What’s rap beef?
Rap beef is when the best claim the throne. This has happened throughout the genre’s history. Battling on wax is etched in stone, the ritual is one of the game’s 10 Rap Commandments. Rap’s been a game of thrones since the very beginning. Do the knowledge on MC Shan and KRS-One or Kool Moe Dee vs. LL Cool J. Carrying on tradition, last night J. Cole responded to Kendrick’s sneak attack on “7 Minute Drill,” the last track on his surprise mixtape Might Delete Later. However, he sounded like his heart wasn’t fully in it like when Nino had to put G-Money down, just as he alluded to on the song. And instead of a headshot like most expected, Cole instead fired a shot in the air. His retort wasn’t enough.
Though Cole gets right to it and is very direct, he never crosses the lines that need to be crossed. To be fair, he does say this is just a warning shot and this thing is just getting started. But when you first hear Cole spit, “Now I’m front of the line with a comfortable lead/How ironic, soon as I got it, now he want somethin’ with me” as he runs down his thoughts on Lamar’s catalog and claims to have overtaken him in the power rankings, your ears perk up and you start rubbing your hands together, expecting a proper reply. But then he just coasts along until the beat switches to something a little more sinister courtesy of Griselda stalwart Conductor Williams and your ears perk up again.
And still, Cole plays with his food and never truly handles his business. Instead, he comes off reluctant to really engage, spitting, “My text flooded with the hunger for a toxic reply/I’m hesitant, I love my brother, but I’m not gonna lie/I’m powered up for real, that shit would feel like swattin’ a fly/Four albums in twelve years, n—a, I can divide.” Cole knew he needed to send a shot back, especially before the weekend of his annual Dreamville Fest. What’s interesting is “7 Minute Drill” would’ve hit a little harder if, instead of just coopting Jay lyrics, he went full Jigga and premiered it live on stage and not on streaming services on New Music Fridays. He missed the opportunity to put Kenny on that Dreamville screen.
When Jay-Z was closing out his Volume era at the end of the ‘90s, he and Nas were the Defacto Kings of Rap with acts like Prodigy and Scarface not far behind. Jay was aware of the stakes and the history of this thing of ours. He understood what it took to be the best. So, at Hot 97’s annual Summer Jam concert in 2001, he boldly reached for the crown and snatched it. During his set he performed “Takeover” for the first time, months before it would appear on his sixth album, The Blueprint, and called Nas out by name. That moment was so seismic and important to hip-hop history, people forgot that he brought out Michael Jackson during that same performance! The stakes were that high. Now, over 20 years later, another band of kings must usher in a new era.
The Big 3 Civil War has officially begun. Last month, Future and Metro Boomin dropped their chart topping collab album We Don’t Trust You. It’s essentially the equivalent of the Mean Girls burn book directed at Drake. On the album’s sixth track, “Like That,” there was a hidden pipe bomb that reverberated throughout every corner of hip-hop. It was very slick on Future and Metro’s part and fitting that they and Lamar chose that song to launch their offensive, with its Rodney-O & Joe Cooley sample serving as a reminder that at the end of the day, this is hip-hop.
Those saying Kendrick’s verse is mid (for the record, they’re delusional, but for the sake of an argument let’s go with it) are missing the point. The “Like That” verse has the potential to be the Big 3 Era’s defining moment. It’s closer to Jay on that Summer Jam stage performing “Takeover” than it is to Lamar’s first attempt at claiming the throne with ‘Control” back in 2013. We Don’t Trust You and Kenny’s vitriol have sparked the beginnings of a power struggle atop Mt. Rap and the game will be better for it in the long run.
“Like That” is the number one song in the country. It’s being played in sports arenas and during “NBA on TNT” halftime shows. This is a page taken out of Drake’s own playbook. His Meek Mill diss “Back to Back” was made to be played in clubs and on the radio; you couldn’t escape it. The song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and put a dent in Meek’s resume forever. Now, Drake and Cole find themselves in the position Nas was in when Jay said his name on that Summer Jam stage. Cole’s first rebuttal fell flat, but he still has a chance to drop an “Ether.” Drake, however, should pay attention to the response J. Cole is getting. He now knows that warmup jabs aren’t going to get it done, nor will they appease the fans thirsty to watch the game’s three biggest stars go bar-for-bar. Drake needs a “No Vaseline” or, you know, another “Back to Back.”
But one thing is for sure: The Great Rap Battle of 2024 is here, folks.
