Hip-hop is Having Its Biggest Moment in Decades
A classic royal-rumble-style beef, with rappers diving into the ring and getting thrown out almost as fast. Who will be the last man standing?
If not for anything, America will always be my sweetheart because of its rich artistic and cultural heritage. Imagine a world without Hollywood, or Jay Z, or Nas, or Taylor Swift. That’s a world I wouldn’t want to live in. Hell no! By the way, a big shout out to Taylor Swift; her latest album “The Tortured Poets Department” is easily the best music out there right now, and I mean it.
In case you missed it, several American rappers have been embroiled in a rap beef royal rumble, one the biggest in hip-hop. Although the genesis of this beef dates back more than a decade, old wounds reopened when Compton-born rapper Kendrick Lamar took shots at Drake and J Cole on Future and Metro Boomin’s song “Like That.” The record released in March this year, and in his verse, Lamar declares himself the undisputed king of rap, rebutting J Cole’s claim of a "Big 3" of him (Cole), Drake and, of course, Lamar. Cole had made the statement in a 2023 collab with Drake titled "First Person Shooter."
Back in 2013, it was the same Lamar, who, in a guest appearance on Big Sean’s rap hit “Control,” name-dropped and dissed nearly all of hip-hop, including a more established Drake and J Cole and song owner Sean, claiming he was "trying to raise the bar," even though he was a relatively new rapper, albeit with irrefutably growing acclaim. The verse wasn’t met with too much malice, however, with Kendrick admitting that he “got love” for all the emcees he dissed before dropping his bomb, reaffirming, truly, that his intent was to raise the competition. Regardless, a diss is a in hip-hop; so rappers like Cassidy, Joe Budden, Meek Mill, Lupe Fiasco, Joel Ortiz, Papoose, Bizzy Crook, etc., replied to Lamar, but neither did Drake nor Cole, at least not officially.
Lamar has since joined Drake and Cole as the three biggest rappers of their time, making anthems that have become touchstones, breaking record after record, and claiming the biggest prizes and accolades along the way, including the highly coveted Pulitzer. However, their respective fanbases remain split on who the outright king is; like all fandoms, each base is adamant their fave is the G.O.A.T.
It is important to note that before Lamar (also K-Dot, by the way) publicly snatched at the throne in 2013," Drake had featured him on his second studio album "Take Care" and took him on tour in 2012. They seemed to have chemistry and a good bromance growing. Nevertheless, while Lamar and Cole remained cool in the early days after "Control," Drake took the diss to heart, and his relationship with Lamar deteriorated, kicking off a decade-long war of subliminal between the two. Since then, they’ve gone head-to-head for both critical and commercial supremacy— each rapper trying to outdo the other, with the media contributing significant fuel to their rivalry.
After Lamar's latest diss, notably the most direct shot he's ever fired at Drake... and Cole, Cole surprisingly responded with "7 Minute Drill," off an unannounced mixtape titled "I Might Delete Later." In the song, he especially slanders Lamar's discography, praising his first and third albums, but referring to his latest project, 2022's "Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers," as tragic and calling what is arguably K-Dot’s most critically acclaimed album— 2015's “To Pimp A Butterfly” — a snooze fest. To add insult to injury, Cole refused to acknowledge Lamar's actual debut album "Section 80." Instead, he refers to his sophomore album "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" as his first, and the commercially successful "DAMN" as his third, when they should rightfully be second and fourth, respectively.
This beef may not be anywhere near Tupac versus Bigge, or Jay Z versus Nas, but it's big; it’s also great for the culture. It's the first time two extremely talented and commercially successful rappers of our time would be facing off. And, what I like about it the most is that it's just straight bars, straight gossip, straight who slept with who, and who's putting food in who's mouth; no physical brawls, no punches, no guns, and no drive-bys. This could be the biggest moment in new school rap-- I'm talking with legacy-shaping ramifications.
Anyway, a couple of days later, Cole apologised for “7 Minute Drill,” admitting it didn't sit right with him. He has taken down the record from all streaming platforms and backed out of the feud, confessing his love for Lamar during a concert. well, at first, I thought that was weak of him, but seeing how this battle has escalated in the last couple of days, I'm beginning to think he made the right decision. For more information, check out the annotated lyrics for “7 Minute Drill” here.
Apparently, several other rappers have a bone to pick with Drake and were waiting for an opportunity like this to let loose. Firstly, he and Future used to be cool. They’ve assisted each other on multiple songs and albums that have gone on to kick-start cultural movements in hip-hop. It's about the same for producer and rapper Metro Boomin, and you would wonder why they would give K-Dot a platform to go off against their friend. Rappers Rick Ross, ASAP Rocky (Rihanna's baby daddy), and Kanye West are the other people taunting the Canadian rapper.
Meanwhile, there’s another beef somewhere gaining momentum— a side dish. It’s between Quavo and Chris Brown. Brown made it official with a dedicated diss song titled “Weakest Link,” while the former Migos member Quavo has responded with his own record “Over Hoes and Bitches.” But, let’s get back to the main course.
Like J Cole (before he backed out), Drake is surprisingly not letting this one slide. The 6-god has responded with two records: "Push Ups" and "Taylor Made Freestyle." While he uses the former to collectively address all his adversaries, including Future, Metro, Ross, Lamar, and a couple of other celebs I didn't know were involved— like The Weekend and his XO label— the latter is focused exclusively on his feud with Lamar. The track features AI voices of legendary West Coast rappers Tupac and Snoop Dogg, as Drake plays on Lamar's prodigy complex (Lamar is regarded as Tupac''s hier), combined with provocative arguments delivered through witty lines, goading Lamar to respond. “Dot, I know you're in that NY apartment, you strugglin' right now, I know it / In the notepad doing lyrical gymnastics, my boy / You better have a motherfuckin' quintuple entendre on that shit / Some shit I don't even understand, like / That shit better be crazy, we waitin' on you / Yeah,” Drake raps.
For Drake, rap feuds this size are nothing new; after all, he's gone to war with some of the industry's biggest guns, smoking Meek Mill with "Back to Back" and holding it down against Pusha T in 2018.
If Lamar eventually responds, it would be his first official involvement in a rap beef. Will he succumb to Drake’s goading? Will he not? Will he do it at his own pace and still triumph? Right now, only his stans think he’s winning the war. I feel like there’s no turning back now, and the longer he waits, the more his reputation takes a hit. I mean, why launch a domino when you cannot withstand the cascade?
For a breakdown of the Drake, J Cole versus Kendrick Lamar beef check out What's The Dirt on YouTube.
Mood for today: