Fact Check: Is Drake an Executive Producer of Euphoria? Title of Kendrick Lamar's diss track explored

The battle of words continues between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar. On Tuesday, April 30, 2024, the latter released a diss track titled Euphoria. The six-minute, twenty-three-second track is full of Easter eggs slamming the Canadian rapper, and the graphic for the video is a screenshot of the dictionary definition of the word.

Interestingly, Drake is an executive producer on the HBO show of the same name (according to the show's official website). While the two rappers have been feuding since the early 2010s, Lamar's Euphoria is a direct response to the Hotline Bling singer's diss tracks Push Ups and Taylor Made Freestyle, taking aim at Kenny.

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Drake's Taylor Made Freestyle insinuated K-Dot pushed back his retort because Taylor Swift released her new album

On April 19, Drake released his Kendrick Lamar diss track Push Ups on streaming services, a week after it was leaked (and later premiered by DJ Akademiks). The song took aim at Lamar, rappers Rick Ross, The Weeknd, Future, and producer Metro Boomin.

A few hours later, he dropped Taylor Made Freestyle on his Instagram. It featured AI-produced vocals to the voices of Tupac and Snoop Dogg, the former being one of Lamar's inspirations, to taunt and express disappointment at Kenny for not responding (then) to Push Ups.

In the last verse, which Drake sang himself, he continued to taunt the HUMBLE singer, saying it only took him an "hour or two" to write Push Ups. He then suggested the overwhelming buzz surrounding Taylor Swift releasing her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, on the same day as a reason for the delay. He rapped,

"But now we gotta wait a f**king week ’cause Taylor Swift is your new Top, And if you ’bout to drop, she gotta approve. This girl really ’bout to make you act like you not in a feud. She tailor made your schedule with Ant, you out of the loop."

The One Dance singer was forced to take down Taylor Made Freestyle after Tupac Shakur’s estate threatened legal action. According to Billboard, lawyers for the estate called the song a "flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights" and "a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time."

Many have speculated that the title, Euphoria, also references Kendrick Lamar's excitement to drop his own diss track. Euphoria begins slow and relaxed, with Kenny seemingly confirming he made Drake wait.

"Them super powers gettin’ neutralized, I can only watch in silence. The famous actor we once knew is lookin’ paranoid, and now it’s spiraling," Kenny said in his song.

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Many have speculated on Drake's involvement in the show Euphoria

As the battle continues between the rappers, fans are surprised to find that Drake is an executive producer for the HBO show Euphoria.

His role on the show was scrutinized. In 2019, Maude Apatow told WWD she saw the rapper on sets only once. In a later ET article, it was suggested that he was involved in casting for the show, but there was no official confirmation about it. In a discussion with TMZ in June 2019, Algee Smith, another cast member, said,

"He gave away, I don’t want to say how much bread he gave away, but he gave us some money at the wrap party. It was hefty. You could buy a couple cars, I’ll say that."

However, actress Storm Reid explained in a 2022 interview with Bustle that Drake was "really involved" with the second season and was part of their table read.