(ThyBlackMan.com) At one point, Jay-Z was the king of hip hop.
Editors Note: Please don’t get your panties in a bunch over that statement, stans.
Choosing during the composition of his second album to stray lines of pop-rap record magnitudes, Jay-Z went from the guy hip hop heads could clamor over to the rapper all the suburban kids would blast in their cars. But those days are pretty much over and while Jay-Z is hip hop’s king
emeritus, Drake has the throne on lock, as in the same vein Jay-Z did commercially. So, maybe that’s why the two rappers can’t seem to keep each other’s name out of their mouths.
After Drake made reference to Jay-Z over-saturating rap with art talk, “Hov can’t drop bars these days without at least four art references.” Says Drake. Jay-Z had to fire back, with a verse of his own on his feature with Jay Electronica on their version of Drake’s/Soulja Boy “We Made It.”
“Sorry Mrs. Drizzy for so much art talk,” Jay Z raps on the track. “Silly me, rappin’ ’bout shit that I really bought / While these rappers rap about guns that they ain’t shot / And a bunch of other silly sh*t that they ain’t got.”
Ouch, that’s harsh. Jay-Z is habitually known to be consistently inconsistent with rap battles and feuds. He may respond to one rapper today, and then ignore seven rappers tomorrow. But why would he choose to respond to Drake, knowing the rapper’s emotional responses are par for the course of a woman? Either two things;
1. Jay-Z is really bored, and is going the Michael Jackson/Kanye West “anything dealing with publicity is good publicity,” route.
Or.
2. He really was a little ticked off by Drake’s semi-slight of his art referrals.
So, here is my issue with all of that. Sure, a Drake vs Jay-Z battle of who has and had the throne could be intriguing. Remember, Kendrick Lamar ignited a firestorm after his “Control” verse with Big Sean and Jay Electronica. But, Drake rained on that parade heavy, literally and figuratively took all the fun out of what was strictly a chance to see rappers enjoy the spirit of competition. With that said, do we want to see Drake get wrapped up in beef with a well-trained wordsmith in Jay-Z? I know for me, personally, I don’t. It’s a chance we see Drake complain that the Brooklyn legend won’t play fair.
What Jay-Z could do, though, is ease back, give Jay Electronica a kick in the rear-end, and choke him until he releases that album. I don’t mean that verbatim, but some type of action and initiative may need to be taken. Because focusing on Drake right now with his comments and reactions would be a waste of time, effort and words. Although he’s definitely one of the most talented artists in the game, Drake’s sensitivity and tendencies to over-proportion matters and issues get in the way of good, clean, hip hop battles. As my co-worker would say; “Emotions get in the way of progress.” So, please, Jay-Z, leave the “Mrs. Drizzy,” lines alone until next time. Jay Electronica would like to see you in the studio, now.