Hey prof, I disagree with you about "too much beef." I think what you're witnessing here is not a slap fight between two grown men, you're witnessing a targeted, premeditated character assassination and a cultural call to arms disguised as a rap beef. Kendrick seems to have planned this whole thing pretty meticulously, if you look at how quick he was with responses, receipts, etc., and the coordinated way he ramped up his allegations. I think you're right that this whole beef is Kendrick trying to illustrate the points he made in Mr. Morale. He's trying to destroy Drake not merely as a person, but as a symptom of all the things Kendrick has been writing against for years. And while i agree that the ensuing beef is UGLY as hell, it's also, possibly, kind of vital that it happen, and that it happen thoroughly. It's not a reckoning if it doesn't go (by the standards of a "normal" rap beef) too far.
Yh, if we’re going by analogies, this is lean beef, full of protein, and low in fat. It’s where you can really see how well each rapper can grow/ respond to criticism or how resilient they are. And imo the heart part 6 shows Drake’s lack of resilience
AVAA! Not fully finished with the video yet but I would strongly disagree that Meet the Grahams is just “content”. It is a deeply emotionally effective song, the reactions I’ve seen look like people watching something borderline traumatic. It doesn’t feel good, it’s sounds like a horror movie, but you cannot say it doesn’t stir the emotions in a profound way, and personally, I think that’s the mark of great art. If everything said on that track is true in 50 years it will still be mentioned as one of the best diss songs of all time and a towering artistic achievement and moment in hip hop history. Calling it content because it leaves a bad taste in your mouth isn’t giving it its due.
I agree. Meet The Grahams is the biggest indictment of a person that I have EVER heard in a rap song. And I had some really nice headphones on when I first heard it and it was legit creepy. Especially at the end where his vocal tone raises, and the background vocals when he says "lied". And is it all true? Eh, I can't say for sure. But I do know where there is tons of smoke there is fire. And Kendrick, not Drake, bases their whole career on honesty, integrity and truth. So its really hard for me to think he made any of it up. And the abuse allegations against him have already been debunked, though if they were true then that's something that shouldn't be swept under the rug. But this is a rare type of track where I felt like I shouildn't be hearing what is being said. lol It truly made me feel gross once it ended, but that's what made it so powerful.
Agree 100% and very well said - I can't recall if any other song, or piece of media in general, has left me feeling the way I was feeling after listening to Meet the Grahams
AAVA To your point about the underage stuff, i think it'a important to note that Drake was genuinely caught interacting with minors years ago and it has been known The problem is people dont seem to really care about it which is i think why Kendrick released this song Besides the daughter thing nothing else he said is really a big secret, but the kids and casual listeners who make up the bulk of Drake's audience wont care unless it comes from someone like Kendrick
27:26 to add context, this is the second back and forth where Drake relied on punching down and personalizing it. Against Pusha T, it was his wife, and the same with kendrick. Why i always emphasize starting the history at Kendricks control verse is that people in a back and forth with Drake keep it limited to the field and eachother, yet drake is the one to step over the line.
somebody said "Kendrick made me look inwards and hate the Drake in me" and i felt more gravitation to his values and it made me feel better, Professor Skye on the other hand, reminded me why i love every artform in the first place, i hope these days & experiences end up influencing the people & enriching our cultures
AVAA I haven't finished the entire video yet but wanted to respond to the "isn’t this beneath Kendrick" idea. I'm going to take a bit of different angle from a lot of comments I've seen online and say not only is it necessary for Kendrick to do this but also vital - almost moral. Kendrick isn't perfect and ultimately his music releases through and functions under capitalism however Drake represents the grossest elements of the commercialisation of hip-hop - Yasiin Bey didn’t describe Drake’s music as being compatible with shopping for no reason. Drake is emblematic of hip-hops current flaws: misogyny, hypersexualisation of (young) women, pushing a fake lifestyle, over produced/over written, entirely product focused, an obsession over material wealth, etc I think Kendrick is fighting an entire section of the medium - the industry, the fans and ofc Drake himself. In this sense I think he’s right tbh and continuing to hammer his point home in a multitude of different angles is highly effective - he’s trying to drown them in a deluge of tracks and critiques. Hopefully this beef will push people to engage with the medium in a better way than whose numbers are bigger and whose lifestyle is louder.
I disagree, I think what Kendrick did in this beef is very artistic. He is an artist, in the truest definition in regards to music. The beef was just the canvas in which the art was able to materialize. The artistic decisions he made in the formation of the songs really showed through, and gave his work much deeper meaning, depth, and feeling.
“Meet The Granthams” makes “Story of Adidon” look like a nursery rhyme. I’ve seen it described as “funeral music”, it’s just seven straight minutes of the most hate filled music, and I really don’t think Drake is ever EVER going to be looked at the same. That said, Kendrick’s pure hate for Drake can be too much lol 🥲 I do not want to explode. AVAA
I agree. But the only thing i disagree with is the hate part. And even though Kendrick said he was the biggest hater. He doesn’t mean it literally. He meant it as, I care for you as a person, but I HATE the person you TRY to be.
AVAA. Thank you for adding some nuance to this beef professor! However, I don't think this is beneath Kendrick for a few reasons. 1. Drake being the biggest Rap artist in the world opens him up to beef from anyone, but especially what I would call the cultural favorite in modern day rap. This beef had to happen, because friendly or not Kendrick must prove himself. If he didn't, Drake, who is always going to win the numbers and social media game, gets to say he has no challengers. Well here he is being challenged, by maybe the only rapper who can compete on an numbers and skill level. This started as a test of skill. 2. If what Kendrick has said about Drake is true, he was right to call him out. After the Pusha T diss... if Drake is still hiding a child it is not just a bad look, it's morally wrong. Kendrick might know more than you or me, and whatever that info is might be worth calling out. We like when this beef was passive and about music, but they both made this sound much deeper. If that's true, then Kendrick has not only a motive, but in his mind an OBLIGATION to call Drake out. Obviously Drake has some serious allegations against Kendrick that need to be addressed; but if Kendrick is really under the impression that abuse/trafficking/rape/child exploitation/etc. is going on than he is doing what he feels necessary. It sounds like this isn't just a Drake issue either. This is industry wide. 3. Kendrick might be using this as promotion. There are rumors that Kendrick might have a new album dropping soon. As you brought up with Drake previously, all publicity is good publicity. What better way to return to the charts and get people talking than dropping multiple hits against your main competition? And if you think thats above him, he absolutely did the same before with Control and he absolutely is loving the attention the Like That trake got him. At this point, I think Kendrick just hates the industry and how it abuses people as a whole, and sees Drake as the complete embodiment of that mentality. I agree though. That this point, any further beef would just be for content. There is no further place to go to. Shout out to MF DOOM.
As soon as Kendrick drop last night I thought fuck professor got his wish 😂. It just that u respect music this much that so shocking. Shout out to your wife for saying that. I going to say this, Kendrick is doing this for people like me Because I’m a black man that has been failed by my father and my community and society. This is more than a battle prof it’s a realignment for black people. Thank you professor for your input on this subject I’ve learned a lot from you in this past year with your extensive knowledge on French in conjunction with Haiti…..
