The Beef Is Poisoned
With Drake and Kendrick Lamar trying to win the diss track war, everyone loses
2024 has been quite the year for musicians. Taylor Swift released The Tortured Poets Department, her 14th album to hit number one on the charts. She became the first woman to surpass 50 career top-10 songs.
Beyonce released her new album just weeks before Taylor, a country-themed work titled Cowboy Carter. It broke its own records, reaching over 76 million streams in its first day, the most for a country album from a female artist ever. You read that right. Beyonce, the country artist.
Not to antagonize the Swifties and the Beyhive, but the biggest news in the music industry by year's end might just be what's going on right now between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The lyrical grenades lobbed at each other over the past week have come fast and furious.
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.
The history of the beef between two of the biggest rappers in the industry is long and somewhat complicated. But it's all come to a head in the past week with "diss tracks" that go beyond the machismo and bravado we often hear in hip-hop.
The best test of a rapper's skills comes out in a battle. Just like a hitter never knows how good they really are until they face some decent pitching, a rapper tests his or her talent in a battle with another rapper. The two spar, slinging bars back and forth like a game of lyrical pong. The winner is determined solely by crowd reaction. The more "oohs" from the audience, the more cheers at the end of the performance, the more cred a rapper gets.
The movie 8 Mile is built around the rap battle. In the film, Eminem finally works up the courage to defeat worthy opponents and claim his rightful spot atop the local hip-hop throne.
The abundance of F-bombs aside, the ending rap battles in 8 Mile are comparatively tame. Em pokes fun at the Free World crew comparing them to the family from Leave It To Beaver. The Free World rappers hinge much of their lines on the fact that Eminem is Caucasian and lives in a trailer park.
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The victories in rap battles are short-lived, sweet as they may be, and typically end with a dap and a handshake between worthy competitors. It's not much different from NBA players shaking hands after a midseason game.
Diss tracks in and of themselves provide a platform that reaches further and deeper. While a rap battle is almost always freestyle, a form of lyrical construction done off the cuff (which Eminem is a master at doing, by the way), diss tracks are more involved. They dig deeper into their target's past. It's more than simply pointing at who has more record sales or #1 albums. It's more than money and fame. It's even more than which rapper brings more authenticity to the stage: did they really come up living a tough life? Did they really get shot and/or arrested? Even the grittiest diss track falls flat if it's created from half-truths and speculation.
The diss track is best known for making its listeners uncomfortable. The diss track is cringeworthy not because of the sentiment behind it (we all have people we dislike), but the brutality for which that weapon is wielded. One of the first diss tracks ever was one Ice Cube did in 1989 about his former group N.W.A. and their manager. You don't have to get much past the song's title "No Vaseline" to know pressing play will ultimately make you pause.
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
It wasn't many years later two of rap's icons were embroiled in a beef that went beyond rapper vs. rapper and label vs. label. 2Pac and Biggie's presence was so massive it created a hip-hop cold war of sorts between the West Coast and East Coast. And for all the stray shots the two fired at each other and each other's friends, it was 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up" that seemed to cross an invisible line.
In it, 2Pac references having sex with Faith Evans (Biggie's wife at the time), makes derogatory comments about Biggie's weight, and pokes fun at the rapper Prodigy from Mobb Deep who had sickle-cell disease.
With the crassness of "Hit 'Em Up", 2Pac went beyond the intellectual lyricism of most ego-driven rap records. The vitriol oozing from the speakers could make anyone squirm in their seat. Much of 2Pac’s rage came from a 1994 shooting incident where he believed he was targeted and shot at a studio by some of Notorious B.I.G.’s group. Biggie poured gas on the fire months later, releasing a song titled “Who Shot Ya” that, though never mentioning 2Pac, was broadly considered a reference to his shooting.
We know how the story plays out. Five months after Pac released “Hit ‘Em Up”, he’s shot and killed after a Mike Tyson fight in Vegas. Seven months after 2Pac’s murder, Biggie was shot and killed after attending a party following the Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles. 2Pac was 25. Biggie was 24.
