Four PR lessons from the Kendrick Lamar—Drake beef

Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Aubrey Graham, better known as Drake, have been going back and forth with ferocious diss tracks aimed at each other since the former slighted the latter on Future’s song “Like That” in late March.

Both have released songs digging into each other’s personal lives. Most recently, Drake has accused Lamar of domestic abuse on “The Heart Part 6,” while Lamar has accused Drake of pursuing relationships with underaged girls on “Not Like Us.”

The internet has watched with mouths agape as both men lob malicious lines at each other, racking up tens of millions of views in mere hours. While it’s unclear where the feud will go, there are PR lessons to learn from how the artists, especially Drake, have addressed accusations made about them. Here are four:

Learn from other PR crises, especially recent ones

On “The Heart Part 6,” Drake states, “If I was f***ing young girls, I promise I’d have been arrested. I’m way too famous for the s**t you just suggested.” Drake’s appeal to fame isn’t persuasive, however, because famous artists within his sphere of influence, including Sean “Diddy” Combs and R. Kelly, have faced whispered accusations yet maintained successful careers for years.

Watch for contradictions

On “Meet the Grahams,” Lamar claims that Drake has hidden an 11-year-old daughter from the world. Countering this on “The Heart Part 6,” Drake states, “The ones that you're gettin' your stories from, they all clowns.” Later on in the song, he says that he fed Lamar false information about a daughter that doesn’t exist, creating an inconsistency in his messaging. Either Drake fed Lamar false information, or Lamar’s sources tried to give him correct information and got it wrong!

Support claims with evidence

Many have questioned that Drake fed Lamar false information, given that Drake has provided no proof. Lamar has similarly come under scrutiny for making claims without evidence.

Counter accusations with relevant information

On “The Heart Part 6,” Drake claims that Lamar is making accusations of pedophilia because of his own experiences, saying Los Angeles-based Lamar acknowledged being sexually abused as a child on an earlier track. However, fans interpret Lamar’s track differently, saying the rapper never said he was molested on “Mother I Sober.” Nonetheless, both rappers’ accusations probably have little to do with whether the accusations against Drake are true.