The carnivore diet got me off my BP meds so, I'm here for all the beef and the way Kendrick served it was gourmet level 🙃 Just to throw in my own bit of seasoning I'll add this. My take on this round of songs was that the whole thing was theatre and Meet the Gaham's was auric and aural melodrama. For me, this round was all about performance and Kendrick was all about it. When music is particularly moving, I immediately start seeing scenes play out in my mind. This more often occurs with classical or instrumental music, but on rare occasions, lyrical songs fire my imagination in the same way. Meet the Grahams did that in spades. It had me riveted to an imaginal film that was written by every one of Kendricks artistic choices. The tone of his voice, the pace of his delivery, the haunting piano, the portions where he played with the cadence of the prose he was delivering to climaxalingside the content, the psychoanalysis disguised as a rap song all drew me into the dark world he created. As the haunting notes of the piano came in, I saw Kendrick in a dark room. He was reciting the letter he wrote to Adonis while sitting alone at a table with the letter in his hand but he's not looking at the letter because he has it memoriezed and his focus is fixed on something I can't quite see. He has a calculated look in his eyes. His fingers, stained with ink loosely hold the letter as if the page is a breath away from floating to the floor and you get the feeling that if the page falls, something horrible will happen.There is a single light above him, dimly illuminating him as he raps words of both condemnation and encouragement while we, the viewers, take in a closeup shot of him- all deceptively relaxed posture and bridled intensity. Throughut the verse, he stares straight forward, not quite making direct eye contact with us through the camera's lens and It's not until the "dun dun dun dun dun dun dun na" break in the melody, that the camera drifts across the length of the table like a shadow and as the haunting piano melody resumes we realize that he's not alone. He's in a room that bares an eerie resemblance to a stranger things-esque 80's living room in the upside down. A woman, who represents Sandra, is sitting on a chair. He hands, and legs are tied to the chair and her mouth is bound. The room is still in shadows but Sandra is clearly visible as Kendrick materializes out of the darkness like a wraith. He sits in front of her with aching slowness and begins telling her about the wickedness alive in her son as she sobs quietly. As the song progresses, Kendrick starts talking to Dennis, but he continues staring at Sandra until the camera pans down to Kendrick's feet and we the viewers see that Dennis is tied up at Kendricks feet with Kendricks black boot clad feet resting atop him. There is a 7 written in red on Dennis' shirt alluding to the movie 7 and Drake's comments about his shoe size. I'll stop here so as to not bore you to death but suffice it to say that a whole movie played in my mind on my first listen of Meet the Grahams. In my mind, meet the Grahams was beautiful in its ugliness. Art is not always pleasing and does not always depict or speak to the lovely aspects of human nature, but it makes you feel, contemplate, react. Contrast is important in that it helps us recognize what we detest and strove for what we desire. In an unxepected way, meet the Grahams did that for me. Thank you for sharing your views and your knowledge. It makes my grown self miss university and all the analysis we used to do. All the best 🩶
You can let me know if this is coping but I believe this video is the opposite of content consumption. It’s just way to long to be in the table of Mr. Creosote In the frame of the internet. This isn’t a 1 minute snack of you freaking out or quoting a line. This isn’t a live fast food reaction. As a Mr. Creosote myself when it comes to consuming all the reactions of this beef yours has given me ideas to think about instead of opinions to agree with or disagree with. Which by the way I glad you brought up how this is basically part2 of Mr. Morales. I was also thinking when euphoria dropped Kdot isn’t beefing with drake literally but more of the idea or what drake stands for. And how it goes against the values he addresses in Mr. Morales. Which is why to me this is fascinating and why meet the grahams is beautiful art and not just a beefy diss. This is Kendrick moving through the internet and saying if this is how you consume then let me trick you in consuming something that he’s been conflicted with. lol now I’m just rambling but if you read this thank you. Hope you have a peaceful light weekend
I completely agree with you. I didn't know Kendrick had been paying attention to how much youtube has shaped how people encounter, listen to, and think about music. I would have bet he hadn't been paying attention. But this seemed to me like him being really aware of it and really savvy in bringing his message "to the masses," if you will. RUclips "reactors" are a huge part of that (i'm lumping bar breakdowns and analyses and everything critical into the same category as the shrieking and earphone-flinging) . Kendrick makes music that requires multiple listens, an attention span, knowledge of the culture and history of hip hop, the ability to catch allusions in popular culture, just a really highly-trained ear for lyrical hip hop that not everybody has. RUclips reactors help break it down, and the comments sections provide a place for discussion, so listeners can take a participatory role as something like this unfolds. Does the most gluttonous and hyperbolic segment of the hip hop audience live here? Sure. But so does everybody else. People are hearing Kendrick who didn't hear him on Mr. Morale. I am not ashamed to say I needed a lot of help to catch everything Kendrick was saying. I got that help on RUclips. And the reason I feel confirmed in my sense that Kendrick has been paying attention is because he lifted the copyright claims so youtube reactors could monetize their reactions/breakdowns/analyses. Sure there are people consuming this like it's a fast food binge, eating and swallowing without chewing. But that doesn't mean it actually *is* fast food. What's been happening here is important.
The beginning and the daughter segment of 'Meet the Grahams' was a gut punch even for me the Kendrick fan. The whole song was hitting and felt like Kendrick was Jigsaw(John Kramer), especially in the last part. I feel like the song will go down in history as one of the most gut punching songs in Rap Beef history....
AVAA I’m extremely glad you’re covering this. From my perspective as a fan of the more oldschool 90s sound(though I still enjoy some new stuff), I for one have been waiting for Drake to be called out for a long time. And properly called out, because he makes music bereft of substance, because to me he himself has no artistic integrity for one reason. His music and persona is entirely fabricated. I’m fine with an artist whose persona and art contains just 1 percent of their real personality, but Drake puts absolutely none of himself into his art; he only distorts pieces of himself and sells them to a woefully uninteresting and disturbing degree. It’s been painfully obvious for a long time. I’m not even a big Kendrick fan, I do love his most popular songs, but I don’t really listen to his albums like that. But this puts him over for me. What he’s doing is so incredibly needed, and only adds to his story in such a way, that even I, a person who has never listened to a full Kendrick album through, consider doing so. Kendrick is doing what needs to be done, regardless of the ramifications and consequences for his own artistic integrity, and I think it’s very interesting.
I feel your opinion on it being too much but keep in mind this is has been literally a decade in the making with subliminals coming from both sides and endless debates from fans
Well, I kinda hoped this time you'd take your time on it, bc this feels like something that should take the measured thoughts of Professor Skye, but I trust your judgment
People who comment a lot on videos don't usually typically watch the entire video before they leave a comment. Usually they only watch for about a minute or two, which is probably what this person does on most of your videos before they comment@@professorskye ps I left this comment only 2 minutes into the video but I do intend to watch the whole thing
holy shit you may have a point professor, I feel like your video's just came at a right point to me as I'm come to the tipping point realisation at how I'm consuming stuff in general, and how I sometimes overly consume stuff (a huge probs with my ADHD that I'm trying to deal with) - it's funny how this beef has sorta derailed my day a bit and I'm glad you're helping me put that into perspective. AVAA!
AVAA I love the way you prompt us to think about our consumption of this beef. As an amateur music cricket I too feel how much oxygen this has taken from other, potentially great, music coming out right now.
This is my new favorite channel… And I wouldn’t have found you without this beef… so even though I do think that this had a negative effect on society as a whole.. at least I was able to extract one positive from this whole thing 🙂
AVAA! This is what video essays think they are doing. Not to shade, but to try to identify just how elevated your video's message and quality is and how cohesive the content is with your thesis. I guess a professional communicator is good at communicating
Thanks for wading in on this. I wouldn’t have found your channel without it. I hope this affirms that even exposure to your ideas might be worth wading into the swamp.
I think what’s interesting about this whole conversation is that ‘meet the grahams’ is being turned into content, but at it’s core it isn’t. At least for Kendrick, this is a lot more than beef. The reactions I’ve seen (for I too have been Mr. Creosote - thanks for the reminder to get some distance, I need it) have been a mixture. Some people have treated it as basically just content, others have gone into it expecting content, an entertaining episode in the ongoing beef, and come out of it shocked not only at the allegations, but also at the way people are treating it. Drake’s treating all this like content, but Kendrick seems genuinely out for blood (possibly literally). Anyway, I’d say more if I had time to think it over, but I see Fantano’s uploaded a delicious, minty-looking video
I feel the same way Drake is out here treating this like some battle, throwing slick lines and witty bars like "No matter what I say these bars will go over Kenny's head (ref: Kendrick's height)". But I think the real truth is the bars are going over Drake's head, if you listen to Kendrick he is not battling like Drake he is trying to eliminate him. I'm thinking about what Kanye said in an interview he said him, Future and metro where excited about THE ELIMINATION OF DRAKE then Kendrick said "we don't like the girls you're with and it's not just me I'm with the culture (ref: other rappers).
Blast from the past seeing that Disposable Heroes of Hiphopresy cd in the library jacket no less. I reviewed it for a college newspaper. In all my years of loving rap I can't believe how far out of containment this got. New sub out of this. :D
“Too much beef” is definitely how I feel about the state of this feud at this point. Now that the disses have serious legal repercussions and reveals the presence of potential victim this needs to be taken more seriously with a lot of effort put into proving or disproving claims and less in one upping each other artistically.
I got to say the Kendrick and Drake beef brought me here, but your presentation of it makes me view you as a Artistic Intellect...Respect.....so I subscribed and I am viewing all your past videos, great work.......keep it up.
Honestly here from the beef but I love your references. The gangrene shoutout alone is worth a sub. Hopefully there’s some retention from your moment in the sun.
AVAA skye, over the past two days i noticed myself end up feeling disturbed and drained by the beef. Which was far from the excitement i got from the like that verse dropping. You managed to articulate why this change was happening for me.
AVAA!!!! I am an educator myself in the Great North (go Trailer Park Boys!!). I found your channel during this crazy beef, and I am so happy I did. Most channel would simply react to the songs, and maybe break some bars, but none managed to get as analytic as you did! Now, I'm going back through your other content! You got yourself a subscriber for life!
thank you so much for mentioning that point of how messed up it is that if Kendrick knew about Drakss sex crimes and wouldn't have said anything if not for this beef. seriously that felt so wrong and nobody mentioned anything :/
I think your advice about laying off the beef if it's too much for you, I think it's a welcome distraction from how rough life can be for some of us at the time. On a personal note, I'm here showing up to the drama a month later because I totally disregarded it as "celebrity BS" when it first came out... And then, my grandma, who I was extremely close to, died suddenly last week. Learning about the beef was the only thing that helped calm me down from how terrible I was feeling, and I still find that to be the case. It's so interesting and layered and just... honestly a once in a lifetime type deal. EDIT: Also, the allegations brought up are serious enough that if either party thought the other was really doing what they accused them of doing, it would be a damn near moral obligation to bring it to the public eye. I do question the morality of Kendrick possibly letting the beef rest (haha) if Drake hadn't stupidly walked right into the trap he laid for him, though... Like, if you think there's a child trafficking ring being perpetrated by one of the biggest entertainers in the world, I don't know why you would possibly decide to pass up letting that be known -- you might literally save more people from being victimized. But then again, maybe Kendrick was playing 69D chess while Drake was playing Connect 4, and he knew there was no way Haudry could pass up the juicy bait that was presented to him. Who knows how things might have resolved if Drake simply took the beef as seriously as the situation deserved.
