The latest hip-hop battle between hip-hop artists Drake and Common has sparked the interest of many fans of hip-hop. Let's be clear. This is not beef. if you wanna know what beef is listen to Biggie's song. Drake has become hip-hop's new golden child and Common has earned a spot as one of the cultures elite. The clashing of these two powerhouses has lead many to speculate that the battle stems from the MCs' connection to Venus Williams, who used to date Common. Whatever the cause, this has undoubtedly become something to watch in hip-hop.
Common through the first shot on his song "Sweet," in which he exclaims, "..You some hoe-ass niggas. Singing all around here man. La, la, la all that. You ain't no motherfuckin Frank Sinatra..." Common was making a general statement about all rappers who may fit into the rap-singer category, however, Drake being most synonymous with the style (and having a connection to Venus Williams) led many in hip-hop to automatically assume that he was taking shots directly at Drake. Apparently Drake did too. Thus, Drake responded by indirectly addressing Common at one of his shows:
Common through the first shot on his song "Sweet," in which he exclaims, "..You some hoe-ass niggas. Singing all around here man. La, la, la all that. You ain't no motherfuckin Frank Sinatra..." Common was making a general statement about all rappers who may fit into the rap-singer category, however, Drake being most synonymous with the style (and having a connection to Venus Williams) led many in hip-hop to automatically assume that he was taking shots directly at Drake. Apparently Drake did too. Thus, Drake responded by indirectly addressing Common at one of his shows:
What followed was and official music response from Drake on Rick Ross' "Stay Schemin." Common quickly countered and delivered a heavy blow to the Canadian rapper using the same song:
I almost feel sorry for Drake in this situation. Drake didn't want this. He is seemingly being bullied into this war of words by Common, who is known to have a much calmer demeanor rather than being an aggressor (However, Fox News does consider him a vile rapper). Drake is much younger than his opponent, which makes me feel somewhat empathetic. He is suffering from what I like to call The Soulja Boy Effect. This is when a young MC becomes a game changer (much like Soulja Boy did by getting signed as a result of the reception of his Fruity Loop beats and dumbed down songs on Myspace and YouTube) in the hip-hop world. Then, after everyone follows or copies what you've done, you subsequently become the one to blame for the over-saturation of what the public deems as sub-par material. For Drake, it was popularizing the use of the supa-dupa flow which every MC and they mama used thereafter. Also, Drake is synonymous with the rap-sing style that many of the more mature MC's don't connect with (unless your name is Lauren Hill).
This disconnect between the young and old in hip-hop is at the heart of this battle. It started with Soulja Boy and has continued to escalate. Prior to the Common and Drake battle, Big Sean said that Ludacris was using the supa-dupa flow wrong and then Ludacris give Big Sean a history lesson on the style. I can't blame the older MC's for wanting hip-hop to remain raw and powerful. Hip-hop has become what I like to call Hip-pop, which is targeted towards females and top 40 radio. Rapper Rhymefest discussed the current disconnect in hip-hop on Chicago's WGCI Morning Riot After Party:
"It's cater to chick's music. That's all it is...i'm telling rappers this right now. You keep making them songs cause you think, 'ah man I'mma blow, i'mma blow.' It's just really femenizing you and you turning into the girl you talking about...I got this rap [Where] I say do your niggas love you/ do they really respect your hustle/or does it not matter what other men think of you/a man should check a man at least once a day/it's called camaraderie/ it keeps the bitchassness away."
I think Drake just got checked by Common in a major way.
This disconnect between the young and old in hip-hop is at the heart of this battle. It started with Soulja Boy and has continued to escalate. Prior to the Common and Drake battle, Big Sean said that Ludacris was using the supa-dupa flow wrong and then Ludacris give Big Sean a history lesson on the style. I can't blame the older MC's for wanting hip-hop to remain raw and powerful. Hip-hop has become what I like to call Hip-pop, which is targeted towards females and top 40 radio. Rapper Rhymefest discussed the current disconnect in hip-hop on Chicago's WGCI Morning Riot After Party:
"It's cater to chick's music. That's all it is...i'm telling rappers this right now. You keep making them songs cause you think, 'ah man I'mma blow, i'mma blow.' It's just really femenizing you and you turning into the girl you talking about...I got this rap [Where] I say do your niggas love you/ do they really respect your hustle/or does it not matter what other men think of you/a man should check a man at least once a day/it's called camaraderie/ it keeps the bitchassness away."
I think Drake just got checked by Common in a major way.
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