The height of competition drives some people to dark places. For some, the ultimate victory is not simply winning, but eliminating the competition. For 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G., the beef reached a crescendo that couldn’t be reversed. It’s upping the ante, a game of chicken to see who can go the furthest. But both got caught on the tracks when the train came through. And the world of hip-hop was stripped of two remarkable talents who seemed more intent on thrashing their opponent than making great music.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Things didn’t get as dark for Jay-Z and Nas, two of the greatest emcees in rap history. Their rivalry in diss tracks kicked off when Jay released “Takeover”, a song aimed in part at Nas and mostly keeping to the “on the court” skills comparison between the two.
You said you've been in this ten, I've been in it five, smarten up, Nas
Four albums in ten years, n****? I could divide
That's one every, let's say two, two of them s**** was doo
One was nah, the other was Illmatic
That's a one hot album every ten year average
And that's so (Lame)
N****, switch up your flow, your s*** is garbage
What, you tryna kick knowledge?
Y'all n***** gon' learn to respect the kingfrom “Takeover” by Jay-Z
In an interview, Jay-Z said this about the song and the beef with Nas:
“I respected dude lyrically. I feel like I’m on top of my game. I don’t feel you can compare his career to my career, but that’s just my opinion. It just pushes everybody to sharpen their skills. That’s what rap is about. It’s a competitive sport.”
Months later, Nas came back with what’s often considered the greatest diss track ever “Ether”.
What's sad is I love you 'cause you're my brother, you traded your soul for riches
My child, I've watched you grow up to be famous
And now I smile like a proud dad watchin' his only son that made it
You seem to be only concerned with dissin' women
Were you abused as a child? Scared to smile, they called you ugly?
Well, life is harsh, hug me, don't reject me
Or make records to disrespect me, blatant or indirectlyfrom “Ether” by Nas
Jay-Z and Nas would punch back and forth a few more times in the coming months and years. Their beef died down thanks to Jay-Z’s mom. On a diss track called “Super Ugly”, Jay-Z rapped a few derogatory lines about the mother of Nas’s child. For Gloria Carter, that went too far. She called her son, told him it was too much, and Jay-Z apologized.
It’s hard to believe that was over 20 years ago now. Because we have entered into a stage in the world of hip-hop where nothing feels off limits. Trashing the competition for lame bars, poor album sales, or lack of reputation now feels weak. It’s 2024, and no skeletons in your closet and no family members (known or unknown) are off the table.
The Drake/ Kendrick Lamar beef goes back a decade but erupted in full volcanic form this past week. After Drake released “Family Matters”, a song ripping Lamar for domestic abuse, Kendrick fired back with two tracks that didn’t cross a line. Instead, they poured gasoline on the line and set it on fire.
“meet the grahams” directs each stanza at a different member of Drake’s family: his mother, father, and two illegitimate children. If you thought that was too far, on the same day, Lamar released “Not Like Us”. On it, Lamar throws multiple accusations at Drake for having inappropriate relationships with minors.
Say, Drake, I hear you like 'em young
You better not ever go to cell block one
To any b**** that talk to him and they in love
Just make sure you hide your lil' sister from himfrom “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
The song is, as the kids say, a “banger”. It’s set to a strong beat and features Lamar frenetically pacing his lines, pausing at moments of impact. The Easter eggs abound, and a deep dive will point out a number of intricate layers in which Lamar unloads on Drake.
Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
But the 30,000-foot view forces us to reckon with what entertains us. I admittedly have been astounded by the back-and-forth. It’s two of the industry’s biggest names actively going at each other with gloves off. It’s Lebron and Giannis in a one-on-one. It’s Chappelle and Chris Rock trying to see who gets the most laughs.
But it’s deeper than that. Because this isn’t eye-roll-inducing political mudslinging. If Drake really is, as Kendrick Lamar insinuates, a man having inappropriate relationships with minors, it’s deeply disturbing. If Lamar has simply thrown out baseless accusations, it’s reckless and defamatory. Whichever the case, it’s a thicker beef than any of us were prepared for.
In this era of 24/7 access to seemingly anything anywhere, the streams of both rappers diss tracks ballooned into the millions in just hours. Of course, that’s understandable considering how many people devote much of their energy to social media, refreshing with regularity to see the thoughts of influencers. No longer does a diss track have to wait until Hot 97 plays it or the next album release. Anyone with an iPhone or laptop can record hate speech and publish it out into the stratosphere for consumption.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
What’s unconscionably absent in all of this is the pursuit of truth. A recent Ringer article says seeking facts in rap beef is little more than “revisionist history”. After all, decades of diss tracks contain claims that never were proven to be true. 2Pac never verified that he slept with Biggie’s wife. Nonetheless, his throwaway line introducing “Hit ‘Em Up” is laughed off more than soberly considered.
