Euphoria (Kendrick Lamar song)

On March 22, 2024, Kendrick Lamar made a surprise appearance on Future and Metro Boomin's collaborative studio album We Don't Trust You on the single "Like That". His featured verse was a diss against Drake and J. Cole in response to their single "First Person Shooter". Cole rebutted "Like That" first with the polarizing "7 Minute Drill",^[2] which he later retracted and removed from streaming services.^[3][4]

Drake offered two responses to "Like That". His first, "Push Ups", was premiered by media personality DJ Akademiks after a low quality demo version that sampled "Get Money" by Junior M.A.F.I.A. was leaked.^[5] Throughout the song, Drake mocks Lamar's short stature and musical authenticity, all the while generating rumors of him being extorted by his former label, Top Dawg Entertainment.^[6]

The second response, "Taylor Made Freestyle", was released on Drake's social media accounts immediately after "Push Ups" was released to streaming platforms.^[7] The song used vocals generated from artificial intelligence of Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg, two of Lamar's musical idols, to entice him to release his own response.^[8] He also questioned his friendship with singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, whom the freestyle is named after.^[9] Shakur's estate sent Drake a cease and desist letter accusing him of violating the rapper's personality rights and abusing his legacy. They further claimed that the AI-generated vocals being used against Lamar, a "good friend" of the estate who respected Shakur publicly and privately, compounded the disrespect.^[10] Drake was ordered to remove the song from his social media accounts or face litigation; he obliged to the former demand.^[11]

The song begins with an audio sample, which was revealed to be a reversed audio clip from The Wiz, a 1978 remake of The Wizard of Oz starring Michael Jackson (who Drake has often compared himself to), in which Richard Pryor, who plays the titular Wiz, states "Everything they say about me is true. I'm a phony."^[12] After this, the song starts out "softly" with Lamar waiting until the final line of the first verse to directly address Drake. The song's intro builds around a sample of Teddy Pendergrass's song "You're My Latest, My Greatest Inspiration". Lamar talks about a "paranoid", "pathetic", and "spiraling" master manipulator "fabricating stories on the family front".^[13] The beat then picks up as the delivery gets "sharper", while the rapper makes references to Drake's name ("Draco Pistol"), as well as the previous diss track "Taylor Made".^[14]

Lamar later mentions Drake and J. Cole by name, criticizes Drake's parenting, and references "The Story of Adidon", a 2018 diss track by Pusha T aimed against Drake in the context of fatherhood.^[14] In other instances, he accuses Drake of being a "scam artist" and namedrops artists such as YNW Melly, Gunna, Daft Punk, Lil Yachty, and Sexyy Red.^[15] Lamar also accuses Drake of sending a cease and desist letter to prevent the release of "Like That": "Try cease and desist on the 'Like That' record / Ho, what? You ain't like that record?" Further references in the song include Drake's Meek Mill diss track "Back to Back".^[16]

"Euphoria" was first released YouTube on April 30, 2024, with no prior announcement. It was published on the platform at approximately 8:24 a.m. PT, which many alluded was a nod to the basketball player Kobe Bryant; he was a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers under the jersey numbers 8 and 24.^[17] Hours after its YouTube launch, "Euphoria" was made available on music streaming services through Interscope Records. Brian Zisook, co-founder of Audiomack, noted that the song is Lamar's first release under a new direct licensing agreement with Interscope following his departure from Top Dawg Entertainment (under a joint deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope); Lamar's own creative communications company, PGLang, is reportedly not involved in the deal.^[18]

The song's cover art is a screenshot of Merriam-Webster's definition of the word "euphoria", but journalists believe that its title is also a reference to the American television series of the same name.^[19] Drake is one of the series' executive producers, which has been a subject of controversy for its use of mature content, including sexual material, amongst its teenage characters.^[20]

Per a Complex assessment, which graded the song's lyrics, presentation, quality and overall effectiveness, "Euphoria" received a score of 42 out of 50 (84%). Its examiner, Peter A. Berry, concluded that the song is a "bit too sprawling" for its own good, and the production is "kinda mid," but it ultimately offers a "potent mix of skill, viciousness, and humor that would be hard for anyone to overcome."^[21]

Vivian Medithi of The Fader described "Euphoria" as a standout rap song and a "dynamic study in hating."^[22] Rolling Stone's Andre Gee was impressed at how Lamar sounded like a "seasoned vet" despite the song being his first official diss record. He noted that, while many of Lamar's criticisms had been expressed before, "the way he lobs his insults makes it a haymaker", concluding that the track was an "eruption of disdain" for Drake.^[23] Angel Diaz, writing for Billboard, called the song "six minutes and 23 seconds of pure, unadulterated hate". Diaz felt that Lamar's response was "well worth the wait", praising its dense lyricism and opining that Drake's diss tracks up to that point had not "hit as hard" as "Like That" and "Euphoria".^[24]

In less favorable reviews, Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre felt that "Euphoria" lacked a "knockout blow" that could have pushed Lamar's feud with Drake past "fleeting spectacle". Pierre felt that the track was substandard to other disses like Nas' "Ether", especially on the matter of what Pierre perceived as "gay jokes" in "Euphoria". Pierre also commented negatively on the song's production, especially believing that the track has "the worst beat switch-ups you'll hear all year."^[25] Ben Beaumont-Thomas for The Guardian similarly wrote that for someone whose artistry "rests on his self-presentation as flawed but enlightened", Lamar demeaned himself with the usage of "outright" misogynistic and homophobic lyrics; particularly the usage of the term dickrider to describe Drake's OVO labelmates. Beaumont-Thomas also criticized the production, describing the beat as "blah even if Lamar does ride it with skill and animation".^[26]

"Euphoria" was the subject of extensive press attention following its release. New Ho King, a Chinese restaurant located in Toronto's Chinatown neighborhood, was flooded with five-star reviews on Google Maps after it was mentioned in the track.^[27][28]

U.S. President Joe Biden's 2024 presidential campaign team used the song in a video against his opponent Donald Trump, overlaying edited lyrics criticizing Trump's behavior: "I hate the way that you walk over women's rights, the way that you talk about immigrants. I hate the way that you dress, I hate the way that you sneak diss on Truth Social."^[29]

WWE superstar CM Punk referenced the song to Drew McIntyre, saying "You hate the way I walk, you hate the way I talk, the way I dress."

"Euphoria" reached number one on the US Spotify charts, as well as number one on the US Apple Music and global music charts. It debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, before reaching a new peak at number 3 the following week on the chart.^[30][31]

• Kendrick Lamar – vocals, songwriter
• Kenneth Gamble – songwriter
• DJ Paul – songwriter
• Juicy J – songwriter
• Cardo – producer
• Kyuro – producer
• Johnny Juliano – producer
• Sounwave – producer
• Yung Exclusive – producer
• Matthew Bernard – additional keyboards, associated performer
• Jonathan Turner – mixing
• Ray Charles Brown Jr. – recording engineer
• Nicolas De Porcel – mastering