IANA Blog- May 2024

 Blog

Happy May,

My May has definitely been busy so far…especially with Mother’s Day, to events that I’m a part of, to African Liberation Day, but I wanted to talk about something off-topic…

…the Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud…

Let me start off by saying one of my favorite hip hop artists in the industry today is Kendrick Lamar. Rising from the streets of Compton, California, Kendrick has been credited for bringing social commentary into his music, just like many other great hip hop artists. I’ve been a big fan of Kendrick, ever since listening to his first album Section 80. I remember me and my brother playing that album whenever we would go out. I never got to listen to his EP or his mixtapes, but I did remember watching videos of him when he was younger, especially the video of him being passed “the torch,” by hip hop artist Snoop Dogg and other legendary West Coast hip hop artists. I stayed playing his three albums Good Kid M.A.A.D. City, To Pimp a Butterfly and DAMN when all three came out. I definitely was playing Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers too.

Drake, who used to go by his real name Aubrey Graham, is also a hip hop artist. Before he was a rapper, he was a child actor. I remember him as Jimmy Brooks from the TV show, Degrassi: The Next Generation. Then he released three mixtapes, before signing with Young Money Entertainment, a record label owned by hip hop artist Lil’ Wayne. I’m gonna be honest with you…I was never really a fan of Drake, because all I could see was “Jimmy from Degrassi” trying to rap. I did har a lot from his mixtapes while in college, because my roommate was a huge fan of Drake. He would play a lot of his Comeback Season mixtape.

Let me talk a little bit about the rivalry and whose side I’m on…even though it’s obvious…

These two rappers have been involved in a feud since the early 2010s. Their feud did escalate this year, especially Kendrick taking shots at Drake on hip hop artist Future and record producer Metro Boomin’s song “Like That.” Kendrick and Drake did collaborate together on different songs, especially on Drake’s album Take Care and Kendrick’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City album. In 2013, Kendrick took shots at Drake and other rappers on hip hop artist Big Sean's song “Control,” but intended for his verse to be friendly competition. Drake would take shots at Kendrick in interviews and songs, but would not say his name.

In 2023, Drake made a song called “First Person Shooter,” which featured hip hop artist J. Cole, who also happens to be one of my favorite hip hop artists today. Cole professed that he, Kendrick and Drake are the “Big Three” of Hip hop. Like I mentioned, Kendrick responded on “Like That” and took shots at Drake and J. Cole. This led to Cole responding on “7 Minute Drill.” One of the lines I remember Cole saying was how Kendrick’s first album was classic, his last album was “tragic,” his second one put people to sleep but they “gassed it.” I’m over here like, “you out yo damn mind?!” I also remember Cole making fun of Kendrick’s height. After listening to that, I was like, “Nah J. Cole, that ain’t it.” Then, the day after I listen to it, I hear that J. Cole deleted the song and apologized for dissing Kendrick. Next thing you know, Drake disses Kendrick on two songs…”Push Ups”...and ”Taylor Made Freestyle.” The latter song featured an A.I. version of the legendary hip hop artist Tupac Shakur, one  of Kendrick’s favorite rappers. As I expected, Kendrick responded.

Kendrick responded with the song “Euphoria,” and “6.16 in LA.” Euphoria was named after the TV show that Drake is executive producer of. That show depicts teenagers having sex. I’m just listening to the song and going nuts. Kendrick went after Drake for being a scam artist, a predator towards younger women, being a deadbeat father and for being privileged and appropriating African American culture . I had to play it on repeat. After both tracks, Drake responded with “Family Matters.” Drake targeted Kendrick, but other artists as well, including Future, Rick Ross, ASAP Rocky, and R&B singer The Weeknd, and Metro Boomin, in which he told Metro Boomin to “shut his hoe ass up and make some drums.” Drake also went far as accusing Kendrick of domestic violence, and said he was a performative activist. There’s a line where Drake says Kendrick sounds like he’s trying to free slaves. People thought Kendrick would respond…until he did…a couple of hours after Drake did.

Kendrick responded with “Meet the Grahams.” He addresses his song as a letter to Drake’s son Adonis, his mother Sandra, his father Dennis, his alleged daughter and Drake himself. Kendrick calls him a predator, a deadbeat father, claims that he is running a sex trafficking ring with other artists and compares him to Harvey Weinstein. The song was haunting, unsettling and I was enjoying every bit of it. I think Kendrick pretty much is winning in this feud, but I think this next song Kendrick would make is the “dagger.”

