Kendrick Lamar conclusively won this battle and pulled the seat from under Drake. Whatever seat that was - you can call it a throne; some may not - is secure in the trenches. And though Kendrick took Drake's seat from under him, it's clear that he does not intend to replace the roles Drake has filled in mainstream media.
Disclaimer:
I’m not gonna debate whether Kendrick is king, whether he was already king before this battle, or whether Drake ever deserved or had that title. I’m using this 'throne' terminology because that is how the conversation has been positioned. The language does feel dramatic, but what we watched between these two felt like a dethroning of sorts.
BACKGROUND: KENDRICK VS. DRAKE
If we take it back to the old days and determine the winner based on the crowd’s applause, Kendrick undoubtedly destroyed his opponent.
The infamous beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake bubbled over after Kendrick responded to J. Cole’s description of them as ‘the Big 3’. To be fair, many have described Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J. Cole as ‘the Big 3’ because of their widespread success and dominance in rap over the past decade.
Well, Kendrick was clearly fed up and did not want to be categorized alongside Drake. The beef kicked off this spring. Ultimately, Kendrick won. Some may disagree, but…. If we take it back to the old days and determine the winner based on the crowd’s applause, Kendrick undoubtedly destroyed his opponent.
On Juneteenth this year, Kendrick held the official celebration party - The Pop Out, hosted by Kendrick Lamar & Friends. The event took place in Inglewood, California, and brought out generations of L.A. cultural icons. Kendrick did it big for his city, as he always does.
THE TRENCHES
The trenches...represent the environments that have consistently produced Black cultural artifacts, such as rap music.
Let’s talk about the trenches real quick. Kendrick has always repped L.A. with every fiber of his being. He is a product of the trenches of the West Coast, and he carries that identity close to his heart. It’s no surprise that he celebrated his victory on Juneteenth – in his city, a city rich in its Black expression and history. The trenches are not limited to California, though. It represents the socioeconomic environments that have consistently produced Black cultural artifacts, such as rap music.
Obviously, the beef made it clear that Kendrick does not feel like Drake shares even a sliver of that identity. But that’s not it – it’s not about how non-Black Kendrick considers Drake. Kendrick inflicted these jabs - and seeming T.K.O. – because of Drake’s use of the trenches. Drake’s trademark move is to bring other rappers from the trenches into the mainstream spotlight to bolster his own artist identity.
Alternatively, Kendrick’s artist identity is deeply intertwined with his personal experiences and background. You actually see Kendrick pair down the more jagged aspects of his upbringing to make room for the obligations of being an international superstar.
You can imagine the rage he experiences when the very attributes he tames when he's in the spotlight are placed on a pedestal by someone who probably did not bear the same burdens. As a result, Kendrick seized the moment and pulled a Kendrick ‘Killmonger’ Lamar move. I’m not saying Drake is T’challa, but let’s not act like Drake has not been killing it for the past decade.
DRAKE’S EFFECT ON THE TOP 40
Instead of rappers conforming to the pop-centered Top 40 standards, the Top 40 charts began leaning toward trap and melodic rap sounds
Year after year, Drake has put out hits that have blown up in Black music spaces and in mainstream music scenes. In many cases, a top rapper will have songs for the Top 40 audience and others for rap audiences. A lot of Drake’s Top 40 songs were the same tracks that we played amongst ourselves. Even though the songs were presented to pop audiences, the content and sound still resonated with trap music. A large part of that is because of the rap artists who came up out of the trenches and caught a feature with Drake.
In recent years, instead of rappers conforming to the pop-centered Top 40 standards, the Top 40 began leaning toward more trap and melodic rap sounds. Oftentimes, Drake stood at the forefront of that shift because his platform was a pipeline for young rappers to reach larger audiences.
KENDRICK’S RAWNESS VS. DRAKE’S CONSISTENCY
Interestingly enough, Kendrick Lamar is no stranger to the Top 40. As of now, Kendrick has 50 Grammy nominations and 17 wins! With four No.1 singles and fifteen Top Ten hits on the Billboard Top 100, Kendrick has presented himself as a formidable force in front of any audience. Those are incredible numbers for someone who releases music pretty infrequently. But it’s clear that Kendrick only taps into the mainstream audience when he wants to. He understands the benefits, but he does not care. He certainly does not try to cater to that market. Kendrick stays in his lair and pops out when he’s ready.
Drake, on the other hand, releases an album almost every year. And in between those releases, he drops hit singles or features that engage his audiences at all times. At some point, it seemed like everybody’s Spotify Wrapped listed Drake as their most-listened-to artist. Aside from his talent and his network, Drake’s key to success stems from his consistency. He’s constantly putting up shots and giving less popular rappers assists.
WHY THINGS TOOK A LEFT TURN FOR POP RAP
Kendrick pulled a Kendrick ‘Killmonger’ Lamar move.
As I stated earlier, Drake’s constant reign on the Top 40 put trap music, NY Drill, Chicago Drill, and more genres in front of mainstream audiences. Ultimately, the mainstream discovery of the artists he featured and adjacent rappers increased.
Things took a turn though. First, Drake might’ve gotten too comfortable speaking as if he lived the same lifestyle as the rappers he featured. Secondly, those rappers and genres started seeping into the mainstream even more – causing concern for parents of suburban or wealthy kids. Alongside the changing political and social dynamic in the U.S., the tolerance for rap influences in mainstream media began to decrease.
So at the same time that Drake is blindly boasting his street credibility, Kendrick is in his lair fuming and music industry decision-makers are trying to reclaim pop music. When Kendrick commenced his hate campaign against Drake, Drake couldn't quite save face in front of the mainstream media — not just rap media.
Kendrick won and knocked Drake off of almost every pedestal. Kendrick’s main goal was to squash Drake’s street cred in all things rap-related. The thing is — Drake held that unique position at the intersection of pop and rap music. And I am almost certain that Kendrick has no intention of claiming that seat. Instead, he’s making it clear that rap and hip-hop belong to the trenches. Mainstream media can peek in, but it is not theirs for the capture. Kendrick, as we saw at the Pop Out, will certainly pull other rappers into the spotlight with him. However, Kendrick is not trying to make them pop stars; he is solidifying them as rap legends.
WHAT’S NEXT – A SHIFT IN MUSIC
Mainstream music and media figureheads are breathing a sigh of relief.
This is a huge moment for hip-hop. Meanwhile, outside of hip-hop, many mainstream music and media figureheads are breathing a sigh of relief. They know Kendrick isn't going to become pop's new rap king, and they're fine with that. With Drake out of the forefront and Kendrick's refusal to fill that role, the industry's shift towards ‘reclaiming pop’ just became a whole lot easier.
Earlier this year, there were rumblings about a diminishing rap presence in the Top 40. Those conversations were met with a lot of pushback and dismissal. In many cases, such a statement was seen as disrespectful or asinine. However, I’m going out on a limb to say it’s happening.
It’s not necessarily bad or good -- but it is a change. When we see shifts like this, it would behoove everyone involved to plan accordingly.
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