It may be years before we get a true perspective on the significance of the feud, but despite the cacophony of social media and the deluge of accusations in the music industry, the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar “beef” has had moments of insight. Many criticisms with personal, legal, and cultural implications are embedded in both parties’ work. The personal attacks are nothing new in these sorts of creative clashes, from Drake questioning the earnestness of Lamar’s activism on “Family Matters” to Lamar asserting that Drake must be “a terrible person” on “6:16 in LA”, personal and even familial attacks are par for the course.
The legal accusations having to do with Lamar’s alleged domestic violence and Drake’s and his entourage’s alleged sexually predatory behavior are, indeed, serious, though there do not seem to be actual legal ramifications in sight. Both the attacks with personal and legal dimensions are scathing and may alter if and how we listen to these artists individually, but the cultural question, the one aspect of this feud that is uniquely positioned for public debate, has implications for how we listen to popular music and engage with popular culture more broadly.