TDE had Drake's picture in the studio to motivate Kendrick Lamar to beat him, says Whats The Dirt, explaining Drizzy's lyric

The commentary on the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake that captivated the music industry for the better part of 2024 continues, with new information coming out every day. YouTuber Whats The Dirt recently explained the alleged meaning behind a line from Drake's diss track Push Ups, claiming it was a dig at Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). Lamar was signed to TDE till 2022.

The YouTuber made this claim when he appeared on the December 22 episode of the Poddy Mouth podcast. He explained that the line, "I know my picture on the wall when y'all cook up" from Push Ups, was intended as a diss towards TDE. He claimed that the record label had a picture of Drake in its studios to motivate Kendrick Lamar when he was an up-and-coming artist.

"You know how on Push Ups, Drake said, "I know my picture's on the wall when y'all cook up." So this is the real reality of what that meant. So back in the day, and a very very good inside source told me this, back in the day, at the TDE studio when Kendrick was first coming up, they had a picture of Drake in the studio.

"Top had a picture of Drake in the studio, and people would ask, "Why do you have a picture of Drake in here?" and Top would say," This is the guy we're trying to beat,"" Whats The Dirt claimed.

He further claimed that this might have been one reason for the animosity between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. The YouTuber also alleged that TDE made Lamar collaborate with pop artists like Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 to boost the rapper's songs commercially, adding that Lamar would not have been able to catch up to the Canadian rapper commercially on his own.

Kendrick Lamar collaborated with Taylor Swift on Bad Blood from her album 1989. The rapper also re-recorded the song for 1989 (Taylor's Version), which was released in 2023. Lamar collaborated with Maroon 5's Adam Levine on their 2016 song Don't Wanna Know.

---

Drake mentioned Kendrick Lamar and TDE's relationship in Push Ups

The contentious rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar ignited with the song First Person Shooter by Drake and J. Cole. In March 2024, Lamar responded with a scathing verse in the Metro Boomin and Future track Like That.

In April 2013, a leaked diss track from Drake targeting Lamar, Future, Metro, and The Weeknd started circulating on social media. The track, Push Ups, was officially released on April 19.

In his diss, Drake volleyed several accusations at Kendrick Lamar and his former record label, TDE. He claimed the rapper was forced to split his earnings evenly with the label's CEO, Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Drake also asked Lamar to be transparent and show his contract.

"Extortion baby, whole career, you been shook up/ 'Cause Top told you, "Drop and give me fifty," like some push-ups, huh/ Your last one bricked, you really not on s**t/ They make excuses for you 'cause they hate to see me lit/ Pull your contract 'cause we gotta see the split/ The way you doin' splits, b***h, your pants might rip," Drake rapped in the first verse.

Drake also rapped about Kendrick Lamar's collaborations with pop stars like Taylor Swift and Maroon 5 in the next lines, criticizing him for catering to mainstream media with his features.

"Maroon 5 need a verse, you better make it witty/ Then we need a verse for the Swifties/ Top say drop, you better drop and give 'em fifty," he rapped.

Kendrick Lamar reportedly left TDE on good terms in 2022 and is still friendly with his old record label. This is evidenced by several TDE members, including Anthony Tiffith, appearing in the MV for his Drake diss song Not Like Us. The rapper also performed at TDE's annual Christmas charity concert on December 12.

---

Kendrick Lamar responded to Push Ups with Euphoria

Kendrick Lamar's response to Push Ups came in the form of Euphoria, released on April 30. In this diss, he addressed Drake's allegations against him about his contract and relationship with Anthony Tiffith.

Lamar asked the Canadian rapper to show his splits, referencing Drake being signed to Lil Wayne's label. The record label was signed to Cash Money, which was under Universal Records.

"Let's speak on percentage, show me your splits, I'll make sure I double back with ya/ You were signed to a n***a that's signed to a n***a that said he was signed to that n***a," Lamar rapped in Euphoria.

Kendrick Lamar also maintains that his relationship with Top Dawg is on good terms with the line, "Ayy, Top Dawg, who the f**k they think they playin' with?"