| "Meet the Grahams" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original cover from theYouTube video; the cover art on streaming services is a plain black square | ||||
| Single byKendrick Lamar | ||||
| Released | May 3, 2024 (2024-05-03) | |||
| Recorded | May 2024 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 6:32 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriter | Kendrick Lamar | |||
| Producer | The Alchemist | |||
| Kendrick Lamar singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio video | ||||
| "Meet the Grahams" onYouTube | ||||
"Meet the Grahams" (stylized inlowercase) is adiss track by American rapperKendrick Lamar. It was released on May 3, 2024, throughInterscope Records, during hisongoing feud with Canadian rapperDrake.[1] It is Lamar's response to the release of Drake's "Family Matters", a diss track mainly aimed at Lamar.[2] Lamar released "Meet the Grahams" less than an hour after Drake released "Family Matters."
"Meet the Grahams" is written in the form of a letter, with each verse addressed to members of Drake's family, including his son Adonis, his parents Sandra and Dennis Graham, his alleged daughter, and Drake himself. In the song, Lamar accuses Drake of being a non-present father, signingsex offenders to hisOVO Sound record label, and being asexual predator himself. He also alleges that Drake is running asex trafficking ring out of his Toronto mansion, saying it will soon be raided by law enforcement. Lamar further accuses Drake of lying about his family, his OVO Sound labelmates, and Drake himself.
Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, has an immediate family including his parents, Sandra and Dennis Graham, and Adonis, Drake's son with model Sophie Brussaux. Adonis was initially kept from the public eye but was confirmed by Drake after rapperPusha T revealed his existence on the 2018 diss track "The Story of Adidon".[3] The feud between Drake and Lamar, although long ongoing since the early 2010s, rose to new heights in mid-2024, with Lamar attacking Drake's persona and skill with his verse on the song "Like That". Drake followed up to Lamar's verse and other diss tracks by other artists such asRick Ross,Future, andThe Weeknd with his own diss track, "Push Ups". In response, Lamar released "Euphoria”. The same week, he released another diss track, "6:16 in LA", claiming to have moles in Drake's labelOVO Sound. Drake responded the same day with the track "Family Matters" in which he accused Lamar ofdomestic violence against longtime partner Whitney Alford.[4] Less than an hour later, Lamar released "Meet the Grahams".
Produced bythe Alchemist, "Meet the Grahams", unlike Lamar's previous responses, takes on an unsettling, haunting atmosphere, with an eerie piano-driven beat, sampled from Timothy Carpenter & Triunity's "I Want To Make It", accompanying critical lyrics accusing Drake of a number of wrongdoings including parental negligence,sexual exploitation,sexual grooming,sex trafficking, and another incident ofchild abandonment.[5][6]
The track's lyrics take the form of a letter with multiple verses addressed at members of Drake's family. The first verse is addressed to Drake's son Adonis, the second is addressed to Dennis and Sandra "Sandi" Graham, both of Drake's parents, the third is addressed to Drake's alleged daughter, and the last verse is addressed to Drake himself. In the song, Lamar alleges that Drake has a secret child, a daughter, accuses Drake of fathering further children aside from his alleged daughter, states that Drake has sex offenders on his record labelOVO Sound, and calls him a sexual predator. Lamar also mentions that Drake is allegedly running asex trafficking ring out of his Toronto mansion and states that his mansion known as "The Embassy" will be raided by law enforcement because of this, directly alluding to rapperSean "Diddy" Combs' estate being raided amid his sexual abuse allegations.[7] Lamar also compares Drake's actions to those of former film producer and convicted sex offenderHarvey Weinstein.[4] Lamar, in the final section of the track addressing Drake, addresses the confusion that came out of the track releasing within an hour of Drake's "Family Matters" with the lines "Dear Aubrey / I know you're probably thinkin' I wanted to crash your party / But truthfully, I don't have a hatin' bone in my body / There's supposed to be a good exhibition within the game / But you fucked up the moment you called out my family's name".[8]
The cover art used in the originalYouTube release shows an uncropped version of the photo that accompanied Lamar's previous song, "6:16 in LA". In addition to the glove, it shows a shirt, jewelry receipts, a visit card and three prescription medicines with the name "Aubrey Graham" (Drake's real name) on them, later revealed to be one forOzempic, one forAdderall, and one forZolpidem.[9] According toDJ Akademiks, these items were stolen from a suitcase belonging to Drake's father, Dennis Graham.[10] A week later, an unknownX (formerly Twitter) user posted a video playing the song on aPanasonic Toughbook and showing the original photo items hanging at a balcony, requiring Drake and Akademiks to retract their theft accusation.[9]
The song was released to streaming platforms the next day with the artwork being replaced with a black square, possibly due toSpotify andApple Music rules about using someone's private belongings without permission from the owner.[11]
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