It’s been almost two years since the Kendrick and Drake beef, and it still hasn’t left my mind. As a huge fan of rap and R&B, I find the feud still making its way into my conversations casually. I also know a few people who still listen to both of the singers’ discographies, but they usually assure me they listen more to Drake, making me think that they simply engage with a lot of popular hip-hop jams.Â
Personally, I try to avoid Drake as much as possible, only listening to songs he features in, such as Kendrick’s “Poetic Justice” and A$AP Rocky’s “F**kin’ Problems.” This is because, to me, the dispute wasn’t about music, but about morals.Â
Despite the iconic line coming out of the arguments being the “A minor” line in “Not Like Us,” I feel that people disregard the core of the song, which is Drake’s alleged treatment of women and pedophilia. It’s incredible to me how much these allegations have been forgotten, with many defending Drake today by reflecting on the “cringe” factor of “Not Like Us” and “tv off.”
Feminism stands at the center of the whole debacle, but so many people are willing to disregard Drake’s allegations simply because they dislike Kendrick’s new music.
Beyond these issues, while Kendrick was able to ethically write and drop the still-striking tracks of “euphoria,” “Not Like Us,” and “Meet the Grahams,” Drake used AI chatbots to defend himself in “Taylor Made Freestyle.” I don’t hear enough people talking about the insanity of Drake generating an AI verse in Tupac’s voice, someone who definitely wouldn’t be jumping to Drake’s defense if he were still alive.
Interestingly, out of the two, Kendrick is the one who seems to clearly take inspiration from the West Coast and activist rap style, like Tupac.Â
Drake also included an AI verse from the still-living Snoop Dogg, something that is beyond perplexing, in my opinion. Since Drake couldn’t get Snoop Dogg to defend him in real life, Drake made up a defense by generating Snoop’s voice instead.Â
Maybe I’m simply beating a dead horse, but I don’t find it easy to disregard Drake being an allegedly absent father and a creep simply because Kendrick’s diss tracks have been overplayed.Â
In other words, you won’t catch his diss tracks leaving my rotation anytime soon!
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