Kendrick Lamar Is Winning the Beef on the Charts

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Ricardo Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images, Prince Williams/Wireimage

Rap beefs aren’t won by the numbers, but if they were, Kendrick Lamar would beryllium moving distant with this one. The rapper’s “euphoria” debuted astatine No. 11 connected this week’s “Hot 100” — six spots supra the Drake diss way “Push Ups” astatine No. 17. That’s an particularly large accomplishment considering “euphoria” was moving disconnected a shortened week of streams aft being dropped connected a Tuesday, April 30. Sure, these tracks are aged quality successful beef time, but Lamar whitethorn beryllium successful for an adjacent bigger triumph erstwhile his latest, “Not Like Us,” hits the illustration adjacent week. That opus has already breached the single-day American streaming grounds connected Spotify with 6.59 million, beating … Drake, who had antecedently held the rubric for his 2021 Lil Baby collab, “Girls Want Girls.” With numbers similar that, “Not Like Us” could notch a apical spot connected the illustration oregon adjacent a No. 1 debut. And remember, that would beryllium Lamar’s 2nd successful this beef aft the opus that started it all, “Like That,” with Metro Boomin and Future, spent 3 weeks astatine No. 1. Sure, Drake’s “Family Matters” has been putting up numbers this week too, especially connected YouTube, but if “Not Like Us” keeps going like that, it won’t beryllium enough. Rappers whitethorn lie, but the numbers don’t.