Futher thoughts on Colonialism ADDENDUM to the END of the video- • Addendum to “Not Like ... Justin Hunte's Better than-this-video - • Kendrick Lamar "Not Li... The Monty Python sketch (a different one) - • What Have The Romans.....
I nuanced my colonialism thoughts in this little addendum. Please watch if you correctly identified something whack in what I said in the video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9TZ2491D6vY.html
"They" vs "us" has many meanings. But making it a catchy mainstream sounding song, that has a chant-able hook, PLUS the uncomfortable subject matter can make the "They" = PDF files & groomers. And the " US" = you, the listener that DOESN'T align themselves with such vileness..... He basically told all the other kids on the playground that Aubrey has cooties, so no one else will want to be around him!
Drake and his colonizing army of writers just dropped "The Heart part 6" minutes ago and he calls himself a decorated general like an Imperialist, insinuates fame is a buffer placing him above the perversion of pedophilia, and his status grants him "immunity" from crime(much like Trump) and says he set Kendrick up using baited CIA style espionage... you might have to pull several all-nighters to get through this week ...you should do a video IN YOUR CLASS with YOUR Students....your commentary is just as fun as the round for round releases....Kendrick will undoubtedly respond before dawn LOL
ADDENDUM: ...to your (Kdot=A.Cooper) and (Drake=Trump) video. NOW that these "microwave Hot Pocket diss" records are spreading like wildfire into the B.J. Fogg "Persuasive Technology" x Tristan Harris "Inhumane" Algorithms, and polarized division is invading calloused dopamine overloaded binary obese minds like civil war juice, it feels "sadly" more like a (KDot=Biden) vs. Drake=Trump) "Who will be elected the next Pop Rap President?" campaign. Is that reflective of how burnt people are now? No Trump. No Diddy. Fans are dialing in votes on social media. Akademiks debates hours about who is LYING LESS Drake or KDot, DJ VLAD (a FOX culture vulture) threatens a Black Princeton Professor, Crips crip walk to a song about an alleged pedophile, while fans boo Drake records in dark smoky clubs. Is this not JUST ALL politics with BEATS now? But like Trump, Drake is NOW what America is: Gluttonous, Envious, War Mongering, Criminal, Angry, Prideful, Evasive, Unjust, Drake stating he is ABOVE the law, Xerxes, and beyond cultural justice... his FAME and MONEY ARE his defense, like Trump, Epstein, and Diddy... billionaires pretend like raids never happened. Drake has made gaslighting casual, its illegal to be unpopular, short, defend black issues, or have soul, Drake has stolen documents, groped women (maybe little girls), declared infinite immunity, declared that he will never leave office! DRAKE HAS reached TruthSocial "Make Akademiks (Academics) GREAT Again" Fascist status by implying THIS is not an emotional rap beef that you can vote on with ARTISTIC responses that DJs and Democracitic barbershop and beauty shop debates. Drake wants it to be a 100% factual colonial war that you CANNOT dance to unless HE WINS. Like all Colonizers and ENTITLED politicians, like England, like Zionist Israel, Drake (backed by Zionists) will NEVER accept Defeat even though KDot is ahead in the polls in the streets. He will forever buy his defense. So now the debates are political? DRAKE will partner with Trump and 50 Cent and create a JAN 6 moment. THEN he will criticize Jan 6. Hearings. Does Drake have a Clarence Thomas (50 Cent) in his pocket? Did Drake commit these oppressive sex crimes against humanity (Hip Hop) = (English Imperialist oppressors Corporate CULTURE) and Will Kendrick free human digital slaves to be human = (American revolutionaries = Hip Hop CULTURE). The real Presidential Election is still going on too.
Imma do my stuff is LA slang more than Kendrick dumbing down. On Not Like Us he's rapping in a very specific regional dialect of Southern California, saying amberlambs instead of ambelance is another example of that dialect. It's him speaking directly to the "Us" of his own Foundational Black American sub culture in LA, using his native languages he's driving the point that Drake is an outsider.
Hell yeah Like when he said fuck em all and they mama’s that’s some la shit fasho he called drake a bitch also lol multiple times told em they will get a wedgie and flip out of they boxers and flipping ovo to ovhoe man he damn there gangbanging on they ass lmao
Nailed it. Artists from Compton is what my white ass grew up on (I’m old) & this shit brought back core fvcking memories. He nails the energy & everything. & that music was educating well-meaning dumbasses like me on real life. Drake could never.
People went from saying "Pause" to "No Diddy" and now it's "No Drizzy" all in less than 2 months. The internet definitely helps shape the Culture and move it forward
Kdot called baka a pedo for his case that involved him pimping out a 22 yr old. Kdot fans eating literal shit out of his palms. Kdot got exposed but the jealous anti white culture would never let kdot lose against Drake, no matter how cringe, corny, and wrong kdot is
Kendrick was replying to Drake attempting to insult Kendrick by saying he raps like he’s “trying to free the slaves.” Kendrick flipped the message, reinterpreting it as Drake calling the listeners slaves, while reiterating that insofar as they are still slaves in some sense, he _is trying to free them,_ especially those Drake manipulates in Atlanta.
While simultaneously dropping this and the family matter bar to ensure folks knew he JUST wrote this banger of a track, in case anyone thought it was preloaded , genius
If this academic needs this explained to him then he’s too removed from the cultural discourse to be showing up in the algorithm as much as he does. He’s a tourist and his school degrees can’t change that.
