it’s just big me!!! the boogeyman, young angel, and the born sinner; A BATTLE OF THE GOATS.
In an intrepid crusade, Kung Fu Kenny snatches rap’s throne.
Written by Bri Tahj (Op-Ed)
Rap beef has been a part of hip hop culture since the inception of its essence. In 2024, we’ve witnessed the grandest one yet. In the beginning, there were three: J Cole, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar. Soon, there were two. And finally, one.
Since this beef has been brewing for at least a decade now, let’s begin where the plot thickens. It’s October 2023. Drake debuts, For All The Dogs. Feedback varies, but one particular track stands out: First Person Shooter, featuring no other than the born sinner himself- Jermaine Cole. Let me paint you a picture…
The ignition.
These are some of the bars that are thrown back and forth between the two lyrical comrades on First Person Shooter. It is ominously evident that these subtle jabs camouflaged as casual banter between two friends are actually pretty pellucid shots for their final peer: some call him Kendrick. We call him The Boogeyman.
*Sidenote: On Euphoria, Kendrick raps, “I hurt your feelings? You don’t want to work with me no more? Ok.” This alludes to the idea that Kdot actually sent a verse for FPS and Drake sent it back. My theory is that Drake denied the verse and then proceeded to spin the block again with Cole on Evil Ways, doubling down on the idea of there only being the ‘big two’.
Let’s fast forward a bit as we keep this track in the back of our minds. Skip to November 2023. A mere month after its release, For All The Dogs has been deemed ‘unworthy’ of its title. Many hip hop enthusiasts suggest there’s not enough rap. So, Young Angel spins the block and gives us For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition, with six additional tracks. They are predominantly rap records. But wait- there’s a pattern here- Another track with Cole. This time we’re gifted a beautiful back and forth as Aubrey and Cole flow over the melodic instrumentals behind Evil Ways.
The jabs on this record remain incognito to the average listener, but a keen ear to hip hop knows that this track was the final conjuring of The Boogeyman. Remember how we’d all be shook to say Bloody Mary in the mirror that third and final time?
First person shooter was record one-
Boogeymannn
Evil Ways was record two-
Boogeymannnnn
Boogeym-
NIGGA BUM!!!!!!
The fuel.
The lights flicker on and it’s March of 2024. Pluto (Future) debuts We Dont Trust You, produced by Metro Boomin. Six tracks in, we stumble across Like That: featuring thee verse from Kdot.
Over the span of two weeks, Like That shifts the culture and brings the charts to new heights. Kdot’s momentum and presence spat all over this record. He challenges his two rivals back: Is you like that?
In walks Jermaine. It’s April 2024 and Cole drops, Might Delete Later. On what I consider to be one of his best projects to date, the twelth and final track , 7 minute Drill addresses Kendrick’s Like That verse. Its value? Well, lets just say three days later, Cole publicly apologized to Kdot for the jabs made and recants the verse, pulling it from streaming.
Jermaine didn't want no smoke. He chose peace. He is indeed, not like that. And just like that, there were two…
The beef starts to really cook when Drake and Kenny go toe to toe. To me, the rounds of this battle can be critiqued by 4 main criteria: lyrical ability/bars, emotional evocation upon first impression, usage of the internet/media as a stratagem to sway the culture, and finally, angle/approach to war.
The accusations from both parties during this battle will all be taken as fiction- not a single verifiable receipt for these claims was provided. Any meritable person knows It's not what you know, it's what you can prove.
Let’s strip it down to the music.
Afterall, only real music’s gonna last. All that other BS is here today and - well, you know the rest…
The battle.
