Whether fans like it or not,Drakemay not have lost the rap battle toKendrick Lamaras badly as fans think he did. Granted, he still lost, and no one is questioning that. Kendrick’s Super Bowl halftime performancesolidified his win beyond all doubt. That being said, critics came out of that halftime show convinced that Drake’s career had just been obliterated beyond repair.
However, NFR Podcast onXreports that one accolade suggests that Kendrick Lamar did not kill Drake’s career as badly as previously thought. Kendrick Lamar’s record for the biggest streaming day for any rapper in 2025 has been broken by Drake. Although Kendrick did not drop an album in 2025, his 2024GNXalbum carried enough momentum from the previous year to garner 92.3 million listens in one day this year.
Meanwhile, Drake’s new collaboration with Party Next Door -$exy $ongs 4 U- hasexceeded that number at 92.4 millionand counting.
Drake Beat Kendrick Lamar’s Streaming Record In 2025
Drake’s $exy $ongs 4 U Battles Kendrick Lamar’s GNX, Prolonging the Rap Beef
Drake’s collab album with frequent partner PND arrived mere days after Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance. Anyone who saw that performance will know that K-Dot’sSuper Bowl 59 Halftime setlistwas dominated by songs fromGNX, Kendrick Lamar’s latest albumreleased at the tail-end of 2024. As a result, the Super Bowl appearance naturally inspired viewers new and old to hit play on songs from the album afterward,boosting Lamar’s listening numbers for that album. Alternatively, as much as the Super Bowl marked the ultimate diss to his ongoing rival, Drake benefits just as much from the attention.
Drake Addresses “Rap Beef” On New Album Less Than A Week After Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show: “We Dropping Harder”
Many fans have been waiting on bated breath for Drake to finally respond to Kendrick Lamar in the Super Bowl fallout — he speaks through a new album.
Be it good press or bad press, Kendrick Lamar uttering “Say, Drake” during the Super Bowl (among some uncouth allegations against the Canadian superstar) drewas much attention to Drake’s musicas it did his own. Drake releasing an album just five days after the big game proved to be opportune enough of a moment for him to garner listeners for the occasion. Even with reviews being mixed to negative for$exy $ongs 4 U, people are still listening. Kendrick’s Super Bowl performance sparked intrigue and curiosity to hear his rival’s new album while his name was fresh in their minds.
Kendrick Lamar’s Streaming Numbers Are Still Incredible
Both Drake and Kendrick Lamar Actively Benefit from the Beef
This wasn’t always the case for the rap genre, or any genre in the music industry, butin 2025, beef sells records. As impressive as Drake’s numbers are, Kendrick’s may arguably be even more impressive. Keep in mind thatDrake released a brand-new albumin the past week, and only out-streamed an album that Kendrick Lamar dropped last year by mere digits. That speaks more to the star power of Kendrick Lamar than anything, especially when that same star power was enough to contribute to streams for Drake’s album.
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show currently sports a staggering 72 million views on YouTube from the official NFL YouTube channel.
By the same sword, theDrake vs. Kendrick Lamar beefitself contributed to two of the biggest days for any rapper on Spotify thus far in 2025. Neither of those feats would be accomplished without Drake, and arguably,could not be possible without Drakeas this year-long stretch of beef began on Drake’s record with J. Cole, “First Person Shooter.” Either way, it’s a big win for rap as a genre, but it’s also a chicken without the egg situation, where one can’t happen without the other. Drake’s latest success does not come withoutKendrick Lamar, and vice versa.
