Kanye West previously hated on “Not Like Us” and named various rapper who deserved a Super Bowl slot before Kendrick Lamar.
Hating on Kendrick Lamar became a hip-hop rite of passage over the past year, whether due to his Drake battle or as a small response to the overwhelming run he embarked on a full year ago. But Kanye West is taking this to the next level, dissing his former collaborator again and again via a series of Twitter rants. The latest of which actually saw him reveal his list of the “12 Rap Kings,” and he made it a point to exclude K.Dot. “KENDRICK WAS NEVER KING,” Ye tweeted. “MAYBE KING OF THE WEST COAST, BUT NEVER KING OF THE WORLD.”
Then, Kanye West scoffed at Kendrick Lamar by listing his rap kings. These include Lil Wayne, Ye himself, Jay-Z, Drake, Biggie, 2Pac, 50 Cent, Eminem, LL COOL J, Run DMC, Nas, and Rakim. It’s a pretty solid list albeit with some massive exclusions on an artistic level like Outkast, but then again, it checks out from a wholly mainstream perspective. Whether or not you agree or disagree with Kendrick’s omission here, it’s hard to call the Chicago artist’s tirade against him anything but performative.
Kanye West Jay-Z Beyonce Rant
Ye declares there are 12 “Rap Kings,” including Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Drake, The Notorious B.I.G, Tupac Shakur, 50 Cent, Eminem, LL Cool J, RUN DMC, Nas, Rakim and himself.
Ye says Kendrick Lamar was never a king and thinks Kendrick ruined Playboi Carti’s album. pic.twitter.com/n5BJhqTIeA
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) March 21, 2025
“Yo Dot, I got you,” Kanye West rapped in support of Kendrick Lamar for his “Like That” remix of Future and Metro Boomin’s Kendrick-assisted WE DON’T TRUST YOU cut that kicked off the Drake battle. Given the volatility and unhinged nature of the rest of his Twitter rants, fans are only counting down the clock until the day he reverses his opinion once again. Will that happen two days from now or two decades? No one knows, but a lot of people are definitely interested in what the Compton lyricist might have to say about all this. Might as well remix that Wayne mention on “wacced out murals” and swap him out for Yeezy.
Meanwhile, Kanye West’s other hip-hop and industry attacks are leaving no prisoners behind, whether that’s making insensitive remarks about the twins of Jay-Z and Beyoncé or accusing his former in-laws, the Kardashians, of 𝓈ℯ𝓍 trafficking. And knowing him, Ye might still want another Kendrick Lamar collab in the future. Please, 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢, no more parties in L.A.
