By: Samuel Anthony//
Competition has been prevalent in hip-hop since its genesis. As the genre evolved, artists would constantly push boundaries and move the needle on popular culture. Rappers have always felt the need to be number one, and egos would often collide causing some of the biggest beef between artists in the industry.
Kendrick Lamar (A.K.A. Kung Fu Kenny) has proven himself as a lyricist over and over again, but hasn’t publicly gone toe-to-toe with another artist. The good kid marked a moment in music when Big Sean dropped the monumental song “Control.” Kendrick’s verse on the song that disses all of his peers left fans with their jaws to the floor. Since he blatantly dissed both Sean and Drake in this verse, fans have speculated that a public feud would come from it.
While neither Kendrick, Big Sean or Drake have directly gone at one another, fans have dissected their songs and many feel that through their music they have subliminally dissed one another. Songs that have been put under the microscope are “Humble” and “The Heart Part 4” by Kendrick Lamar, “No More Interviews” and “On Everything” by Big Sean, and “For Free” and “The Language” by Drake. There have also been a few freestyles and interviews where fans think they have secretly addressed one another.
Recently, Kendrick sat down with Rolling Stone for an interview where he expressed liking Drake’s music and the way he raps and sings. The interviewer also asked the question, “Is it ever okay for a rapper to have a ghostwriter?” Kendrick replied, “It depends on what arena you’re putting yourself in. I called myself the best rapper. I cannot call myself the best rapper if I have a ghostwriter. If you’re saying you’re a different type of artist and you don’t really care about the art form of being the best rapper, then so be it. Make great music. But the title, it won’t be there.”
Ever since Meek Mill called out Drake for having a ghostwriter in 2015, his credibility has taken a hit. Hip-Hop purists don’t believe he should be in the same conversation as legends that have written their own lyrics. A lot of Drake’s music is personal, so it’s hard to believe he’s had help with every song in his catalogue, but reference tracks have surfaced since then of other artists recording a rough copy of a song to give to him. Is Kendrick Lamar actually the greatest rapper alive? Is Drake qualified to be in the conversation? Do we see public beef brewing between Kendrick, Big Sean and Drake anytime soon? Let us know in the comments or by tweeting us @soundigest!