Round 1. Push Ups (followed by Taylor Made) vs Euphoria (followed by 6:16 In LA)
Lyrical ability/Bars: Kendrick
Kendrick lyrically clears Drake in this round. The best/most memorable bars from Push Ups were, “How the f* you big stepping with a size 7 men’s on?” and “Metro, shut yo hoe ass up and make some drums, nigga!” An honorable mention goes to the contract split bars and the reference to Kdot being a swiftie, and of course, “I be wit some bodyguards like whitneyyyy…”
Ultimately, these jabs just don't cut it for me. Admittedly, upon first listen, Euphoria wasn't my favorite but Kenny’s bars are superior here. He tells us that he can predict Drake’s angle, challenges him to a game of have you ever, and then proceeds to lyrically annihilate on this track.
Kendrick gives kudos to Back To Back then says he’ll get back to that, and later spins back to back on Drizzy during this battle. Taylor Made was creative and innovative, but the lyrics were still lacking in comparison to 6:16 in LA. Yes, 6:16 is deeply introspective, but, Kendrick ponders, “Who I am if I don’t go to war?” The revelation that Drake possibly has a mole in his camp seems to substantiate his claims in Euphoria and the tracks to come. Kenny is saying, nigga look around you.
How could you possibly win a war against a man who knows himself when there’s war at your homefront?
Emotional evocation/First impression: Drake
My initial reaction to Push Ups was much more jubilant than the reaction I felt with Euphoria. Drake knows how to make a hit and Push Ups is undeniably a banger. As soon as I heard this track, I got hype and excited. The fact that he had jabs for all of his opponents (Rick Ross, Metro, Future, The Weeknd, ASAP Rocky, etc) is what made the public response so victorious. Upon first listen, Euphoria threw me for a loop… No further comment.
Usage of media/Impact on culture: Drake
Push ups had the internet in an uproar. From the clownery of the resurfacing of the video where Kenny is seen doing push ups outside, to niggas actually researching his shoe size, to Drake’s big 3 list (Travis, Savage, Sza) sparking conversation… Drizzy wins this category.
Angle/approach: Kendrick
Between the two tracks, the implementation appears more thought out on Kdot’s end. Euphoria was reckless, Kung Fu Kenny talking his shit, hollin’.
6:16 In LA was Mr Duckworth substantiating his arrogance in the previous track as well as foreboding the tracks to come. Euphoria and 6:16 inextricably serve as a warning to Drake that the circle he keeps around him may not be as tight as it appears to be. He poses the question and finishes the game: have you ever thought that ovo was working for me?
Suggesting that there’s a mole in Drake’s camp was a master level approach for the rest of this battle.
Round 1 winner: Kendrick
Kendrick takes the first round. His lyricism and strategy trumped Drake’s summer bop and all of his memes too.
Round 2. Family Matters Vs Meet The Grahams
Lyrical ability/Bars: Drake
Lyrically, Family Matters may be the best track of this battle. Drake not only gave us a banger, but he also gave us bars that hit harder than Kenny’s all whilst giving us quotables and revealing a fresh angle. The bars of this track make a stronger impact lyrically than the bars of Meet The Grahams.
MTG was meant to be a bomb, while Family Matters is bar heavy. Drake showed that the boy can really rap. His lyricism shined and prevailed through, but they were overshadowed almost instantaneously.
Those of us who experienced the release of these disses in real time got a treat that could never be replicated. The unraveling of it all was truly a moment in hip hop history. For 15 short minutes, I basked in glory as I watched the world finally, and what felt like unanimously, give Aubrey his props for being a skilled lyricist. I almost shed a tear.
The switch up of the culture as soon as Meet The Grahams dropped is a moment I'll never forget.
Emotional evocation/First impression: Kendrick
My heart skipped a beat. My jaw dropped. My soul hurt. I almost shed a tear. Again. But this time, in a terribly sad and uncanny way.
Meet The Grahams is a master level diss record and arguably the best yet, for these reasons alone. It’s cinematic. It feels like a scene from a horror film. Kdot sat Adonis down and told him that he could be a better father figure to him than his fraudulent pops. He sat Dennis down and said, how dare you raise this horrible man? He sat Sandra down and said, “Your son is a sick man, with sick thoughts. I think niggas like him should die.”
Then he told Lebron & Curry to keep the family away.
