The headlines around the top hip-hop artists focuses on spats and feuds, and obscures the fact that so many are capitalists of genius
Did you hear the news? Rapper J Cole fell out with rapper Kendrick Lemar. Then he apologised. It made headlines all over the world and, for the uninitiated to the world of hip-hop beefs to fully understand it all, the BBC published an explainer.
You may have missed or ignored this, on the basis that you were paying attention to the real issues of that day, but I’m sorry, for this was legitimate news that day. For rappers – whether the hugely successful conscious kind, such as J Cole and Kendrick – or the wildly successful big hitters of the gangsta rap class – long ago graduated from being just rappers, just musicians. Those at the top of the game are creative giants, the poster children for modern commercial capitalism.