I'm about 10 min into this video so far but 100% agree with your assessment and the direction you're heading with this. Last night when these 2 latest tracks dropped, the vibe completely shifted and this stopped being entertaining. If half of what they're alleging at this point is true, I don't need to hear about these lurid details as a form of entertainment. They need to work this out privately and get the authorities involved as necessary. I felt gross listening to these tracks and was even more disgusted with peoples' reactions, ranking the tracks as if this is still a "regular" rap beef and it matters who "won" here. Nobody's winning, including us. My only interest at this point is what this says about the state of rap/feuds, and our culture/society (that we seem to think this is an acceptable form of entertainment). This whole thing has taken a dark turn and now it's just too serious, too personal, too negative. This is not about rap any more and not what I wanted or expected. AVAA
But I think that was purposeful. Kendrick said in all of his songs that he doesn't care about a rap battle. He warned Drake on every song not to take it any further or he will push the button. Well, Drake took it further so Kendrick pushed the button. Meet The Grahams isn't supposed to be entertaining, at all. It is a bunch of extremely personal but also immoral behavior, some illegal, being alledged. It's an indictment of Drake. But anyone who has really been following whats been said in Kendricks tracks knew this was the endgame if Drake kept going. Like Kendrick also said many times, he doesn't give af about rap beef, or the industry. This is deeper than rap. But I think Drake jumped the gun too quickly, was too cocky and kepy antagonizing Kendrick. And once Drake alledged Whitney cheated, it ramped up. But Kendrick still gave him an out with Euphoria. Then you get 6:16 in LA. Where not only is Kendrick giving him another warning, but also let him know there is a leak in OVO and Kendrick knows everything he is going to say. He for sure had already heard Family Matters before Drake released it. The cover art for the song is stuff that came from Drakes house. Kendrick couldn't have made it any clearer. But whether it was due to ego, pressure from the internet or him trying to call Kendricks bluff, he decided to pull the trigger and release Family Matters, where he alledges Kendrick laid hands on his girl. The moment Drake released that it was over. This could have been completely avoided if Drake just took the hint. Kendrick really doesn't like the guy, it isn't just rap beef, and he gave him every possible out.
@@YerpDerp17 I get all of that. I'm still trying to decide whether I buy that narrative and how I feel about it. Kendrick made this a public feud and framed it as rap beef. You don't get to start rap beef and then say "this isn't rap beef, it's about this bigger, more serious thing." I can't shake the feeling it reeks of another manifestation of Kendrick's savior complex and feels pretty contradictory. If he's truly that concerned about the entire situation and truly has empathy for Drake (and it's not a performative, self-serving framing of the entire thing), then certainly there were better ways to go about delivering help than this. I feel like I got dragged into participating in a vicious public shaming spectacle that was on a whole another level than what I thought I was getting into.
Yes thank you for the Al Green shout out I'm only 34 but I love Al Green OMG his voice is just like your meditation it's just great everyone should listen to a little Al Green! He can put you in a good mood ❤
I just want to say before he explains the Mr Creosote reference that I agree it ought to be shorthand in our popular culture! (That’s assuming, and I’m 100% sure I’m right tbh, that you’re referring to the character of the final set piece of Monty Python’s Meaning of Life). Personally, when it comes to this beef though I could not disagree more about it being *merely* content. Kendrick is following his true emotions and intuitions, building on his life experience and wisdom. Rightly or wrongly there is not a molecule in my body that doubts that he 100% believes what he is rapping about. And as BJCDavis2777 pointed out, Meet the Grahams is deeply emotionally affecting. (I also found listening to Euphoria highly euphoric, unsurprisingly enough. Partly because of the joy that Kdot finally “drop, drop, drop, drop”ped after Drakes admittedly excellent Push Ups, and partly because I was reminded, viscerally and joyfully, that I am privileged to be able to listen to the greatest rapper currently alive’s output with very few filter or delays between when he finishes a project and decides to release it. Anyway. Not merely content; I am however very content for another ‘waffer thin slice’ even though this has become quite disturbing. Perhaps we are the Mr Creosotes now. (“You lied about all them other kids, just hoping that you’ll come” is perhaps the darkest bar I have ever or will ever hear… That’s *if* you take it as a double entendre. There ya go, some French for you, Professor!) Ok now to press play and hopefully not learn that Mr Creosote is about something else entirely…
I think the "Meet the Grahams" beat might be a leftover from MMATBS, more specifically, an alternative beat for "We Cry Together. After listening to the song, I ran to check who produced both of them and to my surprise they were both produced by The Alchemist. What do you think about this, Professor? #AVAA
29:15 how did he "basically admit to being physically abusive" on Mr Morale? Because he was open about infidelity and being a toxic partner? I dont believe someone who would beat their woman deserves any chance of redemption, thats an insane stretch to make, can you please explain that?
Kinda disagree with you there prof, this beef, particularly Kendrick's tracks, have are not disposable, they're digestable. You brought up a great point about this being a MMATBS addendum. It has sparked conversations in some of my circles about morality, integrity, fatherhood, etc. I've had these convos with long time Drake fans. Type of guys who will be at the club every weekend and chase after sex at every moment. This was a moment to ask themselves "Do I really wanna be Drake?" Because I truly believe a lot of Drake fans project themselves in Drake, it's part of his appeal. Drake is a personification for what Kendrick hates. This goes deeper than two people not liking each other. We're asking important questions: Why are we so comfortable with lettingn these "big dick deviants" run wild? What's an artist's responsibility towards the culture from which they benefit? (Drake is the biggest culture vulture of the 21st century and I don't think that's even debatable) Why are we idolizing lifestyles that are bound to lead to instability and addictions? All of that through the very pop format that is rap beef. Your average casual listener may not want to make the emotional effort to understand Father Time. But "you raised a horrible fucking person, the nerve of you Dennis" into "and a fucking deadbeat that should never say more life" is a poignant way to communicate the same message.
Kendrick just dropped another one - I agree with everything you said on this video, but with how things are going, it looks like kdot is performing basically a surgical removal of drake. while not probable, at this moment it seems possible
22:45 so I think youre obviously going to be feeding a mass that is only really here for momentary satisfaction. But youre also documenting and providing a unique perspective that people (like me) will look back on and interact with and use to digest and understand and form new opinions
Hi professor, I found your take that this seems more like internet drama to be consumed from the trough to be wildly illuminating; though I feel that's more due to these artists massive appeal towards an audience that maintains itself through the noosphere of the internet, particularly K-Dot's overwhelmingly upper middle-class terminally online audience who view him as a zoo animal more than a human.
I’m glad that somebody is finally connecting this beef to Mr Morale. Hopefully people will talk more about it. I’m a huge fan of it but I never noticed that he alluded to physical abuse in the relationship. Can anybody enlighten me ?
Meet the Grahams was pure vitriol, just concentrated hate and disgust concocted by a man trying to eradicate an annoying, buzzing fly that's been in his ear for too long. This is more than just content, this is Kendrick showing the world that he, the man known for his values, his character, his self awareness, and his masterful artistry, looks at Drake, the man known for his money, his lavish lifestyle, and his carefully cultivated image, and sees only a child, forever chasing the love he never got from his absent daddy. Drake is a man who stands for everything Kendrick despises while having none of the qualities he respects, and he wants this to be known. Kendrick said it himself, he's not doing this for the game, or for attention, he just wants Drake to see just how small he is standing next to a real artist, that it's fine if Drake wants to make fun music and make money, but that he doesn't embody hip hop, that he has no right to consider himself amongst the best to ever do it, that he was foolish to poke the bear. This is Michael Jordan in game 6, this is the Lebronto game winner, this is Curry earning his first finals MVP in 2022, this is Magic with the baby hook, this is the greatest put to the test in the biggest stage, all eyes on him, and proving exactly why he's the greatest. If you don't want to consider that to be artistic, thats fine, but this moment is more significant than any pointless internet RUclipsr drama of the last 10 years. Not content.
Even if we're really just consuming these tracks then regurgitating our takes you still manage to give us one of the most nutritious vomits out there prof. AVAA!
I kinda had a bit of a revelation about this entire ordeal last night. I feel like this battle is a bit orchestrated from them both in order to convey a much darker thing between the 2 of them. It would be a little interesting to chat with you about it if possible.
