What's The Real Meaning Of Euphoria By Kendrick Lamar? Here's What We Think
We're feeling euphoric after Kendrick Lamar just dropped a new surprise track, and we're diving into the meaning behind the song. The rapper shocked fans when he released the song "Euphoria" on his social media platforms. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Lamar wrote the title, "euphoria," before linking a YouTube video to the song. But if you thought you would get a production-filled music video with dancers or scenic backgrounds, you'd be wrong. When you clicked the link, the entire video was just a screenshot of the definition of euphoria. The definition was shown throughout the six-minute-long song and didn't change once. The screenshot of euphoria read, "a feeling of well–being or elation."
Once the track dropped, people were quick to read into the lyrics of the track, as Lamar is known for being a profound lyricist. When it comes to the inspiration he gets for his writing, it all boils down to what's going on in his life. He told BigBoyTV in 2022, "It's my own ups and downs and trying to figure it out as well as going through these times and traveling the world and my own experiences and putting them all into one." Well, Lamar is telling quite the story with his latest track, and we're going to break down the meaning behind the surprise release and how Drake is involved.
Euphoria was a diss track to Drake
One listen to Kendrick Lamar's track, "Euphoria," and it's clear this is a diss to fellow rapper Drake. Earlier this year, Drake released two tracks about Lamar after he disagreed with the "God's Plan" rapper and J.Cole calling themselves and Lamar the "big three" in the hip-hop world. Lamar had rapped on the song "Like That," "Motherf*** the big three ... It's just big me."
Following Lamar's response, Drake released the two diss tracks calling out the "Humble" rapper for his physical appearance and collaborating with mainstream musicians. One track even featured an AI version of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg attacking Lamar.
"Euphoria" has become Lamar's response to Drake's disses. In one verse, he attacks Drake's use of AI in his track. He said, "Am I battlin' ghost or AI?" This lyric also took aim at the rumors that Drake uses a ghostwriter to create some of his songs, so it was a double jab at the "One Dance" rapper. At one point, Lamar rants about all the things he dislikes about Drake. He says, "I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress / I hate the way that you sneak diss." And if you doubted this was about the Canadian rapper, Lamar even explicitly names him. He says, "I like Drake with the melodies, I don't like Drake when he act tough." Yikes!
Euphoria reignites Kendrick Lamar and Drake's feud
2024 isn't the first time Kendrick Lamar and Drake have gone head to head. The rappers' feud has lasted over a decade, and it all started in 2013 when Lamar was featured on Big Sean's song "Control." In the track, the "DNA" rapper called out some of the biggest musicians in the hip-hop world, Drake included. He rapped, "I got love for you all, but I'm trying to murder you n****s/ Trying to make sure your core fans never heard of you n****s." Since then, Lamar and Drake have gone back and forth throwing disses at one another.
"Euphoria" has just reignited their feud as Lamar is one of the many celebs who can't stand Drake. In the track, he even claims that the "Rich Baby Daddy" rapper tried to get Lamar in legal trouble for what he said on "Like That." Lamar raps, "Try cease and desist on the 'Like That' record? / Ho, what? You ain't like that record?" Although "Like That" may have started the feud this year, it's "Euphoria" that has everyone talking. One person tweeted a video of Will Smith clapping, writing, "How it felt hearing Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'euphoria' to Drake and realizing rap is so back." The song was just one hit after another toward Drake, and considering the two have feuded for years, we wouldn't be surprised if the Canadian rapper responds, sparking their beef once more.