Drake vs Pusha T
Home / Feuds /
VS
July 19, 2026
Last updated:
Drake vs Pusha T
Drake and Pusha T’s feud grew from Pusha’s earlier conflict with Lil Wayne and Young Money, then exploded in 2018 when Pusha revived Drake’s ghostwriting controversy, Drake answered with “Duppy Freestyle,” and Pusha alleged that Drake had a son.
Pusha T is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He is known for his solo career and as one half of the hip-hop duo Clipse.
Pusha T
Background
Pusha T’s conflict with Lil Wayne and the Young Money circle began before his feud with Drake. Because Drake was signed to Young Money and closely associated with Wayne, Pusha’s attacks on the label’s loyalty, authenticity and business relationships increasingly placed Drake inside the same dispute.
In 2011, Pusha released “Don’t Fuck With Me” over Drake’s “Dreams Money Can Buy.” The freestyle did not name Drake, but it used Drake’s music while continuing Pusha’s conflict with Young Money. In 2012, “Exodus 23:1” targeted the wider label circle and prompted a direct response from Lil Wayne.
Early Tension
Drake made the conflict more direct in 2016 with “Two Birds, One Stone,” which included lines aimed at Pusha T and Kid Cudi. The track brought Drake and Pusha’s earlier indirect exchange back into public view.
On May 25, 2018, Pusha released Daytona. Its closing track, “Infrared,” renewed the dispute by referring to the earlier ghostwriting allegations involving Drake and Quentin Miller.
Escalation
Drake answered “Infrared” that same day with “Duppy Freestyle.” He addressed Pusha and Kanye West directly, questioned Pusha’s drug-dealing image and posted a satirical invoice for “promotional assistance and career reviving.” The response changed the feud from indirect references into an open exchange.
Four days later, Pusha released “The Story of Adidon.” He alleged that Drake had a son, used a 2007 photograph of Drake in blackface as the artwork and attacked Drake’s family and producer Noah “40” Shebib. Drake said the photograph came from a project about Black actors facing stereotypes and typecasting.
Current Status
Drake addressed fatherhood on Scorpion but did not release another full diss track. He later said he had prepared a response but withheld it because the feud had moved beyond rap competition by involving his family and Noah “40” Shebib’s health.
In a 2019 Rap Radar interview, Drake said he did not want to repair the relationship. Pusha said in 2025 that diss tracks were “dead to me” and that he had moved beyond that period of his career, but he did not announce a reconciliation with Drake. No renewed direct exchange followed, leaving the feud publicly inactive rather than resolved.
September 26, 2011
Pusha T released “Don’t Fuck With Me” over Drake’s “Dreams Money Can Buy.” The freestyle grew from Pusha’s earlier conflict with Lil Wayne and Young Money, placing Drake inside an existing label dispute.
Pusha T Releases “Don’t Fuck With Me”
Link copied
October 24, 2016
Drake released “Two Birds, One Stone,” with lines directed at Pusha T and Kid Cudi. The track brought Drake and Pusha’s earlier indirect exchange back into public view before their 2018 confrontation.
Drake Targets Pusha T on “Two Birds, One Stone”
Link copied
May 25, 2018
Pusha T released Daytona with “Infrared” as the closing track. The song renewed the Drake conflict by referencing earlier ghostwriting allegations connected to Quentin Miller.
Pusha T Releases “Infrared”
Link copied
May 25, 2018
Drake released “Duppy Freestyle” in response to “Infrared.” The track addressed Pusha T and Kanye West directly and moved the dispute from subliminal references into an open exchange.
Drake Releases “Duppy Freestyle” in Response to Pusha T
Link copied
May 29, 2018
Pusha T released “The Story of Adidon” as a direct response to “Duppy Freestyle.” The track alleged that Drake had a son and used a photo of Drake in blackface as its artwork.
Pusha T Releases “The Story of Adidon”
Link copied
May 30, 2018
Drake issued a statement explaining the blackface photo used in “The Story of Adidon” artwork. He said the image came from a 2007 project about Black actors facing stereotypes and typecasting.
Drake Addresses the Blackface Photo Used for “The Story of Adidon”
Link copied
June 8, 2018
After several days of public fallout, Pusha T said the Drake exchange was over from his perspective. The statement followed J Prince saying he had advised Drake not to release another response track.
Pusha T Says the Exchange Is Over
Link copied
June 29, 2018
Drake released Scorpion and publicly addressed being a father. On “Emotionless” and “March 14,” he discussed why he had kept his son out of the public eye after Pusha T raised the subject on “The Story of Adidon.”
Drake Addresses Fatherhood on Scorpion
Link copied
October 12, 2018
During an appearance on The Shop, Drake said he had prepared another response to “The Story of Adidon” but chose not to release it. He said the conflict had moved beyond rap competition because it involved his family and Noah “40” Shebib’s health.
Drake Explains Why He Did Not Respond Again to Pusha T
Link copied
October 17, 2018
On The Joe Budden Podcast, Pusha T disputed Drake’s suggestion that Kanye West had supplied the information about his son. Pusha T claimed that the information instead reached him through private conversations involving Drake’s producer Noah “40” Shebib.
Pusha T Disputes Drake’s Account of How His Son Was Revealed
Link copied
Timeline
💡 Did You Know?
• Pusha T's DAYTONA contains seven tracks. Four of them reached the Billboard Hot 100, and the album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
• DAYTONA received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards.
• Drake released “Duppy Freestyle” on the same day as DAYTONA and posted a satirical $100,000 invoice for promotional assistance and career reviving.
• Pusha T recorded “The Story of Adidon” over the instrumental from Jay-Z's “The Story of O.J.”
Further watching & listening
Selected interviews, releases and external links connected to this feud.
MUSIC
STREAMING
Drake — “March 14”
“March 14” is one of the Scorpion tracks where Drake addresses fatherhood. The song became part of the public aftermath of “The Story of Adidon.”
MUSIC
STREAMING
Drake — “Two Birds, One Stone”
Drake’s 2016 track attacks Pusha T’s drug-dealing image and addresses Kid Cudi’s public struggles. The Pusha-directed lines revived Drake and Pusha’s earlier indirect exchange before their feud became open in 2018.
INTERVIEWS
FREE
Pusha T on Moving Past Diss Tracks
Pusha T discusses why diss tracks no longer hold the same weight for him. The interview gives a later public view of where he stands on rap back-and-forths.
INTERVIEWS
FREE
Drake on “The Shop”
Drake joins LeBron James and other guests for a conversation about music, fatherhood and his disputes with Kanye West and Pusha T.
MUSIC
STREAMING
“Infrared” by Pusha T
A track from DAYTONA that became one of the key public music moments leading into the Drake response cycle in 2018.
MUSIC
FREE
Drake — “Duppy Freestyle”
“Duppy Freestyle” is Drake’s direct response to Pusha T’s “Infrared.” The track also brings Kanye West and G.O.O.D. Music into the public
MUSIC
FREE
Pusha T - “Don’t Fuck With Me”
Pusha T released “Don’t Fuck With Me,” a freestyle over Drake’s “Dreams Money Can Buy.”
PODCASTS
FREE
Pusha T on The Joe Budden Podcast
Pusha T discusses the Drake feud and explains where he says the information about Drake’s son came from.
ARTICLES
FREE
Pusha T on “The Story of Adidon”
This interview coverage documents Pusha T discussing the track, its artwork and the wider Drake exchange shortly after release.
Disclosure: Some external media links may be affiliate or partner links. This does not affect the timeline, source selection or editorial framing.