Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain are beefing and fans are wondering: who’s the Kendrick and who’s the Drake?

https://www.dailydot.com/culture/lana-del-rey-ethel-cain-beef/

Lindsey Weedston Aug 15, 2025 · 3 mins read
Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain are beefing and fans are wondering: who’s the Kendrick and who’s the Drake?
Share this

Lana Del Rey may have just ignited an unexpected feud with Ethel Cain. On Wednesday, she teased a new song, seemingly aimed at the ambient pop singer, that references Cain by name, alludes to past slights, and accuses her of body shaming. The tension didn’t stop at the music: Del Rey doubled down in Instagram comments and later blocked Cain.

Featured Video

The only question is: who will be the Kendrick, and who will be Drake?

Lana Del Rey vs. Ethel Cain: The Chicago pose mystery

Rumors of the feud started after Del Rey posted an Instagram Reel teasing a new song, referred to only as “Track 13.” As the singer stares into the camera, the track starts with, “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post.”

Advertisement

“Think it’s cute reenacting my Chicago pose.”

Fans of either or both singers went into overdrive to figure out what this “Chicago pose” referenced. X user @delreysarchive theorized that the pose refers to a photo of Del Rey with musician Jack Donoghue at the Cook County Jail. The reenactment may be a shot of Cain with the same man in front of a dam.

Advertisement

Waffle House supremacy

That’s not all. Del Rey also seems to take exception to Cain stealing her title as “the most famous girl at the Waffle House,” as the song goes.

This likely refers to a 2022 New York Times headline about Cain. The paper did not pass on this label to Del Rey after she worked as a Waffle House waitress in 2023.

Advertisement

The final sign of a growing feud lies in a recent Instagram comment by Del Rey, accusing Cain of body shaming her.

“I didn’t know who Ethel was until a few years ago — when someone brought to my attention the disturbing and graphic side-by-side images she would often put up of me next to unflattering creatures and cartoon characters making constant comments about my weight, I was confused at what she was getting at,” she wrote. 

“Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life I was definitely disturbed.”

Advertisement

Del Rey followed this up by blocking Cain on Instagram, as Ethel Cain herself highlighted.

“Kendrick vs. Drake for coquette Tumblr white women”

Online responses to the new celebrity feud quickly entered meme territory. If anybody is taking this seriously, they’re being drowned out by all the jokes, at least on X.

Advertisement

As user @cornyloser said, “this is gonna be kendrick vs. drake for coquette tumblr white women who have crumbs on their bed.”

“The concept of Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain fighting over who was Jack Donoghue’s favorite f*ck buddy,” wrote @Dykttatuob_1.

Advertisement

User @pablosorianov announced that “lana del rey and ethel cain are fighting, so i blocked gracie abrams.”

Meanwhile, @oceanblvdvinyl made use of The Sims baby on fire meme, writing, “not now sweetie, mommy has to keep up with the lana del rey vs. ethel cain drama.”

Based on other reactions, it’s looking like Del Rey may end up being Drake.

Advertisement

“Ethel cain called lana del rey fat when she was 19 oh nooo. Hey wait a minute what is this,” said @grownupkiss3300, adding a screenshot of search engine results about Del Rey performing in Israel.

“Lana Del Rey singing about hating Ethel Cain. Oh my god we already have the maga trad wife allegations if we get antitrans on top of that we will really be over,” predicted @Dykttatuob_1.

Advertisement