Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard or watched Kendrick Lamar’s BET Cypher freestyle. You know, the one in which Kendrick rapped:
“Nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’
And tucked the sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes”
Kendrick then proceeded to high-five Schoolboy Q mid flow with perfect choreography. This is just another can of gasoline added to an already burning fire. The fire everyone is so quick to call “beef”. Some say the “beef” started with Kendrick’s now infamous “Control” verse. Others are even going as far back as Drake’s “5 AM in Toronto” which is one of his brashest songs to date. After Kendrick’s straightforward “Control” verse, Drake threw his usual subliminal messages where he takes indirect shots. In recent interviews Drake has stated that he will not collaborate with Kendrick Lamar again, Kendrick cannot “murder” him at anything, and that the “Control” is already forgotten, it was a verse for that moment. Read more after the jump!
Clearly Kendrick felt some type of way about Drake’s comments and fired back in one of the biggest ways possible: the BET Cypher. With Kendrick’s slick talk, everyone is coming out of the woodwork calling it a beef that’s great for hip-hop and even comparing it to Nas & Jay-Z’s situation.
There is one MAJOR difference that not only separates this situation from Nas & Jay-Z but other forms of beef and that is that this really isn’t beef. It’s not. Both artists actually like each other, however the biggest reason is that they’re not on the same playing field. The ball is in Drake’s court. Drake is the emcee to beat right now. He just released “Nothing Was the Same” which sold 658,000 in the first week. He’s also about to embark on a 39 city arena tour across the country. Drake is achieving so much success right now that he literally doesn’t need to respond. Kendrick is David poking Goliath with a stick while he ignores it. If Drake doesn’t respond, it’s because Kendrick isn’t worthy of his time. If he does respond, it’s incredible promotion for the album and he’ll more likely than not come with serious bars.
Critics keep saying, “how could Kendrick could do this. Drake put him on. Drake took him on tour and featured on him on Take Care”. Let’s not forget WHY Drake took him on his Club Paradise tour and WHY he was featured on the album. “Section 80” was one of the most acclaimed projects of the year and put Kendrick onto everyone’s radar as the next in line. He garnered the attention of everyone and EARNED his spot alongside Drake & A$AP Rocky on tour. Yes, Drake gave Kendrick a huge look but Kendrick put in his work to be there.
As a fan, sure, this is what you want to see. What better entertainment than two of hip-hop’s royalty going at each other? Just don’t be mistaken that it’s on an unfair playing field. How can it be beef if Drake doesn’t care? Kendrick can keep poking and prodding but if Drake doesn’t return fire it’s not much of a beef. The ball is in Drake’s court and only time will tell if he decides to match up and go 1 on 1 with the kid from Compton.
Written by: Mike Epstein (@michaelaepstein)
“Nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’
And tucked the sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes”
Kendrick then proceeded to high-five Schoolboy Q mid flow with perfect choreography. This is just another can of gasoline added to an already burning fire. The fire everyone is so quick to call “beef”. Some say the “beef” started with Kendrick’s now infamous “Control” verse. Others are even going as far back as Drake’s “5 AM in Toronto” which is one of his brashest songs to date. After Kendrick’s straightforward “Control” verse, Drake threw his usual subliminal messages where he takes indirect shots. In recent interviews Drake has stated that he will not collaborate with Kendrick Lamar again, Kendrick cannot “murder” him at anything, and that the “Control” is already forgotten, it was a verse for that moment. Read more after the jump!
Clearly Kendrick felt some type of way about Drake’s comments and fired back in one of the biggest ways possible: the BET Cypher. With Kendrick’s slick talk, everyone is coming out of the woodwork calling it a beef that’s great for hip-hop and even comparing it to Nas & Jay-Z’s situation.
There is one MAJOR difference that not only separates this situation from Nas & Jay-Z but other forms of beef and that is that this really isn’t beef. It’s not. Both artists actually like each other, however the biggest reason is that they’re not on the same playing field. The ball is in Drake’s court. Drake is the emcee to beat right now. He just released “Nothing Was the Same” which sold 658,000 in the first week. He’s also about to embark on a 39 city arena tour across the country. Drake is achieving so much success right now that he literally doesn’t need to respond. Kendrick is David poking Goliath with a stick while he ignores it. If Drake doesn’t respond, it’s because Kendrick isn’t worthy of his time. If he does respond, it’s incredible promotion for the album and he’ll more likely than not come with serious bars.
Critics keep saying, “how could Kendrick could do this. Drake put him on. Drake took him on tour and featured on him on Take Care”. Let’s not forget WHY Drake took him on his Club Paradise tour and WHY he was featured on the album. “Section 80” was one of the most acclaimed projects of the year and put Kendrick onto everyone’s radar as the next in line. He garnered the attention of everyone and EARNED his spot alongside Drake & A$AP Rocky on tour. Yes, Drake gave Kendrick a huge look but Kendrick put in his work to be there.
As a fan, sure, this is what you want to see. What better entertainment than two of hip-hop’s royalty going at each other? Just don’t be mistaken that it’s on an unfair playing field. How can it be beef if Drake doesn’t care? Kendrick can keep poking and prodding but if Drake doesn’t return fire it’s not much of a beef. The ball is in Drake’s court and only time will tell if he decides to match up and go 1 on 1 with the kid from Compton.
Written by: Mike Epstein (@michaelaepstein)
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