As I’m sure you, your mother, your grandmother, and your pet dog have probably heard, Kendrick Lamar and Drake are beefing. And it’s brought us together in a way that’s surprisingly… wholesome?
The two have been peppering each other with frenzied and petty diss tracks in the rap battle of the decade, with things kicking off in March and escalating over the weekend after Kendrick explosively accused Drake of being a pedophile and involved the Kardashians. Yep.
The barbs have been explosive, obsessive, and the stuff of enemies-to-lovers dreams (fellas, is it gay to write poetry about how much you hate another man?), though without the steamy resolution. Just enemies, I guess.
Anyway, the tea is piping hot, the people are frothing it, and something I’m truly astounded by is how much the duos’ beef has permeated every corner of TikTok and the internet at large.
You see, jabs traded by Kendrick and Drake have expanded far beyond the confines of their corner of the internet. It’s reached Swifties (probably because Miss Taylor herself comes up at one stage), astrologists, witches, mommy bloggers and normies like me who don’t listen to either artist but love a petty insult.
With the rise of algorithms, filter bubbles, increasingly curated social media feeds, and binge-format TV show releases instead of weekly-releases, it’s rare everyone is talking about the same thing at the same time (even though, given the nature of these things, it might feel like it).
As someone who has been doing commentary on culture and current affairs for years, I’m pretty sure the last time I saw this level of widespread chatter on the same topic was when Game of Thrones‘ final season was airing. We got a bit of a taste of it during The Last Of Us, but even then, I don’t think I could have gone up to anyone on the street and be guaranteed they had an opinion on it.
With Kendrick and Drake’s beef, though, I feel like there’s a weird sense of unity in everyone discussing it. It’s the ultimate water cooler conversation. Everyone has a take, everyone’s taking a side, there’s discourse to be had and lyrics to be studied.
Honestly, despite the chaotic subject matter, it’s kind of beautiful.
The girlies may be fighting, but we’re closer than ever. ❤️
