The Duality of a Diss: Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and the Limits of Lyricism
/yo͞oˈfôrēə/ (noun)–a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.
Let’s start by saying Kendrick won. I don’t think there’s anything Drake can do at this point to sway the culture. The comment sections, the YouTubers, the OG’s, even the casual listeners understand that Kendrick outperformed Drake. The giant has fallen. Kendrick made it cool to hate on Drake again - that’s what we do when one idea or person becomes a dominant force - we think of innovative ways to go against its popularity. Even academics aren’t above trends. Don’t let them fool you, hating on Drake is in vogue. Drake is a fantastic songwriter. He’s written songs that every one of my peers has mouthed the words to or moved a body part in jubilation. “One Dance”, “Take Care”, "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)”, ‘Find Your Love”, “Passionfruit”, “Jungle”, and “Marvin’s Room” are just a few of his timeless hits. I can’t count how many times I’ve heard, “Drake isn’t even a rapper, he’s a pop artist”, to which I say, yes, and in that case, he shouldn’t have been able to keep up with Kendrick. But he did. Drake’s success in the music industry is no accident and is well earned. His mistake was going against a lyrical titan in a time period where youth are eager to see big powers fall. Kendrick Lamar is one of the most intelligent lyricists of our generation, and he showed that his hunger hasn’t left the building. I’ve stated my fandom for Drake and I also must stand on my fandom for Kung Fu Kenny. My introduction to Kendrick was Rigamortis. My friend texted me the audio via Youtube in 2011 and I immediately knew this man would be a force for years. Each of his projects not only include lyrical prowess, but also academic and biblical research. “good kid, m.A.A.d city” changed the way I make my own albums. “DAMN” might just be my most listened to album of all time. So what we have here is one of our generation’s best songwriters vs one of our generation’s best lyricists.
Lyricism is grounded in Hip-Hop’s purity of puns, punchlines, personal anecdotes, figurative language, vocalizing support of the oppressed, and cultural references. Songwriting is grounded in some of those same elements, but is more universal in its appeal, transcends genres, and, when effective, is timeless. So what happens when these forces collide: A debate of values ensues.
After the Kendrick’s verse on “Like That”, and Drake’s ensuing response via “Push Ups”, I quickly realized this was not a battle of skill but rather a battle of philosophies. In my opinion, success, especially in America, is measured in two ways: Financial gain and/or cultural impact. Drake may forever be one of the wealthiest and most streamed artists as long as streaming platforms are around. Kendrick might not have the streaming numbers or the money (he certainly does well for himself though), but he’s always had the ear of the culture. Early in this beef reactions were split between the two based on these factors. The tide changed when accusations became the main source of lyrical jabs. On “Family Matters”, Drake claims “They hired a crisis management team to clean up the fact that you beat on your queen”. On the flip side Kendrick claims on “Not Like Us”, “Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young/You better not ever go to cell block one…trynna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor”. Both of these lines set the culture on fire as they are some of the most direct and destructive lines from any rapper beef in a long time. But here is where things get sticky. While the internet went wild I had a different epiphany - both of these artists are disappointing as men I looked up to.
Neither one is as evolved as I’d had hoped and it shows me that maybe a changing of the guard is coming/necessary. Kendrick is accused of physical abuse. Drake is accused of being into underaged women, or at least being around men who are. It’s no coincidence that women have become the catalyst of insults. My biggest critique of Hip-Hop (as a participator and fan) is how women and language to describe womanhood have been historically weaponized to emasculate one’s opponent. Both artist’s claims against each other and the predictable, played out, weaponization of women are disappointing regardless of the entertainment value.
You’ll hear a lot of internet chatter from folks who have no skin in the game making claims that this beef is a distraction from the “real” problems going on in the world i.e. the occupation of Palestine by Israel, more specifically, the invasion of Israel forces on the city of Rafah (which is commencing as I write this). To that I say, be careful of placing your values on others. I could find several things everyone is concerned about that is less “important” than another problem. Discourse about art is always important, especially Black art. Discourse about art that has impacted your life is important. Critique and critical analysis is important. The beauty of being a human being that’s conscious of self is that It’s possible to care about multiple things at once. Caring about one thing doesn’t mean you have less care for another.
With that said, these men are both entertainers and they know what the culture wants. Both men’s intelligence has been mentioned, and it’s fair to think they are well aware that participating in this beef places them at the forefront of pop culture conversation. I cannot blame an entertainer for entertaining in the same way that I cannot blame a doctor for healing. With that said, my personal wish isn’t that people stop caring, it’s that these men find healing and that audiences stop being so enthralled by men fueled by pain. A good friend of mine likened the beef to recent presidential elections. It seems like our Goliaths, or our choices of culture shifters are always a choice between the “lesser” evils. The internet is so in awe of Kendrick’s swift, well crafted, responses that they’ve overlooked any validation for the claims of abuse against him. I can’t help but to recall Killmonger’s exclamation of “Is this your King” from 2016’s Black Panther film. Is our king really an abuser? Is that the best we’ve got? Does our critique as a culture stop at lyrical prowess and social media chess moves rather than decency as human beings?
As I write this I’m seeing a notification on my phone about Drake’s property getting shot up in a drive by and Drake’s security guard taking a shot to the chest. Kendrick went on wax in “Meet the Grahms” to say that “Mm-mm, your son's a sick man with sick thoughts, I think niggas like him should die”. In all of Kendrick’s anger and want for cultural relevance, in all of Kendrick’s intelligence, he has to be aware of the overzealous nature of stan-dom. My mother always reminds me of how toxic people can be when they become fans of someone or something. There are people who will hear Kendrick’s death wish on Drake and actually attempt to execute. I’m not God, so it’s difficult for me to determine who deserves death and who doesn’t. I am however a believer in restorative justice. I think all deserve a chance to restore, and I especially hold that toward people of color. And maybe that’s just it - I can’t see eye-to-eye with either of these men at this point because I wan’t raised with malice on my heart.