NO! This is in no way beneath you Professor. Because this is an UNPRECEDENTED series of events. 1. "Meet The Grahams," there is something wrong with that song. 2. There is an missing event in the timeline. It was fleeting yet catastrophic in nature.
It's what people wanted, it's too much because it's about sexual abuse in hiphop.meg the stallion was aiming for it. Kendrick served it. Now hopefully leads to a new Gen of music a more transparent hiphop
My theory on why rap beefs have now become the province of investigative journalism is that rap is over 50 years old. It's a mature genre now whose superstars have kids and families, so playground insults don't work anymore. You really have to dig into character and character is only deeply revealed by actions, so you've got to dig into people. My 2c.
Maybe you already follow The Company Man, I don't remember you mentioning him till now, but I also recommend his videos on Drake and Kendrick for not just off-the-cuff reactions as things are happening. His other videos are also classics in the youtube hip-hop scene.
Very interesting that Madame Professor said “Isn’t this beneath Kendrick?” I thought the same thing when I first heard Like That and wondered what the point was of him dropping seemingly random beef bars when he carried himself as righteous and above the fray throughout his career from my perspective at least. While a part of me understands the need of both parties to hammer home critical points about family, generational trauma, crime and so on, I cannot help but be sad that families with innocent children are being humiliated and torn apart publicly for entertainment. And I still watch the videos (sighs heavily).
I share the same viewpoint, BUT, I remember when fps dropped, it was a delusional and disrespectful take by cole & drake, and definitely needed correction. so I really don't blame kendrick for 'like that', plus it's amazing track, but everything that followed was kinda petty and of low substance in comparison to his usual work. Which does make me "conflicted" and I wish he spent his creative attention elsewhere. But if he somehow manages to actually end drake's career, then I suppose it's a W, (and I'm all for it, drake and his impact on music is detrimental imho), but not without great cost to him as well - in terms of public image, lawsuits and probable physical harm. So I'd rather Kendrick didn't start this, but since he did, best option now is to follow all the way through and unleash hell I guess.
@@giga_elf Thank you so much for taking the time to share your views and you do make solid points here! If Kendrick feels that this whole process of making these tracks is a righteous mission to expose Drake for serious crimes, who am I to tell him he can’t or shouldn’t. That said, I hold allegations of crime to a high standard and believe that they should be addressed with the proper authorities before being placed in music or even RUclips videos for that matter. I don’t know if that has happened here, but I hope that if Kendrick’s allegations are true, he has covered himself in that regard. Drake as well. The beef industrial complex is incredibly devastating to so many and I hope for justice for alleged victims and families more so than a winner. Thank you again! Best!
I agree with your discomfort and I don't think there's much that can be said to justify the way these things have been approached by either artist. But I will also say that it's possible to listen to these tracks and not be seeking mere entertainment, and I've heard A LOT of people reacting to Meet The Grahams with pain and regret because the track is just charged with... well I'm not going to say I'm convinced Kendrick's "sympathy" is expressed or angled in the best way, but neither the lyrics nor the music of the track paint a picture of triumph; it's ruin whether he "wins" or not. And what I would also suggest, and what interests me about this whole event, is the conversations that it forces many people into having openly about subjects most of us would rather avoid even though we know they cast a dark shadow across very real lives. Aside from the abuse percolating under the surface of so much hiphop music for so long, the question of who should be icons of the culture and for which reasons matters on levels that have nothing to do with the boorish competitive braggadocio it is so often expressed as... I think? We should be having those conversations, shouldn't we, not just be idly accepting of the famous and the rich?
@@stefanbraidwood2007 Thank you very much for your feedback Stefan and I can honestly agree with your assessment here. I am grateful that channels like Professor’s here exist as platforms to help us unpack and examine this art and our relationship to it. I appreciate that opportunity to express my thoughts and be both challenged and affirmed by channel viewers. I hope for a peaceful and just resolution to this situation for all involved, but life and art are incredibly messy and a definite win regardless is the people having these important conversations openly in a respectful way. Many thanks!
I think it comes from the Battle Rap Scene, back in the day the Battle rap scene was freestyle so super intricate themes weren’t used but in todays battle rap scene, battle rappers have 3 months to write and research their opponent. This rap battle between Kendrick and Drake, follows the same formula of today’s Battle Rap Scene. They have researched and are releasing scathing disses back and forth. I do believe this is Rap, as a battle rapper myself, I’m okay with all of this. Note, the difference is that in battle rap 90% of the time we are just being competitive and we aren’t taking these things as literal facts or as actual hate more so a performance piece. Where as, with this battle the implications are huge and we the fans are left wondering what is and what isn’t truth. I would understand why someone would get hurt or black balled from this battle. Either way, historic moment, but probably will do more bad for both artists in the long run. I think the only ones who win here are lyricists 😂 cause as a safeguard going forward, new artists will be cautious as to who they talk to or who claims to be the greatest because of the threat of something like this happening again.
Certainly not a great gime to be vegan. To be honest, you are quite on point with the internet drama thing. I wanted a rap battle, what we've got is getting very ugly.
AVAA! Relating to Drake’s dv claims against Kendrick, which I don’t want to discuss too much because it is a heavy topic, but Kendrick not only implied this on Mr Morale but directly admitted it on a 2012 BJ the Chicago Kid song “His Pain”. This was obviously a long time ago but it makes me feel Drake has little to say against Kendrick that he hasn’t already confessed due to the openness of Mr Morale and his music in general.
29:35 wow i.. never got that from the album. Even upon relisten after the beef. I thought, and still do, trauma derived from his infidelity and reliance upon sex as a coping mechanism.
Personally I think Kendrick started this whole thing BECAUSE he had the dirt that he did. Not the other way around. He picked the fight because he knew exactly where Drake was gonna take it (as he hints at in Euphoria) and he wanted to highly publicize the accusations of sex trafficking, and to prevent all of this coming out some other way and Drake the master manipulator from turning public opinion on his side. At least, that's what I would do if I were him. Crazy stuff.
At the same time I kinda wish Kendrick didn't get into a beef with Aubrey because 1) dude is Canadian 2) dude does not know/relate to the struggle of black America and 3) his stuff is superficial. It kinda demeans him to get mixed in this YET I'm glad Kendrick did. At this moment in time, and possibly for the past decade, he IS the standard bearer of hiphop (not only on a moral sense but on a creative sense, how far he pushed the boundaries of this art form while embracing the culture) and as such, he cannot let someone get away with shitty behaviour without taking their measure. Disrespecting 2Pac's estate was way too much
Hey prof, I disagree with you about "too much beef." I think what you're witnessing here is not a slap fight between two grown men, you're witnessing a targeted, premeditated character assassination and a cultural call to arms disguised as a rap beef. Kendrick seems to have planned this whole thing pretty meticulously, if you look at how quick he was with responses, receipts, etc., and the coordinated way he ramped up his allegations. I think you're right that this whole beef is Kendrick trying to illustrate the points he made in Mr. Morale. He's trying to destroy Drake not merely as a person, but as a symptom of all the things Kendrick has been writing against for years. And while i agree that the ensuing beef is UGLY as hell, it's also, possibly, kind of vital that it happen, and that it happen thoroughly. It's not a reckoning if it doesn't go (by the standards of a "normal" rap beef) too far.
Hard Agree.
Was gonna make a comment but you made it for me haha
Yh, if we’re going by analogies, this is lean beef, full of protein, and low in fat. It’s where you can really see how well each rapper can grow/ respond to criticism or how resilient they are. And imo the heart part 6 shows Drake’s lack of resilience
Absolutely agreed!
I agree 10000%
It's cancer surgery.
AVAA! Not fully finished with the video yet but I would strongly disagree that Meet the Grahams is just “content”. It is a deeply emotionally effective song, the reactions I’ve seen look like people watching something borderline traumatic. It doesn’t feel good, it’s sounds like a horror movie, but you cannot say it doesn’t stir the emotions in a profound way, and personally, I think that’s the mark of great art. If everything said on that track is true in 50 years it will still be mentioned as one of the best diss songs of all time and a towering artistic achievement and moment in hip hop history. Calling it content because it leaves a bad taste in your mouth isn’t giving it its due.
I agree. Meet The Grahams is the biggest indictment of a person that I have EVER heard in a rap song. And I had some really nice headphones on when I first heard it and it was legit creepy. Especially at the end where his vocal tone raises, and the background vocals when he says "lied". And is it all true? Eh, I can't say for sure. But I do know where there is tons of smoke there is fire. And Kendrick, not Drake, bases their whole career on honesty, integrity and truth. So its really hard for me to think he made any of it up. And the abuse allegations against him have already been debunked, though if they were true then that's something that shouldn't be swept under the rug. But this is a rare type of track where I felt like I shouildn't be hearing what is being said. lol It truly made me feel gross once it ended, but that's what made it so powerful.
agreed. great point
Agree 100% and very well said - I can't recall if any other song, or piece of media in general, has left me feeling the way I was feeling after listening to Meet the Grahams
@@YerpDerp17I’m just curious, who debunked them? I just haven’t seen anything yet personally
Actually thinking on this further the only other song that has genuinely unsettled me like this is Kim by Eminem.
