Celebrity feuds are not a novelty phenomenon in the entertainment industry. While some like Will Smith-Chris Rock are more recent and intense, others like Ryan Reynolds-Hugh Jackman are pseudo feuds mostly for entertainment. Having said that, one cannot say feud and not mention the king of controversy, Kanye West. From Ray J to Justin Timberlake to Pete Davidson, Ye has had altercations with several artists. However, his longest-running tussle has to be with the Canadian rap artist Drake.

Similar to his relationship with singer John Legend, Kanye’s equation with the Hotline Bling singer started as a friendship. However, creative differences and competitiveness have now resulted in a complicated equation. So much so that Drake has wanted to outshine Kanye West for more than a decade.

Drake wished to outdo Kanye West

A connection that began as a collaborative camaraderie between Drake and Kanye West in 2009 slowly transitioned into a full-blown beef. From a diss track to a leaked address to a prolonged social media feud, the dispute saw everything. However, if one looks at the timeline of their notorious clash, one can see that Drizzy looked up to Kanye for the longest time. Back in 2011, the One Dance artist vocalized his admiration of Ye to the source.

But it was not just an appreciation statement. It was also an open challenge. Drake gauntleted the moment by calling the Watch the Throne rapper a “great competitor and friend.” Nevertheless, the Started from the Bottom wished to vanquish his self-appointed opponent. 

“My goal is to surpass everything he’s accomplished. I don’t want to be as good as Kanye, I want to be better,” declared Drake.

In fact, later that same year in one of his cameo released with DJ Khaled’s I’m On One, Drake took an obvious dig at Kanye’s Watch the Throne album.

“I’m just feeling like the throne is for the taking/Watch me take it,” rapped the Canadia

Today, Kanye West‘s net worth is a whopping 6.6 Billion USD while Drake is worth 250 Million USD. The God’s Plan rapper has a long way to go if he wishes to make good on his challenge.

Do you think he can manage it? Let us know in the comments. In the meantime, you can watch Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy streaming on Netflix to see West’s journey so far.