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On July 14, 2025, former disc jockey and journalist DJ Vlad took to X, challenging netizens to name "a UK rapper better than Kendrick Lamar", adding that he'll wait for a credible response to the same.
Kendrick rap rival Drake headlined this year's Wireless Festival in London from July 11, 2025, to July 13, 2025. On the second day of the fest, Drake brought out multiple London-based artists like Central Cee, Dave, and Skepta. At the time, Drake praised UK-based artists, stating:
“Nobody can out-rap London — nobody. No disrespect to America. No disrespect to my country. But, nobody can out-rap London rappers. This is the best, this is the highest level. This is what I aspire to be.”
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Since DJ Vlad's tweet followed Drake's comment, upholding UK-based rappers, it is speculated that he indirectly questioned the One Dance rapper's stance by giving Kendrick's example.
Shortly after posting the tweet, DJ Vlad's challenge was met with numerous responses from internet users, and the post consists of over 450K views and more than 900 comments at the time of this writing.
Name me a UK rapper better than Kendrick Lamar. I’ll wait.
Responding to DJ Vlad, one of the X users listed the names of three rappers they think are better UK rappers than Kendrick:
"Dave, Central Cee, Stormzy"
"Avelino, wretch 32, Stormzy. Shall I go on" an X user commented
"Skepta, Stormzy, Cench, M Huncho, Wretch32, Ghetts, many more" another X user mentioned
"Fredo, wewantwraiths, Dave , cench" an internet user stated
"Kano, Ghetts, Wretch32, Potter Payper, Nines. Check the pen game on them." another internet user said
On the other hand, some netizens sided with DJ Vlad's perception of the Not Like Us rapper:
"I got no answer lol but Kendrick is simply one of the greatest ever" an X user tweeted
"You’ll be waiting till Thames dries up. Kendrick’s in a different tax bracket of lyricism. UK has heat, but no one’s out-rapping that man. Let’s be serious." a netizen remarked
"No one’s better than Kendrick idiot" another netizen expressed
What is Kendrick Lamar's hometown? Details explored amid DJ Vlad's controversial tweet
While DJ Vlad challenged netizens to name a UK rapper better than Kendrick Lamar, it is important to note that Kendrick Lamar belongs to the United States of America and is a native of Compton, California.
The rapper has mentioned his hometown directly and indirectly in a lot of his raps, in addition to which he has also talked about growing up in the region. According to Variety's November 2017 report, Kendrick grew up in Section 8 housing in his hometown and witnessed his first murder in Compton at the age of 5.
In January 2016, Compton's mayor at the time, Aja Brown, gave Kendrick Lamar the 'Key to the City' honor, which is given to distinguished individuals. Talking about Compton and his vision for the city, Kendrick told Variety:
“I see improvements in people stepping up, for sure. We have a lot of figures who love the city but won’t set foot in it because of the danger. I still have family there. Some people don’t, so they don’t feel the connection. But these kids are excited about it — as long you put the practice behind it; that’s where things start.”
The rapper also contributes to his hometown's development. Variety's 2017 report mentioned that Kendrick donated $1.5 million to Compton's school district to enable its revitalization.
Kendrick Lamar is currently on the UK and European leg of the Grand National Tour alongside SZA. The rappers will be covering Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and Warsaw, among other cities.