AAVA
To your point about the underage stuff, i think it'a important to note that Drake was genuinely caught interacting with minors years ago and it has been known
The problem is people dont seem to really care about it which is i think why Kendrick released this song
Besides the daughter thing nothing else he said is really a big secret, but the kids and casual listeners who make up the bulk of Drake's audience wont care unless it comes from someone like Kendrick
27:26 to add context, this is the second back and forth where Drake relied on punching down and personalizing it. Against Pusha T, it was his wife, and the same with kendrick. Why i always emphasize starting the history at Kendricks control verse is that people in a back and forth with Drake keep it limited to the field and eachother, yet drake is the one to step over the line.
somebody said "Kendrick made me look inwards and hate the Drake in me" and i felt more gravitation to his values and it made me feel better,
Professor Skye on the other hand, reminded me why i love every artform in the first place, i hope these days & experiences end up influencing the people & enriching our cultures
Drake is always gunna be a corrupt mofo...a man that can afford anything he wants but his female audience is too young...thats fcked up...
AVAA I haven't finished the entire video yet but wanted to respond to the "isn’t this beneath Kendrick" idea. I'm going to take a bit of different angle from a lot of comments I've seen online and say not only is it necessary for Kendrick to do this but also vital - almost moral. Kendrick isn't perfect and ultimately his music releases through and functions under capitalism however Drake represents the grossest elements of the commercialisation of hip-hop - Yasiin Bey didn’t describe Drake’s music as being compatible with shopping for no reason. Drake is emblematic of hip-hops current flaws: misogyny, hypersexualisation of (young) women, pushing a fake lifestyle, over produced/over written, entirely product focused, an obsession over material wealth, etc
I think Kendrick is fighting an entire section of the medium - the industry, the fans and ofc Drake himself.
In this sense I think he’s right tbh and continuing to hammer his point home in a multitude of different angles is highly effective - he’s trying to drown them in a deluge of tracks and critiques. Hopefully this beef will push people to engage with the medium in a better way than whose numbers are bigger and whose lifestyle is louder.
I disagree, I think what Kendrick did in this beef is very artistic. He is an artist, in the truest definition in regards to music. The beef was just the canvas in which the art was able to materialize. The artistic decisions he made in the formation of the songs really showed through, and gave his work much deeper meaning, depth, and feeling.
As silly as everyone thought this beef was gonna be, turns out we were all wrong. This might be the biggest topic in our culture in the past few years
shots fired at drakes
ral ones
I mean it’s been brewing for like 10 years. The rifts just been growing with subliminals since Kendrick’s control verse
“Meet The Granthams” makes “Story of Adidon” look like a nursery rhyme. I’ve seen it described as “funeral music”, it’s just seven straight minutes of the most hate filled music, and I really don’t think Drake is ever EVER going to be looked at the same. That said, Kendrick’s pure hate for Drake can be too much lol 🥲 I do not want to explode. AVAA
I agree. But the only thing i disagree with is the hate part. And even though Kendrick said he was the biggest hater. He doesn’t mean it literally. He meant it as, I care for you as a person, but I HATE the person you TRY to be.
AVAA. Thank you for adding some nuance to this beef professor!
However, I don't think this is beneath Kendrick for a few reasons.
1. Drake being the biggest Rap artist in the world opens him up to beef from anyone, but especially what I would call the cultural favorite in modern day rap. This beef had to happen, because friendly or not Kendrick must prove himself. If he didn't, Drake, who is always going to win the numbers and social media game, gets to say he has no challengers. Well here he is being challenged, by maybe the only rapper who can compete on an numbers and skill level. This started as a test of skill.
2. If what Kendrick has said about Drake is true, he was right to call him out. After the Pusha T diss... if Drake is still hiding a child it is not just a bad look, it's morally wrong.
Kendrick might know more than you or me, and whatever that info is might be worth calling out. We like when this beef was passive and about music, but they both made this sound much deeper. If that's true, then Kendrick has not only a motive, but in his mind an OBLIGATION to call Drake out.
Obviously Drake has some serious allegations against Kendrick that need to be addressed; but if Kendrick is really under the impression that abuse/trafficking/rape/child exploitation/etc. is going on than he is doing what he feels necessary. It sounds like this isn't just a Drake issue either. This is industry wide.
3. Kendrick might be using this as promotion. There are rumors that Kendrick might have a new album dropping soon. As you brought up with Drake previously, all publicity is good publicity. What better way to return to the charts and get people talking than dropping multiple hits against your main competition? And if you think thats above him, he absolutely did the same before with Control and he absolutely is loving the attention the Like That trake got him.
At this point, I think Kendrick just hates the industry and how it abuses people as a whole, and sees Drake as the complete embodiment of that mentality. I agree though. That this point, any further beef would just be for content. There is no further place to go to.
Shout out to MF DOOM.
This might be the best summary fr😁😁
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
As soon as Kendrick drop last night I thought fuck professor got his wish 😂. It just that u respect music this much that so shocking. Shout out to your wife for saying that. I going to say this, Kendrick is doing this for people like me
Because I’m a black man that has been failed by my father and my community and society. This is more than a battle prof it’s a realignment for black people.
Thank you professor for your input on this subject I’ve learned a lot from you in this past year with your extensive knowledge on French in conjunction with Haiti…..
The carnivore diet got me off my BP meds so, I'm here for all the beef and the way Kendrick served it was gourmet level 🙃
Just to throw in my own bit of seasoning I'll add this. My take on this round of songs was that the whole thing was theatre and Meet the Gaham's was auric and aural melodrama. For me, this round was all about performance and Kendrick was all about it. When music is particularly moving, I immediately start seeing scenes play out in my mind. This more often occurs with classical or instrumental music, but on rare occasions, lyrical songs fire my imagination in the same way. Meet the Grahams did that in spades. It had me riveted to an imaginal film that was written by every one of Kendricks artistic choices. The tone of his voice, the pace of his delivery, the haunting piano, the portions where he played with the cadence of the prose he was delivering to climaxalingside the content, the psychoanalysis disguised as a rap song all drew me into the dark world he created.
As the haunting notes of the piano came in, I saw Kendrick in a dark room. He was reciting the letter he wrote to Adonis while sitting alone at a table with the letter in his hand but he's not looking at the letter because he has it memoriezed and his focus is fixed on something I can't quite see. He has a calculated look in his eyes. His fingers, stained with ink loosely hold the letter as if the page is a breath away from floating to the floor and you get the feeling that if the page falls, something horrible will happen.There is a single light above him, dimly illuminating him as he raps words of both condemnation and encouragement while we, the viewers, take in a closeup shot of him- all deceptively relaxed posture and bridled intensity. Throughut the verse, he stares straight forward, not quite making direct eye contact with us through the camera's lens and It's not until the "dun dun dun dun dun dun dun na" break in the melody, that the camera drifts across the length of the table like a shadow and as the haunting piano melody resumes we realize that he's not alone.
He's in a room that bares an eerie resemblance to a stranger things-esque 80's living room in the upside down. A woman, who represents Sandra, is sitting on a chair. He hands, and legs are tied to the chair and her mouth is bound. The room is still in shadows but Sandra is clearly visible as Kendrick materializes out of the darkness like a wraith. He sits in front of her with aching slowness and begins telling her about the wickedness alive in her son as she sobs quietly.
As the song progresses, Kendrick starts talking to Dennis, but he continues staring at Sandra until the camera pans down to Kendrick's feet and we the viewers see that Dennis is tied up at Kendricks feet with Kendricks black boot clad feet resting atop him. There is a 7 written in red on Dennis' shirt alluding to the movie 7 and Drake's comments about his shoe size.
I'll stop here so as to not bore you to death but suffice it to say that a whole movie played in my mind on my first listen of Meet the Grahams. In my mind, meet the Grahams was beautiful in its ugliness. Art is not always pleasing and does not always depict or speak to the lovely aspects of human nature, but it makes you feel, contemplate, react. Contrast is important in that it helps us recognize what we detest and strove for what we desire. In an unxepected way, meet the Grahams did that for me.
Thank you for sharing your views and your knowledge. It makes my grown self miss university and all the analysis we used to do. All the best 🩶
If you wrote a book i would definitely read it. That was beautifully illustrated.
Hey prof, your not going to believe this...
Fam Kendrick is on tilt fr
@belijeonodugo2222 I think he tilted Drake though, if to the heart part 6 is any indicator
You can let me know if this is coping but I believe this video is the opposite of content consumption. It’s just way to long to be in the table of Mr. Creosote In the frame of the internet. This isn’t a 1 minute snack of you freaking out or quoting a line. This isn’t a live fast food reaction.
