The War Of The Words!

HOLLYWOOD—Yes, rappers feud, more than ever. Rappers have been trading insults since the beginning of hip-hop. It’s part of the culture. According to published reports, the feud is intensifying between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, and has reached new heights, when they both released two diss tracks almost simultaneously. After almost a month of back and forth, the new songs get very personal, with allegations of domestic violence and secret children.

Drake’s track, “Family Matters,” appears to suggest that one of Lamar’s children was fathered by another man. Lamar, responded with the track, “Meet the Grahams,” which alleges that Drake is addicted to gambling, drugs, sex and alcohol. Drake says it was “shambles.”

The two songs were released within minutes of each other on this past Saturday morning and are much darker than earlier missives in their war of words. Drake is the most streamed rapper in the world, casually suggests that Lamar has a history of spousal abuse, rapping; “They hired a crisis management team. To clean up the fact that you beat on your queen.” Lamar has never been accused of any form of domestic violence, outside of the song.

Drake recorded a song using artificial intelligence to duplicate the voice of Tupac Shakur, it was immediately taken down after a complaint from Shakur’s estate. In “Family Matters,” he accuses Lamar of pulling strings behind the scenes to force that outcome. Lamar wasted no time in his response, in his song “Meet the Grahams,” which arrived, if you believe, just 20 minutes later. The Compton-born rapper proceeded to call out Drake’s parents, and his six-year-old son, by name. He later calls Drake a “deadbeat” and suggests he has secretly fathered a child. Drake responded on Instagram, with laughing emojis and saying; “Hold on, can someone find my hidden daughter and send her to me please.”

Lamar also alleges that people on Drake’s payroll at his record label OVO are “sex offenders.” The feud between Drake and Lamar actually dates back to 2013, when Lamar was a newcomer. The feud simmered for a few years, boiling over again last year when J. Cole and Drake described themselves, along with Lamar, as the “big three” of rap, on the song, “First Person Shooter.” Since then, both sides have released a number of diss tracks. Believe it or not, the fallout has been good for business, with both sides scoring hits in this week’s Top 40.

Drake, the Canadian actor-turned musician whose blend of rap and R&B has made him the most commercially successful hip-hop artist of the 21st Century. Among his multi-platinum hits are tracks like “Hotline Bling,” “One Dance” and “Hold on We’re Going Home.” Kendrick Lamar, a Compton-born rapper whose compelling rhymes and vision have seen him named the best rapper of his generation. One of the most inventive lyricists in the game, he takes on police brutality, black self-worth and his own internal conflicts. In 2018, he became the first hip-hop artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for music. That’s truly an accomplishment.

J. Cole, who was born in Germany and raised in North Carolina, was mentored by Jay-Z and went on to score hits with songs like “Middle Child” and “Déjà vu.” But he grew disenchanted with the trappings of commercial success and began to make his own path with more analytical songs, resulting in some of the most popular and successful music of his career. Will this end? The war of the words shows no sign of coming to an end.

If anything, the frequency of the star’s attacks is increasing. There are signs that some listeners are growing tired of the constant back and forth feud between them. People tend to get bored easily with the commentaries and the social media nonsense, which actually is a waste of energy. Hopefully it will come to an end soon.

Rose’s Scoop:  Wishing everyone a very Happy Cinco de May, one of the best places to be celebrating is Gracias Madre, located on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood and also in Newport Beach. Looking for good drinks? El Granjero Cantina on 6333 W. Third St. in Los Angeles. Ka’Teen, will be serving up specialty cocktails and music. This tropical oasis will be on 6516 Selma Ave, in Los Angeles.