According to Drake, “cease and desist is for h**s.” However, the Canadian rapper seemed not to heed his own advice. Kendrick and Drake’s battle of the blog era kings seemingly ended after Kendrick’s video for “Not Like Us” was released on the Fourth of July. The battle over bars has turned into potential legal battles for Drake and Universal Music Group. Drake is alleging UMG inflated the success of Kendrick’s diss track with bots and more. To understand how we got from “Not Like Us” to “Bot Like Us,” it’s important to know the timeline of how we got here and what both have done in the public eye since what has been perceived to be Drake’s nail in the coffin. To me, Drake has completely lost sight of what the goal is for his own interests.
A cultural giant who has defined mainstream rap over the last decade, Drake has become so entangled in the machinery of the industry (streaming algorithms, corporate ties, and the endless quest for dominance) that he’s lost hold of the culture’s essence. That’s not to say that he’s wrong for challenging a manipulative system that record companies have functioned as for years, but Drake’s actions feel more like the moves of a CEO guarding his bottom line than those of an artist whose genuine interest is restructuring the same system he’s benefitted from — whether knowingly or not.
In contrast, Kendrick has managed to remain true to the core of hip-hop, even as he’s faced criticism. Through projects like GNX and videos like “squabble up,” Kendrick continues to build on the tradition of storytelling, social commentary, and innovation, much like his predecessors. While Drake’s focus seems fixated on preserving his place in the system, Kendrick’s work reflects a commitment to the spirit that gave hip-hop its power in the first place.
The first half of Kendrick and Drake’s battle runs off like a to-do list. After years of speculated shots back and forth at each other in interviews or on the record, Drake released “First Person Shooter” featuring J. Cole. In the song, Drake states it’s just him and Cole in a league of their own, while Cole reiterates it’s himself, Drake, and Kendrick as the “Big Three.” Kendrick responded with a clear aim at the two (mainly Drake) on Future and Metro Boomin‘s “Like That” off their collaboration album We Don’t Trust You, prompting a response from both Cole and Drake.
Cole’s response with “7 Minute Drill” had fans anticipating that
Source:: Refinery29