As a Mr. Creosote myself when it comes to consuming all the reactions of this beef yours has given me ideas to think about instead of opinions to agree with or disagree with. Which by the way I glad you brought up how this is basically part2 of Mr. Morales. I was also thinking when euphoria dropped Kdot isn’t beefing with drake literally but more of the idea or what drake stands for. And how it goes against the values he addresses in Mr. Morales. Which is why to me this is fascinating and why meet the grahams is beautiful art and not just a beefy diss. This is Kendrick moving through the internet and saying if this is how you consume then let me trick you in consuming something that he’s been conflicted with.
lol now I’m just rambling but if you read this thank you. Hope you have a peaceful light weekend
I completely agree with you. I didn't know Kendrick had been paying attention to how much youtube has shaped how people encounter, listen to, and think about music. I would have bet he hadn't been paying attention. But this seemed to me like him being really aware of it and really savvy in bringing his message "to the masses," if you will.
RUclips "reactors" are a huge part of that (i'm lumping bar breakdowns and analyses and everything critical into the same category as the shrieking and earphone-flinging) . Kendrick makes music that requires multiple listens, an attention span, knowledge of the culture and history of hip hop, the ability to catch allusions in popular culture, just a really highly-trained ear for lyrical hip hop that not everybody has.
RUclips reactors help break it down, and the comments sections provide a place for discussion, so listeners can take a participatory role as something like this unfolds.
Does the most gluttonous and hyperbolic segment of the hip hop audience live here? Sure. But so does everybody else.
People are hearing Kendrick who didn't hear him on Mr. Morale. I am not ashamed to say I needed a lot of help to catch everything Kendrick was saying. I got that help on RUclips. And the reason I feel confirmed in my sense that Kendrick has been paying attention is because he lifted the copyright claims so youtube reactors could monetize their reactions/breakdowns/analyses.
Sure there are people consuming this like it's a fast food binge, eating and swallowing without chewing. But that doesn't mean it actually *is* fast food. What's been happening here is important.
This is a historical event in hip hop history. Not beneath you
Prof, you just got your wish for your wednesday class.
The beginning and the daughter segment of 'Meet the Grahams' was a gut punch even for me the Kendrick fan. The whole song was hitting and felt like Kendrick was Jigsaw(John Kramer), especially in the last part. I feel like the song will go down in history as one of the most gut punching songs in Rap Beef history....
This video is going to age like wine. Because it doesn't look like Kendrick is stopping as he has uploaded a another track since this was uploaded.
imma let you know i'm digging the history of this beef through your videos. started with the Hearts 6 and workin my way backwards :)
Glad to have you. Super happy the Heart 6 got a lot of people here.
Same
Same here
Same. 😅
AVAA I’m extremely glad you’re covering this. From my perspective as a fan of the more oldschool 90s sound(though I still enjoy some new stuff), I for one have been waiting for Drake to be called out for a long time. And properly called out, because he makes music bereft of substance, because to me he himself has no artistic integrity for one reason. His music and persona is entirely fabricated. I’m fine with an artist whose persona and art contains just 1 percent of their real personality, but Drake puts absolutely none of himself into his art; he only distorts pieces of himself and sells them to a woefully uninteresting and disturbing degree. It’s been painfully obvious for a long time.
I’m not even a big Kendrick fan, I do love his most popular songs, but I don’t really listen to his albums like that. But this puts him over for me. What he’s doing is so incredibly needed, and only adds to his story in such a way, that even I, a person who has never listened to a full Kendrick album through, consider doing so. Kendrick is doing what needs to be done, regardless of the ramifications and consequences for his own artistic integrity, and I think it’s very interesting.
👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
I feel your opinion on it being too much but keep in mind this is has been literally a decade in the making with subliminals coming from both sides and endless debates from fans
Well, I kinda hoped this time you'd take your time on it, bc this feels like something that should take the measured thoughts of Professor Skye, but I trust your judgment
I quote you in the video!
People who comment a lot on videos don't usually typically watch the entire video before they leave a comment. Usually they only watch for about a minute or two, which is probably what this person does on most of your videos before they comment@@professorskye ps I left this comment only 2 minutes into the video but I do intend to watch the whole thing
came for the beef, staying for the eckhart tolle impressions
😂😂😂
holy shit you may have a point professor, I feel like your video's just came at a right point to me as I'm come to the tipping point realisation at how I'm consuming stuff in general, and how I sometimes overly consume stuff (a huge probs with my ADHD that I'm trying to deal with) - it's funny how this beef has sorta derailed my day a bit and I'm glad you're helping me put that into perspective. AVAA!
AVAA I love the way you prompt us to think about our consumption of this beef. As an amateur music cricket I too feel how much oxygen this has taken from other, potentially great, music coming out right now.
This is my new favorite channel… And I wouldn’t have found you without this beef… so even though I do think that this had a negative effect on society as a whole.. at least I was able to extract one positive from this whole thing 🙂
AVAA! This is what video essays think they are doing. Not to shade, but to try to identify just how elevated your video's message and quality is and how cohesive the content is with your thesis. I guess a professional communicator is good at communicating
Thanks for wading in on this. I wouldn’t have found your channel without it. I hope this affirms that even exposure to your ideas might be worth wading into the swamp.
AVAA. Took your advice and gave the Al Green record a good listen. Beautiful stuff! Thanks for the recommendation :)
AVAA... he dropped another one.
They both need lawyers at this point
From rap beef to a high profile defamation trial….history is being made.
Found you through this back and forth and find the takes to be extremely insightful. Definitely sticking around.
Kendrick is saying this is bigger than rap. He sees Drake as a head of the cancer on the culture.
I think what’s interesting about this whole conversation is that ‘meet the grahams’ is being turned into content, but at it’s core it isn’t. At least for Kendrick, this is a lot more than beef. The reactions I’ve seen (for I too have been Mr. Creosote - thanks for the reminder to get some distance, I need it) have been a mixture. Some people have treated it as basically just content, others have gone into it expecting content, an entertaining episode in the ongoing beef, and come out of it shocked not only at the allegations, but also at the way people are treating it. Drake’s treating all this like content, but Kendrick seems genuinely out for blood (possibly literally). Anyway, I’d say more if I had time to think it over, but I see Fantano’s uploaded a delicious, minty-looking video
I feel the same way Drake is out here treating this like some battle, throwing slick lines and witty bars like "No matter what I say these bars will go over Kenny's head (ref: Kendrick's height)".
But I think the real truth is the bars are going over Drake's head, if you listen to Kendrick he is not battling like Drake he is trying to eliminate him.
I'm thinking about what Kanye said in an interview he said him, Future and metro where excited about THE ELIMINATION OF DRAKE then Kendrick said "we don't like the girls you're with and it's not just me I'm with the culture (ref: other rappers).
Blast from the past seeing that Disposable Heroes of Hiphopresy cd in the library jacket no less. I reviewed it for a college newspaper. In all my years of loving rap I can't believe how far out of containment this got. New sub out of this. :D
This is such a sensible analysis of the 2 tracks. Thank You! The connection to Mr. Morale and the way you explored it is inspired!
Prof, you understand the way in which music is life-affirming on a deep level and that is your advantage over younger music commentators.
Watching this way after. I think we're Mr. Creosote because we've been starving for this for 10 years! great vid.
“Too much beef” is definitely how I feel about the state of this feud at this point.
Now that the disses have serious legal repercussions and reveals the presence of potential victim this needs to be taken more seriously with a lot of effort put into proving or disproving claims and less in one upping each other artistically.
it just got interesting
I got to say the Kendrick and Drake beef brought me here, but your presentation of it makes me view you as a Artistic Intellect...Respect.....so I subscribed and I am viewing all your past videos, great work.......keep it up.
Thanks, and welcome!
Watching these videos after the beef has died down a bit aged well. New perspective, love it.
Let's Go by Kool Moe Dee is as amazing as you claim it is. Wow. I will definitely be checking out the other recommendations
Honestly here from the beef but I love your references. The gangrene shoutout alone is worth a sub. Hopefully there’s some retention from your moment in the sun.
Love your analysis on this Professor! Thanks!!
AVAA skye, over the past two days i noticed myself end up feeling disturbed and drained by the beef. Which was far from the excitement i got from the like that verse dropping. You managed to articulate why this change was happening for me.
AVAA keep doing what you're doing prof. this is awesome
I’m just fascinated with your whole story and journey in hip hop . I love this . We need more of this
AVAA!!!!
I am an educator myself in the Great North (go Trailer Park Boys!!).
I found your channel during this crazy beef, and I am so happy I did. Most channel would simply react to the songs, and maybe break some bars, but none managed to get as analytic as you did!
Now, I'm going back through your other content! You got yourself a subscriber for life!
Great!
AVAA
Super funny moment soon as you said too much beef is bad for you a Big Mac ad popped up 8:36
thank you so much for mentioning that point of how messed up it is that if Kendrick knew about Drakss sex crimes and wouldn't have said anything if not for this beef. seriously that felt so wrong and nobody mentioned anything :/
I think your advice about laying off the beef if it's too much for you, I think it's a welcome distraction from how rough life can be for some of us at the time.
On a personal note, I'm here showing up to the drama a month later because I totally disregarded it as "celebrity BS" when it first came out... And then, my grandma, who I was extremely close to, died suddenly last week.