This was a public assassination; A crucifixion, in fact. It became evidently clear that his goal during this battle was to skew the entire world’s view of Drake and make them question his identity. This diss record does not fall short in achieving that one bit. This track is tragically brilliant. It is haunting, daunting, and dooming. An inevitable fate- the young angel had fallen.
Everyone around me immediately said, and I quote, “These niggas is bugged out!”, “Drake is cooked”, and then we all got offline. It was too much to digest.
Usage of media/Impact on culture: Kendrick
Kdot publicly dismantled Drake’s image and strategically did so within 15 minutes of one of his greatest moments yet. He didn’t let Aubrey or his red button breathe for one second.
Angle/approach: Kendrick
Meet The Grahams is surgical and lethal. It’s the boogeyman we all asked for. Drake may have sabotaged himself in the end if the sentiment of him feeding Kdot false info is true, because the creative rage he evoked from this man’s pen is career defining to them both.
The “bomb” was extremely calculated and we learned how much Kenny truly studied his opponent to win this war.
He dissected Drake’s character in front of the public eye and left him with no time or room to recover.
Kendrick’s timing with this diss may be the single most important factor of this battle. He dropped this track 15-20 minutes after Family matters, completely overshadowing it.
He didn't even let the shit breathe.
Much like the boogeyman, he had taken our breaths away and had us gasping in shock and terror.
Kenny Kruger jump scared us all.
Round 2 winner: Kendrick
There is nothing that Drake could have said that would have saved him in this round. No rebuttal would’ve been enough. Kdot’s timing, approach, ability to sway the people, and eery presence was a legendary sight to see.
Round 3. Not Like Us vs The Heart Part 6
Lyrical ability/Bars: Drake
Drake had much heavier bars this round with The Heart Part 6. Kenny repeated the same points in Not Like Us and gave us a couple of new quotables and a BOP! But, Drake’s rapping ability served as a bit of redemption in this final round of the battle.
Emotional evocation/First impression: Kendrick
From the timing, to the Mustard beat, to the smash hit nature of this track, Kenny won most of us over. Not Like Us was the final nail in the coffin, as we all danced over Drake’s dead body.
My first reaction was: “Drake is finished.”
Every true fan of hip hop was lit.
Usage of media/Impact on culture: Kendrick
By this time, Drake was already in a body bag and nobody cared. Not even me.
Kendrick effectively dismantled and bodied him and even those rooting for him this entire battle felt that it was over. He was able to effectively sway the public’s perception of one of the biggest rap stars yet.
That has to count for something, if not everything.
Angle/approach: Kendrick
Kendrick hit Drake back to back with three disses within 48 hours. That alone is legendary warfare.
He started off by asking Aubrey, is you like that? And finished him off by proclaiming he ain’t nothing like us.
Round 3 winner: Kendrick
Do I even need to elaborate?
Kenny won.
It’s Kdot’s presence that’s so special- so compelling. He knows just how to command a track. You can feel him. This entire battle, you can feel his hate, his pride, his arrogance, his swag, and his demeanor all over these disses.
The presence he carries is monumental to hip hop and rap culture. He brings an energy, passion, and pure dominance to his tracks that is truly unmatched.
He is charismatically brilliant in his skill and craftsmanship in hip hop music and he’s proved to be a studious penman.
To me, his assertion as someone to be afraid of is what slaughtered the young angel and won him this war.
His conviction of emotion, ability to evoke reaction from the people, mastermind approach, and manipulation of timing aided in his victory.
Drake held his own lyrically, but Kdot’s essence reigned supreme. He played the boy at his own game, hit him back to back more than once, gave us quotables and summer hits, and set the internet aflame.
My, my, my, how the tables have turned…
He told Drake, “Be humble. Sit down.” The Boogeyman is out to play.
Will the war ever end? Did we actually determine who can spit better bars? And I mean, really, spit?
Y’all know what I say:
Let dem boyz rap.
Put it on wax. Ode to hip hop,
-always.