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A Brief History of Taylor Swift’s Relationship With Kendrick Lamar and Drake

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On this coming Super Bowl Sunday, while some folks are eagerly anticipating the football match, others are looking forward to catching the commercials, and yet more are simply tuning in to find out what’s new with Taylor Swift.

Apart from rooting for her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs in their attempt to achieve a historic three-peat against the Philadelphia Eagles led by Jalen Hurts, she will also have an opportunity to witness Kendrick Lamar‘s highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show. There is speculation that he might perform his controversial song “Not Like Us,” which features lyrics perceived as dissing Drake, although its legality remains uncertain.

Why might Lamar’s performance schedule be relevant to Swift? That’s because a week ago, she became viral for rejoicing over the Record of the Year win (one of many new awards) at this year’s Grammys. It wasn’t unexpected to see Swift rooting for Lamar; after all, she has been a long-time fan of the rapper, having collaborated with him on the 2015 remix of her song “Bad Blood” from the album 1989. However, it’s also worth noting that she is friends with Drake, who is the subject of the song’s animosity. Truly, these are the complications of success.

To gain a clearer perspective on Swift’s involvement in the ongoing Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud, which ignited in March 2024 following Lamar’s remarks about Drake on Future’s “Like That,” let’s delve deeper into her ties with these two prominent hip-hop artists. It’s safe to say that Swift (and her song “Bad Blood”) are likely to remain significant figures in this unfolding story for some time.

May 2015: Taylor Swift releases “Bad Blood” remix featuring Kendrick Lamar

In May 2015, Taylor Swift invited Kendrick Lamar to feature in the remix of her song “Bad Blood,” which was said to be a response to Katy Perry. This collaboration wasn’t unexpected for those who had been closely following their interactions. For quite some time, both artists had been openly expressing their mutual admiration towards each other in public.

The celebration of mutual admiration kicked off as Taylor Swift performed a lively rendition of Kendrick Lamar’s 2014 Grammy performance of “m.A.A.d. city,” featuring Imagine Dragons. A few months down the line, she shared with Rolling Stone that her favorite tune was Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle.” She boasted about knowing every word, a claim she would validate the following year when she posted a video of herself mimicking the lyrics to the song.

In response, Lamar often expressed his admiration for her devotion to her work and particularly enjoyed the track “Shake It Off.” He even went as far as improvising rap verses on top of the popular song from the album “1989.

In a sense, Lamar and Swift’s initial collaboration seeming like a precursor to a diss track now appears prophetic, but at the time, Lamar himself wasn’t aware of the song’s hidden implications. Two years post the release of “Bad Blood,” Rolling Stone inquired if Lamar’s participation on the track indicated he had chosen a side in the Swift-Perry feud. “No, I wasn’t aware of that, man. That’s an interesting question. No! On the recording, no,” he responded. “Which makes it all the more amusing now, absolutely. That’s way beyond my ken. I must steer clear of that, certainly. That’s some serious beef.

October 2016: Drake and Taylor Swift hard launch their friendship

Three years following our encounter at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, I, a cinephile captivated by the world of music, found myself officially acknowledging my friendship with Drake on Instagram. Fast forward to 2016, I shared a photo of us from his glitzy 30th birthday bash, an event graced by stars like Katy Perry, once Swift’s friend-turned-adversary-turned-friend again, and John Mayer, who had been the muse for her 2010 hit “Dear John.

From behind, the picture of the duo sparked curiosity about its hidden message. Was it a collaborative music project? Or were the whispers of their romantic involvement genuine? In reality, neither was true. It appears that Drake unveiled his friendship with Swift prematurely to generate buzz for an Apple commercial, where he sang “Bad Blood” in sync.

November 2016: Drake & Taylor Swift work out to each other’s music

The unique musical partnership between Drake and Taylor Swift was showcased in two Apple Music advertisements back in 2016. In April of that year, Taylor released an ad where she’s running on a treadmill, rapping to the beat of Drake and Future’s “Jumpman,” a popular track from 2015. However, the song proves so catchy that she trips during a verse, but remarkably, she doesn’t miss a beat, just as you’d expect from the singer who brought us “I Can Do it With a Broken Heart.

