By Izayah Morgan Opinions Editor Hip-Hop is an art form I grew up loving from a young age with my father playing Hip-Hop tracks on the drive to school and producing beats in his studio. As I grew, I learned the origins through my own research. Starting in New York, Hip-Hop was influenced by disco and house music. DJ Kool Herc in 1973 spun his turntable at his sister’s back-to-school party - this marked the birth of Hip-Hop. At first Hip-Hop was a niche genre, but blew up in the ’80s with rappers such as LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C, Big Daddy Kane, and more producing music. Fifty years later, Hip-Hop is now one of the biggest music genres - with that there are pros and cons. Throughout the years we saw many beefs - Nas vs. Jay Z, Tupac vs. Biggie, 50 Cent vs. Kanye, Nicki vs. Remy Ma, and the most recent example, Kendrick vs. Drake. Some ended with peace, others in violence. Throughout the 2010s, the “King of Hip-Hop” title was up for grabs and it was between two main figures. Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The two have widely different experiences that shaped their view of Blackness. Drake grew up with an absent Black father and a white Jewish mother. In his early life, he became a child actor, finding success on the show “Degrassi.” He went on to make a song with singer Trey Songs and was noticed by Hip-Hop legend Lil Wayne. He joined Wayne in the height of his career in the “I am Music” tour. Drake then released his debut album “Thank Me Later” which debuted at number one - his dominance has been history from then. Kendrick had an upbringing that was very different. Born in Compton, California, Kendrick often described his home life and real life as separate. Growing up, he saw his parents be happy and treat him well, but life in Compton, as you can imagine, was hard. Drug money, violence, and political tension shaped his worldview. However, he rose above his harsh circumstances and became one of the most respected rappers of his time. His studio album “Section.80” became/is a wonderful introduction to Kendrick. His second studio album “Good Kid M.A.A.D City” is beautiful as it touches on the themes of growing up in Compton while being a good kid. His third studio album, “To Pimp A Butterfly,” is his most critically acclaimed, specifically in the Black community, and is centered around issues of race and trauma. In Hip-Hop, we have what I like to call OGs - people who are respected in the industry of Hip- Hop and have great influence on the Hip-Hop community. For me was my uncle who, let's say, had his thoughts on Drake’s come up. However, an OG can be anyone in Hip-Hop who grew up with the genre and has a say in the industry. Essentially, OGs have the say so on who is here to stay. It was clear most OGs sided with Kendrick. Kendrick had grown with the culture, saw it as part of himself and gave to it. However, with his hiatus after his album “Damn” in 2017, it was clear that hit after hit Drake took the crown of Hip-Hop King. Kendrick returned in 2022 with his fifth studio album, but was flocked with controversy and a mixed reception. The album made it seem like Kendrick was done with the culture and looked toward focusing on his wife, kids, and therapy as discussed in his latest album “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.” With this shift in Kendrick’s focus, it looked like Drake had won the battle for king and could be “as big as the Super Bowl.” Drake went on to make a long awaited feature with J. Cole, where they proceeded to name themselves and Kendrick as the “big three” of rap. However, Kendrick proceeded to show them all that he was “Like That.” He went on a track with Future and Metro Boomin and proceeded to diss Drake and J. Cole, but the track left the feeling Kendrick had an itch for Drake’s crown. J. Cole responded to Kendrick with the now-deleted diss song, “7 Minute Drill.” Drake responded with the song “Push Ups” pushing light jabs at Kendrick, as well as other artists. Kendrick sent out warning shots within the songs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in Los Angeles” - telling Drake not to push this beef further as he previously had in his last feud with rapper Pusha T., who exposed Drake for doing Blackface and having a secret child. Drake pushed it further. He dropped the song “Family Matters” and accused Kendrick of having kids that were not his, but his manager’s, and abusing his wife. I went to sleep that night texting my uncle that the beef was over and Drake had won - no question. Ah Kenny, I'm sorry for doubting you. Kendrick proceeded to drop, not even an hour later, the song “Meet the Grahams.” In this track, Kendrick apologized to Drake's son for having a terrible father and blamed Drake's own dad for being absent in his life and producing a manipulator. He also apologizes to Drake’s mother for birthing such a terrible person and highlights his poor treatment of women. I thought this was a good diss, but - surely - Drake could come back, right? No. He couldn’t. Kendrick, hours later, dropped “Not Like Us,” where he produced one the biggest diss tracks ever and one of the biggest club bangers ever. He classified Drake as a pedophile, groomer, and colonizer. All in a song you can crip walk too. This beef taught me many things. It taught me to respect this art form that gave so much to the culture and filled so many lives with joy. It taught me to remember the roots of where this came from and how Black people so often create smiles out of pain. We are some of the best minds and entertainment in one. When we sit and analyze everything, this beef was about the culture in which rap was created - the struggle, love and authenticity which Kendrick represented. On the other hand, Drake represented to many the thing a Hip-Hop artist should never do - to claim a lifestyle he never experienced. To the culture, Drake represents what they never wanted rap to become - inauthentic. Especially to the struggle many African Americans suffer from today. Subsequently, Kendrick hosted “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” on Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the freedom of the last enslaved African Americans in Texas. It was a huge success and, for a moment, had a person on stage from every walk of life. To me, rap is associated with my family, friends, and Black joy. Even if it was just for a moment, we stopped the hate and disrespect and sat and enjoyed what two phenomenal artists gave us. Whether they be a rapper, singer, athlete, gang member, or just an ordinary person, every bit of drama was dropped. Even if it was just for a night, it felt as if America had come together. Now, we have the recent announcement that Kendrick will be performing for the Super Bowl Halftime Show - the single most watched program in America. The questions a lot of people have been asking are “How will Kendrick diss Drake?” and “How will Drake respond to this decision by the NFL?” My answer is, it’s already over. There are no round twos.
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