(ThyBlackMan.com) If there was no beef with Kendrick Lamar, Drake would still be problematic. This is the biggest indictment of the fanbase and culture. How many more beefs did he need to engage in? How many more Black women would he need to drag personally? How many more childlike temper tantrums were we willing to endure? Kanye “Ye” west is problematic on so many levels within the culture, but I guess we are finally at a point whereby we can address it maybe. However, no matter how jacked up Kanye is, and believe me it’s bad, he is not a culture vulture. He is one of us, and that is both why his situation is so heartbreaking, and so touchy for many. Yet, for whatever reason Drake is allowed to be a cultural menace, and instead of checking him so many of our people defend him. They are defending the lack of creativity, authenticity, and actual respect for a culture he is not from. So, let’s clear this up…Drake is mixed…he’s Black, and he is CANADIAN.
Hip-Hop was born on the streets of urban cities in the Unites States. It is a genre, though too many have a problem admitting it, that belongs to American born Blacks…we are its origin. Hip-Hop can be loved by all, but American Blacks do have the right to gate keep the culture born out of their oppression. This is what Hip-Hop is at its core. So, it is problematic when Drake comes to the United States and shows a lack of respect for the culture that made him. One can argue Drake’s fall out with Kendrick was the “Control” track where there is a battle occurring that is natural in Hip-Hop…and no artist mentioned got their feelings hurt except Drake. But we don’t need Kendrick to discuss the issue of Drake we need only look at his copycat style over the years, the constant petty beefs he engages in with a passive aggressive nastiness, double standards regarding minors and ghostwriters…and how he seems to have done the one thing that we may never understand. He lost a battle…a beef and decided to run to court about it.
How can we love Hip-Hop and not deal with Drake? He is allowed to violate the very nature of the genre. Instead of sticking to lighter topics…maybe love and fun he decided he wanted to be hard. He wanted to box with Hip-Hop artists from the streets. Drake has had runs with Common, Pusha T, Meek Mills, and Kendrick Lamar just to name a few…but do the beefs exist is any real issue. Why couldn’t Drake come into genre and be himself? And why as a culture do we allow this? These are questions we must ask because the double standard that is being pushed is detrimental to the culture. Drake became a copycat when he tried to be “hard” in the culture. He is not himself, and we don’t truly know him as an artist. His use of ghostwriters and taking the style and flow of other established artists and having the audacity to beef with authentic Hip-Hop artists is out of line. Drake should have listened to Lil Wayne stayed true to his Canadian self, while working in sync with American Black Hip-Hop artists. Drake would still be a huge artist, and possibly more supported by the culture without all the static. This is important because we can never say Drake’s lyrics are his own, and when he ends up finally running into a lyrical giant he literally couldn’t compete.
At some point the community has to ask itself why Drake has questionable behaviors that are not addressed as harshly as it should be. If he were an American Black Hip-Hop artist with underage girls on stage, there would be an issue. This is not appropriate yet things that came out in the beef were defended on there grounds that many are fans. The issues have receipts and was in our face…he felt comfortable in his creepy behavior. Drake feels comfortable talking disrespectfully about and to Black culture without fear of consequence. Who told him it was okay to bring up slavery in any form in a diss track if you were not about “freeing the slaves”? To think there are people in our culture that would say Drake won is mind blowing. Drake seems to have a track record for dragging Black women on tracks and making them apart of his beef…only for us to find out he had an interest.
This too is disrespectful, and one could argue creepy. However, it has been allowed because it’s Drake. If you are a fan of his music that is your subjective taste, but Drake is problematic. It didn’t start with the Kendrick Lamar beef…the beef just put it in everyone’s face in a way that it should not have been dismissed. When it became clear there is a problem with Drake, and it could cost him money, he pulled a book out of his other half…he sued. Who drags losing a Hip-Hop beef they summoned into a court room? That’s not a loss in a battle, or beef, is handled within the culture. What will Drake do next? When will our people finally put their foot down regarding him?
Staff Writer; Christian Starr
May connect with this sister over at Facebook; C. Starr and also Twitter; MrzZeta.
Also via email at; CStarr@ThyBlackMan.com.
