section_path: History/2015–2022: Sneak disses
section_name: 2015–2022: Sneak disses
paragraph_text: 2015–2022: Sneak disses
  
  Despite Drake and Lamar's prior dismissals, their feud continued in the form of sneak disses (intentionally subtle diss lyrics) Billboard identified as "subtle shots fired from both sides, but nothing groundbreaking". Marc Griffin, writing a timeline of the feud for Vibe in 2024, referred to this time as "the Cold War between the two men".
  
  In a list of potential sneak disses on Drake's February 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late, Brandon Caldwell for Billboard claimed "Used To" and the bonus track "6PM in New York" contained lines targeting Lamar. On March 15, 2015, Lamar released his third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The album's third single, " King Kunta ", received little attention in the context of Drake and Lamar's feud until after Meek Mill accused Drake of using ghostwriters on Twitter. After the accusations became public, the lines "A rapper with a ghostwriter? What the fuck happened? / I swore I wouldn't tell / But most of y'all sharing bars like you got the bottom bunk in a two-man cell" from "King Kunta" were retrospectively interpreted by multiple outlets as subliminal Drake disses from Lamar. The songs "Darkside / Gone" and "Deep Water" from Dr. Dre 's August 2015 studio album Compton also both featured Lamar verses with lines interpreted as Drake disses.
  
  On January 15, 2016, President Barack Obama sat down for a series of interviews conducted by YouTube influencers. In one such interview, Adande " Swoozie " Thorne asked if Obama thought Drake or Lamar would win in a rap battle. Obama responded: "Got to go with Kendrick. I think Drake is an outstanding entertainer. But Kendrick — his lyrics, his last album was outstanding. Best album, I think, last year." Fifteen days later, Drake released " Summer Sixteen ", dissing Obama and rapping: "Tell Obama that my verses are just like the whips that he in / They bulletproof". Vibe ' s Iyana Robertson said the ensuing conversation "... reignited a debate that has been going on since the conception of respective careers". During a June 2016 airing of ESPN 's Max and Marcellus, sportscaster Marcellus Wiley claimed there was a destroyed SportsNation interview on ESPN of either Drake or Lamar dissing the other in a way that would have "ignited to proportions we have not seen since Ja Rule / 50, maybe even Ice Cube / N.W.A." In an August 2016 interview for VladTV, Wiley stated that the alleged SportsNation interview was destroyed because the inciting rapper's team intervened. On May 8, 2024, Wiley stated in his YouTube show Hydration Situation that the interview took place in 2014, with Drake as the inciting party. Wiley claimed that Drake said he was better than Lamar, which he perceived as jealousy. He also accused Drake of personally intimidating ESPN into deleting the interview.
  
  On March 23, 2017, Lamar released " The Heart Part 4 ", popularly perceived as a diss track towards Big Sean or Drake. Lamar would later explicitly reference lines from "The Heart Part 4" in his 2024 Drake diss track " Euphoria ", seemingly confirming the perception of the former track as a Drake diss.
  
  In May 2022, Lamar released his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. The fifth song on the album, "Father Time" (featuring Sampha), included a verse from Lamar which referenced Kanye West and Drake's brief peace during their respective feud: "When Kanye got back with Drake, I was slightly confused / Guess I'm not mature as I think, got some healin' to do". The lines were reported by some outlets as possible disses toward Drake and West, though they were also interpreted as Lamar expressing surprise at Drake and West's reconciliation. In September 2021, Joe Budden alleged Lamar dissed Drake on the song " Family Ties ", released the month prior by Baby Keem and Lamar.
  
  Despite Drake and Lamar's prior dismissals, their feud continued in the form of sneak disses (intentionally subtle diss lyrics) Billboard identified as "subtle shots fired from both sides, but nothing groundbreaking". Marc Griffin, writing a timeline of the feud for Vibe in 2024, referred to this time as "the Cold War between the two men".
  
  In a list of potential sneak disses on Drake's February 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late, Brandon Caldwell for Billboard claimed "Used To" and the bonus track "6PM in New York" contained lines targeting Lamar. On March 15, 2015, Lamar released his third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The album's third single, " King Kunta ", received little attention in the context of Drake and Lamar's feud until after Meek Mill accused Drake of using ghostwriters on Twitter. After the accusations became public, the lines "A rapper with a ghostwriter? What the fuck happened? / I swore I wouldn't tell / But most of y'all sharing bars like you got the bottom bunk in a two-man cell" from "King Kunta" were retrospectively interpreted by multiple outlets as subliminal Drake disses from Lamar. The songs "Darkside / Gone" and "Deep Water" from Dr. Dre 's August 2015 studio album Compton also both featured Lamar verses with lines interpreted as Drake disses.
  
  On January 15, 2016, President Barack Obama sat down for a series of interviews conducted by YouTube influencers. In one such interview, Adande " Swoozie " Thorne asked if Obama thought Drake or Lamar would win in a rap battle. Obama responded: "Got to go with Kendrick. I think Drake is an outstanding entertainer. But Kendrick — his lyrics, his last album was outstanding. Best album, I think, last year." Fifteen days later, Drake released " Summer Sixteen ", dissing Obama and rapping: "Tell Obama that my verses are just like the whips that he in / They bulletproof". Vibe ' s Iyana Robertson said the ensuing conversation "... reignited a debate that has been going on since the conception of respective careers". During a June 2016 airing of ESPN 's Max and Marcellus, sportscaster Marcellus Wiley claimed there was a destroyed SportsNation interview on ESPN of either Drake or Lamar dissing the other in a way that would have "ignited to proportions we have not seen since Ja Rule / 50, maybe even Ice Cube / N.W.A." In an August 2016 interview for VladTV, Wiley stated that the alleged SportsNation interview was destroyed because the inciting rapper's team intervened. On May 8, 2024, Wiley stated in his YouTube show Hydration Situation that the interview took place in 2014, with Drake as the inciting party. Wiley claimed that Drake said he was better than Lamar, which he perceived as jealousy. He also accused Drake of personally intimidating ESPN into deleting the interview.
  
  On March 23, 2017, Lamar released " The Heart Part 4 ", popularly perceived as a diss track towards Big Sean or Drake. Lamar would later explicitly reference lines from "The Heart Part 4" in his 2024 Drake diss track " Euphoria ", seemingly confirming the perception of the former track as a Drake diss.
  
  In May 2022, Lamar released his fifth studio album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. The fifth song on the album, "Father Time" (featuring Sampha), included a verse from Lamar which referenced Kanye West and Drake's brief peace during their respective feud: "When Kanye got back with Drake, I was slightly confused / Guess I'm not mature as I think, got some healin' to do". The lines were reported by some outlets as possible disses toward Drake and West, though they were also interpreted as Lamar expressing surprise at Drake and West's reconciliation. In September 2021, Joe Budden alleged Lamar dissed Drake on the song " Family Ties ", released the month prior by Baby Keem and Lamar.