A data-driven analysis of contemporary hip-hop's most iconic rivalry
ABOUT THE VISUALIZATION
This interactive analysis examines 576 documented disses from the ongoing Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rivalry, one of hip-hop's most significant feuds. Each bubble represents a single diss or insult found within the lyrics of ten key songs from both artists.
The main aim of this project is to understand the topics that are typically weaponised, in this case by two men, in their very public feud. To me it was interesting (to say that least) to watch allegations of infidelity, domestic abuse, misogyny and most of all pedophilia be thrown around with blatant casual flair so much so that they were immortalized in cultural history. What are we celebrating when we sing along to these lyrics? Does a catchy beat or mere talent entitle artists to ignore social paradigms in favor of savage bars to "win" the feud? If the feud was about talent and lyricism, at what intersection do we equate the two with maybe cheap but polarizing pot shots that bring in sensationalism? This project lets you decide for yourself where that line is.
THE DATASET
The data was meticulously compiled by analyzing lyrics from the official feudal discography, including tracks like "euphoria," "6:16 in LA," "meet the grahams," "Not Like Us," "The Heart Part 6," "Family Matters," and others. Using Genius annotations, Reddit discussions, and extensive lyrical analysis, every insulting line was catalogued and categorized.
EXPLORE THE DATA
Start with the "All" view to see the complete dataset as a packed circle where purple bubbles represent Kendrick's disses and gold bubbles represent Drake's. The size and positioning create a visual representation of the rivalry's scope.
Use the category buttons to filter disses by type. Categories are ordered by frequency, with the most common types of insults appearing first. When you select a category, the visualization splits into two clusters showing how each artist approaches that particular type of diss.
Toggle "Show Subcategories" to dive deeper into the data. This reveals specific subcategories within each main category, with labels centered and artist-specific bubbles positioned on either side for easy comparison.
Hover over any bubble to see the actual lyric, along with the song title, category, and release date of the song. The counter on the bottom-right shows real-time diss-counts as you filter, allowing you to compare the volume and approaches of each artist across different types of insults.