Seven months have passed and Drake reciprocated by featuring in his own Apple Music advertisement. In this ad, he mimed to what we can presume was a Kendrick Lamar-absent version of “Bad Blood”. Similar to Swift, he became so engrossed in the song that he suffered an epic gym mishap, toppling off the bench press.

August 2019: Taylor Swift name-drops Drake on “I Forgot That You Existed”

In the opening tune of her 2019 album “Lover,” a track seemingly directed at my ex, Calvin Harris, Taylor Swift sings, “I found it hard to break free from you, more so than Drake, indeed.” That same year, I graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly adorned with a Drake badge, expressing on my Tumblr that I wished to represent as many things and people I hold dear on the jacket, which also showcased shout-outs to my bestie Selena Gomez, Friends, and Sally Rooney. When probed about what I admired most in Drake, I confessed to Entertainment Weekly, “I’m smitten by his witty one-liners.

I’m grateful for this fantastic experience at EW – it was a pleasure conversing with Alex J Suskind, who I had the opportunity to interview! I wanted to express my admiration for both the experience and him on the cover. Additionally, there were many other aspects of the interview that I enjoyed. 💗

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 9, 2019

April 2022: Drake hints at a possible Taylor Swift collaboration 

In the year 2022, Drake shared an old picture with Taylor Swift. His caption was “They’re too oblivious to grasp the essence of hard work.” Fans soon realized that the photo was taken in 2016, fueling speculation that they had collaborated on a song during the time between the releases of her albums 1989 and Reputation. Many Swift fans anticipate that this potential collaboration might appear on an upcoming re-release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version), though no release date has been set, even as hints suggest it could be coming soon.

Reputation (taylor’s version) feat drake just saying.

— Meryy🎀 (@Mariaafrguez) April 19, 2022

October 2023: Taylor Swift thanks Kendrick Lamar for re-recording “Bad Blood” verse

In October 2023, when Swift unveiled the deluxe edition of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), it contained a fresh rendition of “Bad Blood (Remix)” featuring Kendrick Lamar. Expressing her feelings on Instagram, Taylor stated, “The fact that Kendrick took time to re-record ‘Bad Blood’ for me to regain control over this work I am incredibly proud of feels both unreal and mind-boggling.

In that very post, she described watching Lamar in a studio over a decade ago as “one of the most inspiring moments of my existence,” explaining, “I continue to reflect on this collaboration with immense pride and appreciation, acknowledging how Kendrick enhanced the track and his kindness towards everyone around him.

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

April 2024: Drake dedicates Kendrick Lamar diss track to Taylor Swift

In simpler terms, on his second diss track aimed at Kendrick Lamar, titled “Taylor Made Freestyle” (with AI assistance), Drake acknowledged Taylor Swift, referring to her as the “most formidable player in the music industry at present.

In the realm of music, I find myself reviewing “On the Track,” which hit the screens in April 2024. Here’s an interesting twist: Drake claims that Lamar intentionally delayed his response to Drake’s initial diss track, “Push Ups.” The reason? It seems Lamar didn’t want to clash with Taylor Swift’s then-recently released album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Interestingly, Drake himself admitted on the track “Red Button” from the 2023’s “For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition,” that only Taylor Swift could make him postpone his album release slightly, for fear he might miss out on those precious streams.

On the track “Push Ups,” Drake made a jab at Kendrick Lamar by rapping, “Maroon 5 needs a clever verse, then we need one for Swift’s fans.” This wasn’t the first time Swift found herself in the middle of their feud. Additionally, Lamar responded to Drake’s “Taylor Made Freestyle” with a track titled “6:16 in LA,” which was produced by one of Swift’s collaborators, Jack Antonoff. This wasn’t the only time they took shots at each other either.

February 2025: Taylor Swift dances to “Not Like Us,” the internet goes crazy

During this year’s Grammy Awards, when Kendrick Lamar received Record of the Year for “Not Like Us,” Taylor Swift seemed to endorse his win by dancing and singing along to the song. With five trophies taken that night, it appeared Taylor, who went home without an award, was more than content to celebrate Kendrick’s triumph – despite her friend Drake potentially losing out. Naturally, social media buzzed about this interaction, but we won’t hold our breath for a comment from Taylor on the subject. As they say, actions often speak louder than words.

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2025-02-09 17:07

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