Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have undoubtedly heard of Kendrick Lamar and Aubrey Graham’s (Drake) rap disses against each other. However, what has been often overlooked in this cultural phenomenon is its connection to the gladiatorial nature of American politics and culture.
“Not Like Us,” the third and most prolific diss track aimed at Drake, caught the nation’s attention. Lamar preemptively removed all copyrights on the song and allowed the community complete freedom in its usage. The song spread like wildfire. It claimed the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 and engulfed social media sites. The instrumental for the track was even featured during the NBA playoffs.
At first glance, conflating this cultural phenomenon with the larger political body may not seem appropriate. But, this rivalry shares more in common with our political landscape than we might realize. It allows us to peer into the average American’s mindset and contributes to synthesizing information that may foretell the upcoming November elections.
So, let’s set the stage.
On one side, we have the most loquacious, creative and acclaimed poet of this generation — Kendrick Lamar. On the other, we have Drake, one of the most recognizable and mainstream artists in the world.
Lamar has made a name for himself by championing the plight of being Black in 21st-century America. He shaped the culture to confront the issues of economic plight, intellectual stagnation, intergenerational oppression, the history of American apartheid, gender, identity and sexuality.
He has a track record of investing in the arts and his community. In 2015, Lamar began investing in his community by making donations to Compton Centennial High School’s music program. He is equally steadfast in his work with songs such as “Auntie Diaries,” where he addresses his own shortcomings and misgivings about individuals who identify as transgender.
His track record of creativity and social work has and continues to inspire individuals – myself included. Lamar forces us to see the value of prose and demonstrates how fearsome words can become when poverty and curiosity intersect to form a base of knowledge.
Comparatively, Drake was born into an affluent family and gained national attention through his starring role in “Degrassi,” a teen drama television series. He pivoted this national attention to begin a foray into hip-hop and rap music. The rapper has cemented himself as one of the most widely appealing male artists of the past decade. Drake dominates mainstream radio and has created a catalog of songs, albums, LPs and “care packages” that are widely proliferated. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard his music in some form.
Lamar represents the most liberal of ideologies and progressive views: self-reflection, critical analysis and growth in the face of oppression. In contrast, Drake reflects a more conservative stance, not in music or politics, but through his actions.
It may seem far-fetched to correlate Drake to someone as inhumane as former President Donald Trump or an organization like the Republican Party, but there are notable similarities. Drake has a track record of questionable actions, including wearing blackface, appropriating accents, partnering with gambling websites and allegedly preying on minors. The former president has also fashioned himself as a racist gambling advocate who makes his yearning for minors readily apparent.
Drake and Lamar can be viewed similarly to how the United States views its presidential candidates. It’s not a strenuous claim that Drake, in this instance, has taken a Trumpian position of disrespect, misrepresentation of identity and debauchery. His fanbase, much like the MAGA cult, has spewed outlandish conspiracy theories as to why their favorite personality has been the heel of the public eye.
If we are to learn anything from the example that was made out of Drake, it should be one of the more generalized claims Lamar expressed in “Not Like Us”: “The audience is not dumb.” Americans are capable of understanding complex issues and are increasingly becoming tired of the same old message. It would be foolish to claim that there is no correlation between this hip-hop rivalry and the general sentiment that Americans have for politicians.
We need to stop thinking of cultural moments like these as devoid of context and political implication. If our fragile republic stands any hope of surviving, we must stop taking the high road all the time. We should reconsider our attitude of “when they go low, we go high” in addressing our challenges, as there are times when a more direct approach is required.
Kendrick has given us the blueprint and shown us the path toward victory. Unadulterated attacks on the character of the opposition is something that would help to galvanize the nation in the same way it unified around a dislike for Drake. We’re stronger together.
Ricardo Luna is an Opinion Intern for the summer 2024 quarter. He can be reached at lunar5@uci.edu.
Edited by Zahira Vasquez and Jaheem Conley