Drake was left infuriated after seeing his so-called friend and Lakers superstar LeBron James singing along to Kendrick Lamar’s diss track about him at his LA concert, with the Canadian rapper plotting his revenge on his new album.
Kendrick, 37, delighted fans on Wednesday by hosting star-studded show The Pop Out – Ken & Friends at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, with more than 20 musicians making guest appearances.
NBA star LeBron, 39, was among the famous faces in the crowd and was caught on camera as he excitedly rapped along to the cutting song – which takes a direct aim at his 37-year-old supposed pal, Drake.
Now, an insider close to Drake has claimed he was left so ‘shocked’ by LeBron’s betrayal that he is planning on getting his own back, by adding in a diss track on his nearly-finished album which will reignite the rappers’ explosive feud.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, they said: ‘Drake was shocked to see LeBron James attended Kendrick Lamar’s concert as he thought they were friends.
Drake is furious after seeing his so-called friend, LeBron James, singing along to Kendrick Lamar’s diss track at his concert on Wednesday night
LeBron, 39, was caught on camera enjoying himself while Kendrick, 37, rapped his Drake diss track Not Like Us at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum
‘He wasn’t phased by the other attendees as he knew they were planning to go, but LeBron was a shocker because Drake watched the footage of him singing along to his diss track from home.’
The source added: ‘He is working on a new album which is nearly finished but he will address all this on a track.’
Drake and LeBron have been firm friends for years.
At one of his Ohio shows in 2016, the rapper branded LeBron – who had just signed a $100 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers – a ‘hometown hero’ and brought him out on stage with him.
Speaking at the time, he said: ‘And one more time for the man that came back home and brought a motherf***ing championship instead of doing anything different.
‘Make some noise for the King! LeBron James is here tonight, what?’
Last year, LeBron and his son, Bronny, walked out with Drake for the start of his concert at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
LeBron and Drake have professional experience with one another too, having co-produced the documentary The Carter Effect in 2017.
Kendrick reignited his feud with Drake, also 37, at his Juneteenth gig (pictured), which was intended to showcase unity among West Coast talent
In March, the pair became the PGA Tour’s latest investors in a bid to expand the sport’s global audience.
Their investment came two years after they poured cash into the historic Italian soccer club AC Milan in 2022.
During his set, Kendrick performed his Drake diss track Not Like Us five times, encouraged by the crowd to go again every time the song came to a close.
After the explosive performance, he said: ‘Y’all ain’t gonna let nobody disrespect the West Coast, huh?
‘Oh y’all ain’t gonna let nobody mock or imitate our legends, huh?’
Kendrick’s gig – which took place on Juneteenth – was intended to showcase unity among West Coast talent.
A ton of famous faces took to the stage during the concert, including Dr Dre, Roddy Ricch and Ty Dolla $ign.
Toronto-born Drake and 17-time Grammy winner Kendrick have been embroiled in a furious rivalry for years, despite collaborating on each other’s records in the early days of their careers.
Since things turned sour, both rappers have continued to release numerous diss tracks about each other.
However, the feud entered new territory in May when Kendrick made damning allegations on Not Like Us.
The Compton-born rapper appeared to accuse Drake of being a pedophile, along with another member of his crew.
It was released on YouTube with what appeared to be a graphic of Drake’s home covered with red sex offender symbols.
In the lyrics, the Pulitzer Prize winner hit out at the hitmaker and members of his October’s Very Own (OVO) crew.
Drake and LeBron (pictured here in 2017) have been firm friends for years
An insider told DailyMail.com: ‘Drake was shocked to see LeBron James attended Kendrick Lamar’s concert as he thought they were friends’ (Kendrick on stage in 2023)
‘Say Drake, I hear you like ’em young,’ Kendrick raps, encouraging others to ‘hide your little sister from him.’
He then goes on to say: ‘They tell me Chubbs (Drake’s security guard) the only one that get your hand-me-downs.
‘And Party at the party playin’ wit’ his nose now.’
It gets even more personal when Kendrick lodges these allegations against Baka Not Nice: ‘And Baka got a weird case/Why is he around? he asks, before seeming to call both Baka and Drake, ‘Certified Lover Boys, certified pedophiles.’
He continues: ‘Why you trollin’ like a b****, ain’t you tired? You’re tryin’ to strike a chord and it’s probably A minor.’
And the multiple performances of Not Like Us was not the only shots that were fired at the recent Juneteenth concert.
When Kendrick initially took to the stage, he opened with his track Euphoria – another diss-track aimed at Drake – and it included new lyrics.
According to the BBC, the song included a new line, with the hitmaker rapping: ‘Give me Tupac’s ring back and I might give you a little respect.’
The new addition seems to reference how Drake purchased the late Tupac Shakur’s crown ring for more than $1 million in July 2023, as an anonymous bidder.