Learning about the beef was the only thing that helped calm me down from how terrible I was feeling, and I still find that to be the case. It's so interesting and layered and just... honestly a once in a lifetime type deal.
EDIT: Also, the allegations brought up are serious enough that if either party thought the other was really doing what they accused them of doing, it would be a damn near moral obligation to bring it to the public eye.
I do question the morality of Kendrick possibly letting the beef rest (haha) if Drake hadn't stupidly walked right into the trap he laid for him, though... Like, if you think there's a child trafficking ring being perpetrated by one of the biggest entertainers in the world, I don't know why you would possibly decide to pass up letting that be known -- you might literally save more people from being victimized.
But then again, maybe Kendrick was playing 69D chess while Drake was playing Connect 4, and he knew there was no way Haudry could pass up the juicy bait that was presented to him. Who knows how things might have resolved if Drake simply took the beef as seriously as the situation deserved.
I'm about 10 min into this video so far but 100% agree with your assessment and the direction you're heading with this. Last night when these 2 latest tracks dropped, the vibe completely shifted and this stopped being entertaining. If half of what they're alleging at this point is true, I don't need to hear about these lurid details as a form of entertainment. They need to work this out privately and get the authorities involved as necessary. I felt gross listening to these tracks and was even more disgusted with peoples' reactions, ranking the tracks as if this is still a "regular" rap beef and it matters who "won" here. Nobody's winning, including us. My only interest at this point is what this says about the state of rap/feuds, and our culture/society (that we seem to think this is an acceptable form of entertainment). This whole thing has taken a dark turn and now it's just too serious, too personal, too negative. This is not about rap any more and not what I wanted or expected. AVAA
But I think that was purposeful. Kendrick said in all of his songs that he doesn't care about a rap battle. He warned Drake on every song not to take it any further or he will push the button. Well, Drake took it further so Kendrick pushed the button. Meet The Grahams isn't supposed to be entertaining, at all. It is a bunch of extremely personal but also immoral behavior, some illegal, being alledged. It's an indictment of Drake. But anyone who has really been following whats been said in Kendricks tracks knew this was the endgame if Drake kept going.
Like Kendrick also said many times, he doesn't give af about rap beef, or the industry. This is deeper than rap. But I think Drake jumped the gun too quickly, was too cocky and kepy antagonizing Kendrick. And once Drake alledged Whitney cheated, it ramped up. But Kendrick still gave him an out with Euphoria.
Then you get 6:16 in LA. Where not only is Kendrick giving him another warning, but also let him know there is a leak in OVO and Kendrick knows everything he is going to say. He for sure had already heard Family Matters before Drake released it. The cover art for the song is stuff that came from Drakes house. Kendrick couldn't have made it any clearer. But whether it was due to ego, pressure from the internet or him trying to call Kendricks bluff, he decided to pull the trigger and release Family Matters, where he alledges Kendrick laid hands on his girl. The moment Drake released that it was over. This could have been completely avoided if Drake just took the hint. Kendrick really doesn't like the guy, it isn't just rap beef, and he gave him every possible out.
@@YerpDerp17 I get all of that. I'm still trying to decide whether I buy that narrative and how I feel about it. Kendrick made this a public feud and framed it as rap beef. You don't get to start rap beef and then say "this isn't rap beef, it's about this bigger, more serious thing." I can't shake the feeling it reeks of another manifestation of Kendrick's savior complex and feels pretty contradictory. If he's truly that concerned about the entire situation and truly has empathy for Drake (and it's not a performative, self-serving framing of the entire thing), then certainly there were better ways to go about delivering help than this. I feel like I got dragged into participating in a vicious public shaming spectacle that was on a whole another level than what I thought I was getting into.
"Would you like a wafer thin mint?" is definitely a known quantity. Dont know anyone who ever referred to that skit by Mr Creosote tho.
Yes thank you for the Al Green shout out I'm only 34 but I love Al Green OMG his voice is just like your meditation it's just great everyone should listen to a little Al Green! He can put you in a good mood ❤
I agree about the too much, once i listened to the Grahams, that song just drained me
Looking away from the abyss every now and then is such a good idea,
even now
I just want to say before he explains the Mr Creosote reference that I agree it ought to be shorthand in our popular culture! (That’s assuming, and I’m 100% sure I’m right tbh, that you’re referring to the character of the final set piece of Monty Python’s Meaning of Life).
Personally, when it comes to this beef though I could not disagree more about it being *merely* content. Kendrick is following his true emotions and intuitions, building on his life experience and wisdom. Rightly or wrongly there is not a molecule in my body that doubts that he 100% believes what he is rapping about. And as BJCDavis2777 pointed out, Meet the Grahams is deeply emotionally affecting. (I also found listening to Euphoria highly euphoric, unsurprisingly enough. Partly because of the joy that Kdot finally “drop, drop, drop, drop”ped after Drakes admittedly excellent Push Ups, and partly because I was reminded, viscerally and joyfully, that I am privileged to be able to listen to the greatest rapper currently alive’s output with very few filter or delays between when he finishes a project and decides to release it.
Anyway. Not merely content; I am however very content for another ‘waffer thin slice’ even though this has become quite disturbing. Perhaps we are the Mr Creosotes now. (“You lied about all them other kids, just hoping that you’ll come” is perhaps the darkest bar I have ever or will ever hear… That’s *if* you take it as a double entendre. There ya go, some French for you, Professor!)
Ok now to press play and hopefully not learn that Mr Creosote is about something else entirely…
I went and watched the Mr. Creosote scene after you mentioning it and your title for this video is GENIUS! AVAA!
oooooh digestion, good point prof.
I think the "Meet the Grahams" beat might be a leftover from MMATBS, more specifically, an alternative beat for "We Cry Together. After listening to the song, I ran to check who produced both of them and to my surprise they were both produced by The Alchemist.
What do you think about this, Professor? #AVAA
29:15 how did he "basically admit to being physically abusive" on Mr Morale? Because he was open about infidelity and being a toxic partner? I dont believe someone who would beat their woman deserves any chance of redemption, thats an insane stretch to make, can you please explain that?
you just said it and i’m watching currently so i don’t know where you’ll go with it, but i had the same connections with these disses and mr morale
My brother had a heart attack, this beef is something I’ll never forget 🎉🎉
Kinda disagree with you there prof, this beef, particularly Kendrick's tracks, have are not disposable, they're digestable.
You brought up a great point about this being a MMATBS addendum. It has sparked conversations in some of my circles about morality, integrity, fatherhood, etc.
I've had these convos with long time Drake fans. Type of guys who will be at the club every weekend and chase after sex at every moment. This was a moment to ask themselves "Do I really wanna be Drake?" Because I truly believe a lot of Drake fans project themselves in Drake, it's part of his appeal.
Drake is a personification for what Kendrick hates. This goes deeper than two people not liking each other. We're asking important questions: Why are we so comfortable with lettingn these "big dick deviants" run wild? What's an artist's responsibility towards the culture from which they benefit? (Drake is the biggest culture vulture of the 21st century and I don't think that's even debatable) Why are we idolizing lifestyles that are bound to lead to instability and addictions?
All of that through the very pop format that is rap beef. Your average casual listener may not want to make the emotional effort to understand Father Time. But "you raised a horrible fucking person, the nerve of you Dennis" into "and a fucking deadbeat that should never say more life" is a poignant way to communicate the same message.
Kendrick just dropped another one - I agree with everything you said on this video, but with how things are going, it looks like kdot is performing basically a surgical removal of drake. while not probable, at this moment it seems possible
came for the drama, stayed for the interesting insight and recommendations
Saturday Afternoon Test joke was slick. AVAA
I forget which 80s movie that joke is from.
22:45 so I think youre obviously going to be feeding a mass that is only really here for momentary satisfaction.
But youre also documenting and providing a unique perspective that people (like me) will look back on and interact with and use to digest and understand and form new opinions
Discovered your channel, this looking like I mighta watch you.
Hi professor, I found your take that this seems more like internet drama to be consumed from the trough to be wildly illuminating; though I feel that's more due to these artists massive appeal towards an audience that maintains itself through the noosphere of the internet, particularly K-Dot's overwhelmingly upper middle-class terminally online audience who view him as a zoo animal more than a human.
36:20 Sadly, we’re reaching the point of the wafer thin mint. News of Drake’s security guard getting shot just released…
Wow, I just listened to both LL disses and the shift in tone is insane...
"(IS THIS HIP HOP!!!) HELL NO THIS IS WAR!!!" Billy Danze of M.O.P.
I’m glad that somebody is finally connecting this beef to Mr Morale. Hopefully people will talk more about it.
I’m a huge fan of it but I never noticed that he alluded to physical abuse in the relationship. Can anybody enlighten me ?
Bebop was the rap battles of the 50's and 60's. I'm not competitive with art but, Greatness came from them
Meet the Grahams was pure vitriol, just concentrated hate and disgust concocted by a man trying to eradicate an annoying, buzzing fly that's been in his ear for too long. This is more than just content, this is Kendrick showing the world that he, the man known for his values, his character, his self awareness, and his masterful artistry, looks at Drake, the man known for his money, his lavish lifestyle, and his carefully cultivated image, and sees only a child, forever chasing the love he never got from his absent daddy. Drake is a man who stands for everything Kendrick despises while having none of the qualities he respects, and he wants this to be known.
