The cold war between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar has picked up steam again after the latter won five Grammys for his hit track, ‘Not Like Us’. On the opening night of his ‘Anita Max Win Tour’ in Australia, Aubrey Graham continued the beef by throwing shade at his former friend, LeBron James.
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While singing ‘Nonstop’, a single from his 2018 album Scorpion, Drake changed the lyrics to slight the Kid from Akron. In the recorded version, he raps “How I go from 6 to 23 like I’m LeBron?“, but while performing it live in Perth on Tuesday, he said, “How I go from 6 to 23 but not LeBron, man.”
Drake changed the LeBron lyrics in Nonstop during his show in Australia from:
“How I go from 6 to 23 like I’m LeBron?”
to
“How I go from 6 to 23 but not LeBron, man.”pic.twitter.com/bxSyl4aGZZ
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) February 5, 2025
Initially, the lyrics were a reference to James’ jersey number changing from #6 in Miami to #23 when he returned to Cleveland. However, Drake didn’t want to compare himself to LeBron during his live show, making his feelings about the four-time NBA champion clear.
The two were in close contact until last year with Drake even bringing Bronny out on stage following his cardiac scare. However, when Kendrick infamously said, “LeBron, keep the family away,” in his track ‘Meet the Grahams’, the King seemingly obliged.
He was spotted at Lamar’s Pop Out Concert in California too, singing along to the disses aimed at Drake. The Canadian rapper took offense at James’ lack of loyalty, unfollowing him on Instagram shortly thereafter.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the end of his subliminal disses towards LeBron. Drake kicked off 2025 with a now-deleted track titled ‘Fighting Irish Freestyle’. The Fighting Irish is the name of James’ high school team, St. Vincent St. Mary, where he played, both, basketball and football.
The lyrics of the Conductor Williams produced song also hinted at a strained relationship between the rapper and the NBA great. “Remember we tradin’ watches? I gave you that Arabic dial, you gave me a numbered edition,” Drake wrote.
Fans later connected the bar to a platinum Rolex that LeBron owns. The $119,000 timepiece features a blue dial, baguette diamonds and notably, Arabic numerals.
Later in the track, the rapper says, “I guess now you boys gotta abandon your summer tradition,” referring to James’ visits to Toronto during the summer. In the past, the four-time MVP has frequently attended Caribana and the OVO Fest, Drake’s annual events in his city.
There are several such lines on the now-deleted track that reflect Drake’s disappointment with LeBron. He seemed to believe that the two shared a genuine friendship and felt betrayed when James sided with Kendrick Lamar in their now infamous beef.
Unfortunately for the Canadian rapper, ‘Nonstop’ isn’t the only track where he positively refers to his former friend. As his tour continues over the coming weeks, he might have to change the lyrics to his other tracks like ‘5AM in Toronto’.
