There's the back-to-back effect, and then there's the unrestrained chaos of dropping long diss tracks, densely loaded with viciously personal power punches, within an hour of each other. On the first weekend in May, Drake commandeered everyone's Friday night to turn up the heat in his beef with Kendrick Lamar with a three-part reply and accompanying music video—only for Kendrick to hit right back with what may be one of the most scathing diss tracks in rap history. This Cold War is firmly and decidedly thawed all the way out—and the [Maybach] gloves are off.

To paraphrase prime Jigga-era Jay-Z, the summer just got hotter.

Read on for a full account of 2024's most constantly-evolving rap b...