Kendrick continues with “Not Like Us.” which is produced by record producer DJ Mustard, which is Bay Area influenced. On the song, Kendrick continues to call out his predatory behavior, labeled his OVO crew as pedophiles, and called Drake out for continuing his cultural appropriation by co-opting African American culture, especially exploiting and copying the culture within Black Americans in Atlanta. He went as far as calling him a “colonizer.” When I heard this song, not only did I know I was gonna play this song, I knew my friends were going to play it, the whole state of California was going to play it. He has everyone in LA crip walking and blood walking, while us here in the Bay Area have been playing his music from day to night. We may have the hit song of the summer. Drake did respond with “The Heart Part 6,” and the song was terrible. The song did not help Drake at all. He’s accusing Kendrick of being molested, he brings up multiple times that he isn’t a predator, randomly brings up young actress Millie Bobby Brown, who Drake met when she was a teenager. The only people who seem to like that song is his fanbase, but I’m not surprised. I forgot to mention that Metro Boomin made an instrumental song called, “BBL Drizzy,” which refers to Drake having plastic surgery done on his body.

Now, if you ask me which side I am on…I won't even waste five seconds and say Team Kendrick…Call me biased, because I’m a California kid, but I’ve been Team Kendrick from the start. I can name multiple Kendrick songs that I can vibe to, enjoy and be emotionally attached to, from “Alright,” to “Real,” to “Complexion (A Zulu Love),” to “HiiPower.” I stayed playing “Alright” when To Pimp a Butterfly came out. That song literally became a song for the Black Lives Matter movement. I can’t say the same for Drake…maybe his songs “Fear,” and “Think Good Thoughts,” but that’s because one of my favorite hip hop artists Phonte was featured on the song and because it was produced by record producer 9th Wonder…but that’s about it.

I was especially agreeing with Kendrick when he calls out Drake for being the “colonizer” he is…or as I would call him “culture vulture.” Like I said earlier, Drake was a kid star doing teen drama shows, now he wants to be a rapper, from a privileged neighborhood in Canada, rapping like he is from Atlanta…or rapping like he is from Houston…or Memphis…I remember he was rapping like he was from the Bay Area…biting off Bay Area legends Rappin 4-Tay (from San Francisco) and Too $hort (from Oakland). If there was one song I couldn’t stand from Drake was “The Motto (YOLO).” Thanks to him, everyone outside the Bay Area thinks we say “Yolo,” which is short for “You Only Live Once.” Let me just say, as a man who was born and raised in the Bay Area, we…do…not…say…that! Don’t even get me started on the music video, which is supposed to be Bay Area influenced. I still remember Drake is in the video driving around San Francisco in a lowrider. Strike 1: As much as I love the lowrider, that is not Bay Area culture. Strike 2: Lil’ Wayne was in the video in some Green ugs. I don’t want people thinking we wear that. Strike 3: Hip hop artist Tyga was also featured in the video, wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball jersey. The biggest rival of the San Francisco Giants. You pretty much struck out!

Don’t get me started on how he bites off Atlanta culture and Atlanta hip hop artists, especially Future, Lil’ Baby, 21 Savage, Young Thug and Quavo from Migos. The fact that Drake was able to be successful biting off Black American culture makes me shake my head. That “free the slaves” line really infuriates me, because if you know the history of racism in America, especially the discrimination that Black Americans face, you know that the line sounds stupid. I get what he was trying to say, I still didn’t like it. 

Let me also state that he didn’t just co-opt Black American culture, he is co-opting Caribbean/West Indian culture, UK culture and other cultures too. Pretending to sound like a Jamaican, knowing damn well he doesn't have any Caribbean heritage. When he did that one song, “One Dance” with Afrobeats icon Wizkid, that song was everywhere, but I remember his fans saying that Drake made Dancehall big again, because of that song, and I’m like, “Y’all have lost your mind!” I also saw where his fans were saying he helped make Afrobeats famous, just cause Wizkid was on his song. I wanted to slap these fools for saying that. Nigerian artists don’t need to Drake to be big, get the f**k out of here with that s**t.

We also can’t leave out the predator remarks, because Drake definitely has that mentality, especially with the way he acts around women…especially younger women. The fact he didn’t really deny it in “The Heart Part 6,” really shows.

I also find it interesting that there are other artists and celebrities that have been giving their thoughts on the Kendrick-Drake beef. I’ve been seeing hip hop artists and legends say that the feud is unnecessary, or that they don’t want anyone getting hurt. I even saw hip hop drummer Questlove of The Roots, condemning both Kendrick and Drake for making it personal, and that no one is victorious and that “hip hop is dead.” Ironically, he played the drums for Jay-Z one time when he performed “Takeover,” the infamous diss song of Nas. I guarantee you some of these rappers were silent when other feuds were happening. Just found it interesting. I understand why some say that though.

I do have to agree with the legendary Stevie Wonder. This feud is definitely a distraction from what’s going on in the world, especially with the current genocides happening. Although I haven’t lost focus, it’s definitely a distraction.

Either way, we gonna be playing “Not Like Us” all summer. But, what do you think IANA? You Team Kendrick or Team Drake?

…Choose wisely…😏