n**gas that's thinkin' they cuter than you," Lamar spits. "Say you on your cycle but he on his period too." Drake was romantically involved with SZA at one point. The two also worked together on two huge singles in 2023, "Slime You Out" and "Rich Baby Daddy." Drake went as far as to claim that SZA had Kendrick Lamar "wiped down" on his scathing Lamar diss "Push Ups." Obviously, SZA has decided to back her former TDE brother in the battle.

Kendrick Lamar And SZA Repurposed A Drake Song Title

There are other Kendrick Lamar bars littered throughout "30 for 30" that could be aimed at Drake. He claims his unnamed target is tender by rapping: "the tenderness of 'em, mistaking 'em for some waygu." Then there's the bar: "the tables been turnin' so much, I was thinkin' its foosball." Another stray that is very easy to apply to Drake, given that many have claimed Lamar has usurped him in popularity. Then there's the title of the song. "30 for 30" is, famously, the name of a Drake song from 2015. Granted, he added the word "freestyle" to his song, but this does not seem like a coincidence.

Kendrick Lamar's added subliminals make sense, assuming they are aimed at Drake. The 6 God has launched a legal case against UMG and Spotify over the success of Lamar's "Not Like Us." Drake claims that the streaming numbers for Lamar's biggest hit were "artificially inflated." It doesn't take a close look to infer who Lamar's bars about being "cute" and tender could be aimed at.

About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.
...