Leor's take on Kendrick v. Drake

He just doesn't have a taste for beef. [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | May 7, 2024 I spent an unreasonable amount of time this past weekend listening to Kendrick Lamar’s most recent diss tracks aimed at Drake’s ego, soul, and wallet. “Meet the Grahams” landed Friday and “Not Like Us” on Saturday, though I waited till Sunday to actually dive in. As much as my job involves keeping up with pop music trends, I’ve felt cold towards the ongoing battle between Kendrick and Drake—the latest round goes back to Kendrick’s contribution to Future and Metro Boomin’s late March album, We Don’t Trust You, though I’d argue this fight also has roots in Kendrick’s scorched-earth verse on Big Sean’s 2013 track “Control.” I was 27 when that track landed like an asteroid, and both Kendrick and Drake were among the biggest artists in pop music. My sense of the music world has expanded greatly, hip-hop has evolved and splintered into so many subscenes I suspect I’ll spend the rest of my life attempting to catch up on what’s happened the last 11 years alone, and yet Kendrick and Drake are still on top. They’re still towering figures, and yet their fight feels as small as its gotten ugly. I’m not immune to the draws of rap beef, and the importance that this chapter plays in the history of diss tracks. And I certainly enjoy reading great writers wrestle with this ongoing feud, including [Craig Jenkins at Vulture]( [Israel Daramola at Defector]( and [Alphonse Pierre at Pitchfork](. (I also really enjoyed [T.M. Brown’s New York Times]( story about a Toronto Chinese restaurant experiencing a windfall of interest because of the beef.) But I’ve also come to wonder, as Kendrick and Drake continue to lob threats that cut to the bone of their opponent, who is this fight for? Who wins when Kendrick accuses Drake of pedophilia atop a club-certified Mustard instrumental? Why does it feel strange to hear such personal vendettas through a streaming service that has done exceptional work to devalue music? I share the sense of frustration boiling beneath Kendrick’s performances on “Not Like Us” and “Meet the Grahams.” Frustration at the idea that he’s had to spend a modicum of time even thinking about Drake. Hell, I’m pissed off that I’ve spent this much time thinking about Drake in the year 2024. I know my heart isn’t in this beef because I’m more invested in Macklemore’s new loosie, [“Hind’s Hall,”]( which rightfully demands people empathize with Palestinians and marshalls support for students protesting Israel’s ongoing military assault on Gaza. Macklemore’s flow is awkward, but his heart is in the right place. He’s far from the only rapper to voice an opinion on Gaza in song, and I hope to find more arts journalism that expands on those musicians whose works confront a crisis I still struggle to put into words. Music helps me empathize with people unlike me—it offers me so much more, too, but at a time when the news presents me with visions of violence, I find myself drawn more to songs that encourage me to build solidarity and be an active participant in utopian visions. I suppose what I’m also saying is, right now, I just don’t have a taste for beef. ◈ [“‘Unfrosted’ is the latest in corporate nostalgia, Hollywood’s favorite new genre,”]( by A.S. Hamrah (Fast Company) ◈ [“Musi Won Over Millions. Is the Free Music Streaming App Too Good to Be True?,”]( by Kate Knibbs (Wired) ◈ [“One Star,”]( by Kevin M. Kearney (Slate) ◈ Oui Ennui, [Dignified Paranoia]( ◈ Black Noi$e & Valee, [Partridge]( ◈ Intoner, [Intoner]( ◈ Egg Idiot, [Best of LOL]( [CalicoLoco finally sound as big as their shows on their debut album]( Plus: Emo band Arcadia Grey release their Pinkerton, and Pilsen punks Los Skin celebrate a new EP at the Empty Bottle. by [DMB (Debbie-Marie Brown)]( and [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [Emergency Group will turn you into a “jam band guy”]( Wed 5/8 at Sleeping Village by [Micco Caporale]( | [Read more]( → [UK rap royal Giggs makes his first North American headlining tour]( 5/11 at Subterranean by [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [Drummer Jim White and guitarist Marisa Anderson craft a weird, soothing hybrid]( Mon 5/13 at Constellation by [Noah Berlatsky]( | [Read more]( → The Reader is surveying the Chicago music community about its reading habits, to determine how to distribute music news and concert announcements in the best way possible. Answer our short survey and you’ll be entered to win concert tickets to a variety of shows, including Amos Lee at Auditorium Theatre, The Gaslight Anthem at the Salt Shed, and more! [CLICK HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, May 2, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 15]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Become a member of the Chicago Reader.]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616