Is Nike the Real Winner of the War Between Drake and Kendrick?

The internet is buzzing with a viral rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. While the web has crowned Lamar the lyrical champ, the conversation for marketers should probably be centered on the brands that have been propelled to the forefront of this cultural moment via organic mentions in the songs and what to do if your brand is next.

Lifestyle brands across luxury, streetwear—and even pharmaceuticals—have creatively appeared in the artist’s verses. Lamar mentioned fashion brands Tommy Hilfiger and FUBU in his song “Euphoria” as an insult to Drake. The Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper also name-dropped the weight loss wonder drug Ozempic on his song “Meet The Grahams,” and sports drink Gatorade on his “Not Like Us” track to taunt the Toronto rapper.

Drake, a creative lyricist in his own right, is no stranger to incorporating brands into his diss tracks as well as. A questionable reference to luxury handbag Chanel appears on his song, “Push Ups,” and he makes mention of high-end car brand Ferrari on his track “Family Matters,” as a dismissive insult to Lamar.   

The dueling rappers haven’t limited their creative organic usage of brands to just their lyrics. Lamar set social media ablaze with the look he sported during The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert in Inglewood, California. The show streamed on Amazon Music, placing the platform at the center of one of the most talked-about moments of the year.

In it, the Compton-born artist, wore a pair of Nike Shox in a throwback red and white colorway paired the sneakers with a scarlet hoodie from The Row. The look, a reference to the 1994 Source Awards where Tupac antagonized the Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy, was also a huge win for the shoe brand and led to hundreds of TikTokers theorizing that Lamar might have a Nike collaboration on the way.      

Getting eyeballs on a product without ad spend at this scale can be just the boost a brand needs to revive itself or evolve to the next level, but it can also be a double-edged sword. Brands need to be ready to navigate the surge in attention and ensure they’re prepared for both the positive and negative impacts that come with such high-profile mentions.

If your brand ends up in the lyrical crossfire, it’s crucial to have a strategy in place to leverage the moment effectively and authentically.

One great example is Coach in its response to being dissed by Cardi B on her “Like What (Freestyle)” track earlier this year. In response to the lyric “Like a Coach bag, baby, this ain’t what you want,” the brand stayed strategically silent, allowing its loyal fans and followers to speak out on social media for them. Cardi B, whose stage moniker is derived from another famous brand, ended being dragged online since downplaying the brand went against the foundational person as a “regular, degular, girl from the Bronx.” In the end, the singer issued a mea culpa in a playful video of her publicly buying a Coach bag.

The key to managing high profile organic mentions is preparation. Coach has weathered the musical viral storm several times before, including a sweet shoutout by Fergie in “Labels or Love” and a bit of a brand slam in Camron’s “Hey Mumma”. They’ve been here before and have a clear playbook for how the brand responds.

Any brand intertwined with popular culture should do the same. Consider how a diss or a declaration of love would play out to target consumers and prepare a plan in advance of a name-drop. Being proactive ensures that your brand can seamlessly navigate any volatile waters and be poised to turn a challenge into an opportunity for growth and increased visibility. Like Coach, this what you actually want to do.

Being prepared can make all the difference when your brand is thrust into the spotlight, whether through a fiery diss or a glowing endorsement.