Here lies the issue with diss tracks and dare I say free speech in general. Anyone can say anything about anyone else at anytime and it doesn’t have to be fact-based. Politicians do this all the time, conjuring a half-truth and spinning it to make an opponent seem like a terrible person. Same goes with the world of entertainment. After all, it’s not about substance, it’s about delivery. The more clever and the more emphatic a statement, the more popular it will be. Truth be damned.
The most sincere communication is often the most impactful. Though not a diss track per se, Beyonce’s “Sorry” hit hard. It’s a single off her 2016 album Lemonade. It matters because it resonated from a place of genuine anger and hurt.
Looking at my watch, he shoulda been home
Today, I regret the night I put that ring on
He always got them f****** excuses
I pray to the Lord you reveal what his truth is
I left a note in the hallway
By the time you read it, I'll be far away
I'm far away
But I ain't f****** with nobody
Let's have a toast to the good life
Suicide before you see this tear fall down my eyes
Me and my baby, we gon' be alright
We gon' live a good life
Big homie better grow up
Me and my whoadies 'bout to stroll up
I see them boppers in the corner
They sneaking out the back door
He only want me when I'm not there
He better call Becky with the good hairfrom “Sorry” by Beyonce
Lemonade was Beyonce’s way of confronting her husband’s infidelity and reconciling her marriage. It’s a sprawling, complex album that resonates deeper than any trending diss track could. In an interview about his infidelity, Jay-Z confessed to cheating on Beyonce. He said through therapy they were able to reconcile and become stronger. At the time they initially planned to do an album together. Instead, they made separate ones. Beyonce created Lemonade, and a year later Jay-Z released 4:44. It was Jay’s most “grown-up” album he’s ever released. In it, he acknowledged marital failures and the desire to be a better husband and dad.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
It remains to be seen what’s to come of the Drake/Kendrick Lamar saga. The old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” might apply on the surface. I’m not expecting either rapper to come out and tell the other how they feel emotionally distraught over the other’s words. False (or possibly true) accusations will be thrown around with the casualness of an online transaction. People will voice their opinions to get their two cents in. Serious social issues like domestic abuse and pedophilia will continue to be treated as punchlines despite Americans learning more about the sliminess of Hollywood and the fallout from predators.
I’d argue another old-fashioned saying applies: “If you can’t say anything good, don’t say anything at all.” What is often hard for multimillionaire athletes and entertainers to do is see each other as human beings. It’s hard for us to do it. It’s easier for me to rip you apart for something you did that irritated me than it is for me to see you as God’s image-bearer. That’s where the crux of the problem lies: we are all humans who fail, some more miserably than others, with regularity. If you’re embarrassed by the things you’ve been hiding, imagine having those sins blasted across social media in a song being played by tens of millions of listeners.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
The truth is, I like Drake’s music. Much of his earlier work is composed of good beats and solid bars. I like Kendrick’s music. Few in the game today are producing more thought-provoking lyrics. But as jaw-dropping as their diss tracks have been over the past week, I wonder if in the end it’s been worth it. It wasn’t for Jay-Z and Nas. It certainly wasn’t for 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G.
In his recent Biggie biography, author Justin Tinsley shared this moment in an interview Biggie did on his persona:
“Biggie is an entertainer,” he once said, speaking in the third person. “He makes music and he makes videos. That’s Biggie Smalls, but Christopher Wallace is the person. That’s the one that has to take care of the family. The daughter, the wife- all of that. That’s Christopher. That’s the real person. I leave all that Biggie stuff alone. We don’t blend too much.” (excerpt from It Was All A Dream: Biggie And The World That Made Him by Justin Tinsley)
What defines us? Is it the money we make? Is it going viral on social media? Is it the job promotion or the 20 acres of land we own or the art we create? And what of those things will we be remembered for? It’s going to be how we treated others. And when we abuse, even with words, we speak a lot more to our own character than anybody else’s.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
-James 3:5-18, NIV
Very thoughtful