By: Antonette Kamara
I think by now we have all heard about the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. The battle will undoubtedly go down as an iconic moment in not just hip-hop history, but the greater culture of music and America. Two rappers, both at heights in their careers, Kendrick known for his wordplay and his ability to rap on the black experience with a poetic finesse, versus Drake, commercially successful and always on trend, finally went at it this past May after a decade of covert shots.
With the smoke cleared, the obvious winner is Kendrick Lamar. His song “Not Like Us” is topping the charts and a mainstay at parties, at the time of this post he has more Spotify monthly listeners than Drake and at his latest Juneteenth Pop Out concert he managed to unite LA’s rival gangs, donate 20,000 dollars to local charities, and bring out other big artists like Tyler the Creator and Schoolboy Q, all while dissing drake in the meantime. Whew. It has truly been an epic run, and I can personally say in many ways, it is cool to witness. However, within this victory dance something deeper is revealed, the disregard for women’s suffering.
It seems that this entire beef was based on the pain and suffering of women, regardless of if the accusations shared were true or not, it seems most of the majorly damning allegations thrown out were related to abuse towards women. Both rappers specifically Kendrick, aimed to show a moral superiority to the other, which isn’t always the case in rap beefs, but it was a highlight in this one.
But can you show moral superiority in a situation where accusations of child sexual abuse or domestic violence are thrown out for sport? Also regardless of whether it's true or not, it's hard to come to terms with either of those realities. In a world where these allegations are true, what does that say about those who kept quiet about it all this time? And in a world where these allegations are not what does it say about the victims and the people who will have to forever be associated with something so heavy and dark?
I think this issue with the rap beef speaks to the greater issue of misogyny at hand. It’s clear that men know what they do to women is wrong, so much so that in this rap beef Kendrick emphasized many times that Drake should be in jail. But, it is also clear that oftentimes, men are willing to protect other men from facing the consequences of their actions, and more often than not, don’t care whether or not they even face consequences. Except, of course, they are beefing.
I think at the end of the day both Kendrick and Drake proved to be hypocrites. Both have made it clear that the alleged actions of the other are wrong, but both are also complicit in the similar wrongdoings and harm other men in the music industry have caused. For example, Drake with his intense defense of Tory Lanez, and Kendrick Lamar, and his collaborations with Kodak Black. I also feel the need to emphasize in the fight for freedom from the patriarchy, it's clear that men won’t and should not be the leaders of it. We should not, as women, put men on the pedestal or reward them for the bare minimum allyship (if we can even describe what either of these men have displayed prior as allyship). One can only hope that as we progress and learn from our mistakes as a society, men one day come to speak out against those around them who perpetuate harm and violence towards women, just because it’s the right thing to do, and not for only selfish reasons.
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