Good morning and Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate such things. I’m in a mood and ready to ruin some people’s good day, so let’s get right to it.
Did you watch the Super Bowl Halftime show this year? Did you understand a bit of it? If you did, then you are not a 44-year-old white father of two who listens to Pat Benatar and Steely Dan on a regular basis. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you.
Anyway, that short fellow was a rapper named Kendrick Lamar. And his Super Bowl halftime show was basically his “Wrestlemania moment” in his ongoing feud with Canadian rapper Drake.
These two men have been involved in what I’m reliably informed is the closest thing to a blood feud the hip-hop world’s seen since the hallowed days of Biggie vs. Tupac. It’s made these gentlemen obscene amounts of money for a couple of years now.
And the whole thing’s faker than an episode of Monday Night Raw.
Allow me to illuminate the obvious for those of you who don’t indulge in the antics of grapplers in the squared circle. Here’s how this jaded old wrestling fan sees it with the assistance of Grok:
Drake (who is Canadian) and Kendrick Lamar (who is short and American) started tagging together on the indies around 2011-2012. They’d even tour together with Drake headlining on all the big shows. Kendrick Lamar was lucky to get top billing on a spot show now and then but fans appreciated his technical expertise.
The two soured around 2013 when Kendrick turned heel on Drake and challenged him along with several other rappers. Drake took exception to this and fired back on a song called “First Person Shooter” where he declared himself, Lamar, and a rapper named J. Cole the ”Big three” of hip-hop. Kendrick responded on a song called “Like That” where he cut a promo on everyone declaring himself the only game in town.
And so the feud intensified with both men trading shots at each other. In separate promos they called “diss tracks,” Drake accused Lamar of domestic abuse, among other personal attacks. Lamar responded with shots of his own including a highly popular track called “Not Like Us” where he accused Drake of being a pedophile.
This song upset Drake so much he put on his big boy pants and sued Universal Media Group for defamation. Somehow, according to some lawyer Drake paid a lot of money, UMG defamed him by promoting a song that turned into a hit.
It’s an interesting theory and turns to total bullshit when you find out Drake has a distribution deal with UMG.
Anyway, the big moment in their feud to date has to be Kendrick Lamar’s performance of “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl’s halftime show this year. And it’s safe to say that was probably a finish on the feud when the entire Super Dome sang “A Minor” along with Lamar.
Until the next big Drake escalation in the feud designed to sell more records, pump up streaming numbers, and get people taking on social media.
But you’re going to tell me WWE’s faker than that?
Happy Friday everyone! See y’all next week, and be good to your loved ones today!
