The Kendrick Lamar and Drake saga rages on, and in this episode, K.Dot wins again. In a rivalry that has become one of hip-hop’s most fascinating, Lamar has once again proven that he is the best in his class, taking the top spot on the Billboard 200 with his most recent album, “GNX.” The victory is by a slim margin 500 over Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s collaborative effort, “$OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U.”
Lamar’s “GNX,” originally debuted in November 2024, still displays incredible staying power. With 90.5K units sold this week, it slipped past the OVO duo’s Valentine’s Day release, which officially turned 90K units the same week. Drake and his devoted following will find the stats a bitter pill, mainly since their project recently passed “GNX” briefly, only for Lamar to take the crown back. This tussle between two of the genre’s most enormous titans cements their standing atop the hip-hop hierarchy. With Grammy wins, an unforgettable Super Bowl Halftime performance, and a continued reign on the charts, Lamar is flexing his critical and commercial caché.
Drake, of course, is still an impossible force. The Toronto superstar has perfected the art of longevity, consistently shrugging off losses while remaining a trendsetter and record-breaker. But Lamar’s recent wins suggest that hip-hop holds strong appetites for something else, a deeper, more introspective reality that “GNX” serves up.
For fans of OVO, this week’s chart performance is particularly frustrating. “$OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U” had risen to as high as two on March 2, deposing GNX at three. Just as it seemed that Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR were set up for a long stretch at the top, Kendrick changed the game again.