Kendrick said it himself, he's not doing this for the game, or for attention, he just wants Drake to see just how small he is standing next to a real artist, that it's fine if Drake wants to make fun music and make money, but that he doesn't embody hip hop, that he has no right to consider himself amongst the best to ever do it, that he was foolish to poke the bear. This is Michael Jordan in game 6, this is the Lebronto game winner, this is Curry earning his first finals MVP in 2022, this is Magic with the baby hook, this is the greatest put to the test in the biggest stage, all eyes on him, and proving exactly why he's the greatest. If you don't want to consider that to be artistic, thats fine, but this moment is more significant than any pointless internet RUclipsr drama of the last 10 years.
Not content.
KLamar said he can predict Drake every move...Beef is usually in person so it makes sense.
Even if we're really just consuming these tracks then regurgitating our takes you still manage to give us one of the most nutritious vomits out there prof. AVAA!
Yes. That Al Green album is in my top 5. You can play it straight through.
I kinda had a bit of a revelation about this entire ordeal last night. I feel like this battle is a bit orchestrated from them both in order to convey a much darker thing between the 2 of them. It would be a little interesting to chat with you about it if possible.
Peak creosote is my new favourite phrase
“What do you think The Weeknd would feel if people knew that he did drugs and was kind of into sex” 😭😭😭😭 avaa
I don't know about roughage but the Fat Albert (Bill Cosby) reference at the end of Not Like Us felt like dessert to those of us pushing 50.
AAVA.
NO! This is in no way beneath you Professor. Because this is an UNPRECEDENTED series of events.
1. "Meet The Grahams," there is something wrong with that song.
2. There is an missing event in the timeline. It was fleeting yet catastrophic in nature.
It's what people wanted, it's too much because it's about sexual abuse in hiphop.meg the stallion was aiming for it. Kendrick served it. Now hopefully leads to a new Gen of music a more transparent hiphop
AVAA, nothing to say but the idea of robert plant's kids running around the playground making robert plant "aaahhs" is very funny
I was pleased with that improvised little goofy joke
8:28 The only thing I like about this beef is that I found your channel!!
My theory on why rap beefs have now become the province of investigative journalism is that rap is over 50 years old. It's a mature genre now whose superstars have kids and families, so playground insults don't work anymore. You really have to dig into character and character is only deeply revealed by actions, so you've got to dig into people.
My 2c.
Maybe you already follow The Company Man, I don't remember you mentioning him till now, but I also recommend his videos on Drake and Kendrick for not just off-the-cuff reactions as things are happening.
His other videos are also classics in the youtube hip-hop scene.
Very interesting that Madame Professor said “Isn’t this beneath Kendrick?” I thought the same thing when I first heard Like That and wondered what the point was of him dropping seemingly random beef bars when he carried himself as righteous and above the fray throughout his career from my perspective at least. While a part of me understands the need of both parties to hammer home critical points about family, generational trauma, crime and so on, I cannot help but be sad that families with innocent children are being humiliated and torn apart publicly for entertainment. And I still watch the videos (sighs heavily).
that's what i've been thinking
I share the same viewpoint, BUT, I remember when fps dropped, it was a delusional and disrespectful take by cole & drake, and definitely needed correction. so I really don't blame kendrick for 'like that', plus it's amazing track, but everything that followed was kinda petty and of low substance in comparison to his usual work. Which does make me "conflicted" and I wish he spent his creative attention elsewhere. But if he somehow manages to actually end drake's career, then I suppose it's a W, (and I'm all for it, drake and his impact on music is detrimental imho), but not without great cost to him as well - in terms of public image, lawsuits and probable physical harm. So I'd rather Kendrick didn't start this, but since he did, best option now is to follow all the way through and unleash hell I guess.
@@giga_elf Thank you so much for taking the time to share your views and you do make solid points here! If Kendrick feels that this whole process of making these tracks is a righteous mission to expose Drake for serious crimes, who am I to tell him he can’t or shouldn’t. That said, I hold allegations of crime to a high standard and believe that they should be addressed with the proper authorities before being placed in music or even RUclips videos for that matter. I don’t know if that has happened here, but I hope that if Kendrick’s allegations are true, he has covered himself in that regard. Drake as well. The beef industrial complex is incredibly devastating to so many and I hope for justice for alleged victims and families more so than a winner. Thank you again! Best!
I agree with your discomfort and I don't think there's much that can be said to justify the way these things have been approached by either artist. But I will also say that it's possible to listen to these tracks and not be seeking mere entertainment, and I've heard A LOT of people reacting to Meet The Grahams with pain and regret because the track is just charged with... well I'm not going to say I'm convinced Kendrick's "sympathy" is expressed or angled in the best way, but neither the lyrics nor the music of the track paint a picture of triumph; it's ruin whether he "wins" or not. And what I would also suggest, and what interests me about this whole event, is the conversations that it forces many people into having openly about subjects most of us would rather avoid even though we know they cast a dark shadow across very real lives. Aside from the abuse percolating under the surface of so much hiphop music for so long, the question of who should be icons of the culture and for which reasons matters on levels that have nothing to do with the boorish competitive braggadocio it is so often expressed as... I think? We should be having those conversations, shouldn't we, not just be idly accepting of the famous and the rich?
@@stefanbraidwood2007 Thank you very much for your feedback Stefan and I can honestly agree with your assessment here. I am grateful that channels like Professor’s here exist as platforms to help us unpack and examine this art and our relationship to it. I appreciate that opportunity to express my thoughts and be both challenged and affirmed by channel viewers. I hope for a peaceful and just resolution to this situation for all involved, but life and art are incredibly messy and a definite win regardless is the people having these important conversations openly in a respectful way. Many thanks!
I think it comes from the Battle Rap Scene, back in the day the Battle rap scene was freestyle so super intricate themes weren’t used but in todays battle rap scene, battle rappers have 3 months to write and research their opponent.
This rap battle between Kendrick and Drake, follows the same formula of today’s Battle Rap Scene.
They have researched and are releasing scathing disses back and forth.
I do believe this is Rap, as a battle rapper myself, I’m okay with all of this.
Note, the difference is that in battle rap 90% of the time we are just being competitive and we aren’t taking these things as literal facts or as actual hate more so a performance piece.
Where as, with this battle the implications are huge and we the fans are left wondering what is and what isn’t truth.
I would understand why someone would get hurt or black balled from this battle.
Either way, historic moment, but probably will do more bad for both artists in the long run.
I think the only ones who win here are lyricists 😂 cause as a safeguard going forward, new artists will be cautious as to who they talk to or who claims to be the greatest because of the threat of something like this happening again.
Certainly not a great gime to be vegan.
To be honest, you are quite on point with the internet drama thing. I wanted a rap battle, what we've got is getting very ugly.
Moist, very wet
Josh Johnson and FD Signifier love. Amazing. :)
Heeeyyy shout out to eckhart tolle new earth! 🙏🏾 your on to something! That was full shadow Kendrick 😬
"Nas - These Are Our Heroes" in my opinion is a motivating force in Kendricks onslought throughout his career.
AVAA! Relating to Drake’s dv claims against Kendrick, which I don’t want to discuss too much because it is a heavy topic, but Kendrick not only implied this on Mr Morale but directly admitted it on a 2012 BJ the Chicago Kid song “His Pain”. This was obviously a long time ago but it makes me feel Drake has little to say against Kendrick that he hasn’t already confessed due to the openness of Mr Morale and his music in general.
29:35 wow i.. never got that from the album. Even upon relisten after the beef.
I thought, and still do, trauma derived from his infidelity and reliance upon sex as a coping mechanism.
6:10 literally watching this because of same 🤦😂
8:07 it can lead to getting teeth capped
Damn I just got to the part where you mention beef rapp nvm
Personally I think Kendrick started this whole thing BECAUSE he had the dirt that he did. Not the other way around. He picked the fight because he knew exactly where Drake was gonna take it (as he hints at in Euphoria) and he wanted to highly publicize the accusations of sex trafficking, and to prevent all of this coming out some other way and Drake the master manipulator from turning public opinion on his side. At least, that's what I would do if I were him. Crazy stuff.
At the same time I kinda wish Kendrick didn't get into a beef with Aubrey because 1) dude is Canadian 2) dude does not know/relate to the struggle of black America and 3) his stuff is superficial. It kinda demeans him to get mixed in this YET I'm glad Kendrick did. At this moment in time, and possibly for the past decade, he IS the standard bearer of hiphop (not only on a moral sense but on a creative sense, how far he pushed the boundaries of this art form while embracing the culture) and as such, he cannot let someone get away with shitty behaviour without taking their measure. Disrespecting 2Pac's estate was way too much
He didn't just hint, he said it explicitly in euphoria