Rapper Drake has been named Apple Music’s most popular artist of 2025, while Kendrick Lamar’s explosive, Grammy-winning diss track remains the platform’s biggest rap song—a twist that highlights just how closely the two rivals continue to dominate the global charts.
Apple Music unveiled its “’25 Replay” on Tuesday, December 2, revealing Drake as the year’s top artist. His streaming dominance surged in February with the release of Some Sexy Songs 4 U, his collaborative project with PartyNextDoor, and continued through the rollout of his Iceman album. Despite the rivalry that has shaped much of the musical landscape this year, Drake’s streaming numbers remained unstoppable, while fans continued to flock to Kendrick Lamar’s sharp takedowns. Even as Drake led overall listening, Kendrick’s Not Like Us pulled extraordinary numbers on Apple Music.
The track, which earned Kendrick a Grammy and became the defining record of their highly publicized feud, ended 2025 as Apple Music’s biggest rap song for the second consecutive year. Last year, it topped the entire platform, and while 2025’s overall top song went to Rosé and Bruno Mars for their global hit APT., Kendrick’s diss claimed the year’s top rap spot—marking the first time a diss track has ever repeated as the category’s biggest song.
The historic feud, which ignited a year ago and has generated billions of streams across both artists’ catalogues, even propelled Kendrick Lamar to a Super Bowl halftime performance, underscoring the cultural significance of the rivalry.
While Apple Music listeners continue to fuel both sides of the feud, interest elsewhere in the industry seems to be waning. Elliott Wilson and Uproxx launched The Bigger Picture, a podcast chronicling the Drake–Kendrick saga, but the show was recently cancelled as the hype around the beef began to subside.
I can also create an even snappier version for social media that emphasizes the rivalry’s peak and decline if you want. Do you want me to do that?