The John Stockton verse has layers. He was all time assist leader in bball and played with Karl Malone who got a 13 yr old pregnant when he was 20. Kung fu Kenny
Stockton was also short (for a basketball player), significantly shorter than Malone just as Kendrick is shorter than Drake. And as the assist leader, he's not as famous as his skill might suggest because he wasn't scoring as many points/hits. As in maybe Drake/Malone gets a lot of baskets but Kendrick/Stockton is the one with the real skill and breadth of game. On the other hand, Stockon white and Malone black, so maybe not every possible layer...
The craziest part of this to me is after meet the grahams Drake fans were trying to downplay it by saying nothing Kendrick releases has any replay value/catchy tunes. Then Kendrick drops a whole summer/westcoast anthem with memorable bars plus a history lesson. I’m glad I got to see it in real time 🔥
I never understood that. His whole catalog has replay value for me.. with nuance. Why do you have to bop is a rap battle. MTG was the kill shot...Not Like Us was the victory lap.
21:21 Fanfano solidified this point in my mind, when he was reacting to the "A minorrrrrrrrrrrr" line: Kendrick is basically removing music options from Drake at this point. Is his next album going to have only used major, diminished, or 7th chords, lest the crowd reply with "Sounds like A minorrrrrrrrrrrr"? The systematic alienating of Drake from his support networks is diabolical genius.
Funny thing is, the supposed mastermind Drake, really made this happen by making this dumb line about “getting the slave freed” He set himself up. But I bet he predicted that one too.
This is like a real personal more fucked-up and advanced version of swimming pools in a way. People partying on a song about how alcohol destroys people and now a song about sexual predators playing in clubs where you might find the same people Kendrick's calling out in real time. Absolutely crazy.
they're also both meant to veil, however thickly/thinly, a dangerous side in celebration, while goading it; i can see someone being a bit more aware of the act of drinking when drinking to swimming pools, and more wary of predators while having a night out
Glad you picked up on this as well. I recognized Kendrick would be my favorite artist back when swimming pools came out and I was at the bar, drunk, and the song played and sobered me up instantly. Changed my whole life trajectory in drinking. While in the bar.
You missed how great the Sweet Chin Music reference is. I didn’t get it either but a WWE fan explained to me that that is the signature move of Shawn Michaels who famously had a real life and in the ring beef with Brett Hart which culminated in Shawn Michaels going off script in a prime time match in Canada and humiliating Hart in front of his hometown fans.
For me, meet the grahams is so heavy and intense it feels like watching something horrible, terrible, spine chilling. It's incredible to feel that from a rap diss track and I love every time I hear it. Weird comparison would be twin peaks the return episode 8. It's just horrifying to witness and makes you feel so uneasy.
Interesting analysis and breakdown. RE: your final point-It seems to me the issue in the Atlanta/colonizer section is not about trying to remove decision making power and agency from Future and Lil Baby and the others in their interactions with Drake. They’re all grown men who probably signed contracts (and were compensated handsomely, presumably). The issue seems to me to be more about Drake not fully understanding his positionality as a colonizer in these transactions, a cultural guest. He wants the spiritual credit usually reserved for the stylistic originator, but of course the culture is not inclined to give him that. Not to say Drake isn’t plenty admired by a lot of people. There’s an FD Signifier video on Drake’s effect on hip hop that I watched this weekend in an effort to put all this together. FD describes Drake’s reaction to finding out about the text message that Macklemore sent to Kendrick after Macklemore won the Grammy that year. Drake’s response goes a long way toward illustrating what he feels he’s owed that he’s not getting. It’s very telling. Subscribed!
Love love love. I just told someone this is a spiritual connection that only we feel because we lived it and live it. While we are all listening and dancing to the same song black people the culture are dancing to the sound of a different beat. Outsiders get shocked when we "turn" on them when in all actuality they just get too comfortable as a guest . A perfect example is Vlad
Here's the explanation to the Stockton line from SportsKeeda: " Kendrick Lamar released a new diss track on Saturday night, titled “Not Like Us,” which included a reference to Karl Malone, as he continued to accuse Drake of engaging in pedophilia. In a verse from the song, Kendrick likened himself to NBA legend John Stockton, subtly alluding to Drake as Malone, who faced controversy for fathering a child with a 13-year-old girl when he was an adult. Stockton and Malone played together for the Utah Jazz for 18 seasons. " Drake is also neighbors with Karl Malone and had pics up with him but recently deleted them from his IG.
I think the primary goal of this song was to create a reason for the message of Meet the Grahams to be spread and replayed on a mainstream scale. This song has already been played in clubs, it has audience participation chants, etc. It's making inseparable the concepts of Drake/OVO and the allegations in pop culture. If you are publicly a fan of Drake, you can no longer avoid addressing this part of his image. You are implicitly pardoning his crimes by listening to his music. If there is any way to actually effectively take down Drake, it's to make it uncool to listen to him
@@Deleteyourself83 Even if none of it is true (unlikely, but you know) Drake put himself into a situation where these accusations will hang over him for the rest of his career. Kendrick did the smart thing and packaged his accusations into listenable and impactful songs, while Drake's response is a sleepy monologue on a boring trap beat. He also didn't do much to deny the allegations besides saying "um no", so it'll be difficult to claw back. It does remain to be seen if this actually impacts Drake's career, but people won't forget about it. Adidon was a lot less of a story in comparison and people bring it up under any image of Drake with Adonis.
12:46 No, actually the "wanting to see Compton like tourists" is actually a real thing. Me and a Japanese tattoo artist who was new to LA and wanted to go with him to different places in LA (mostly because he didn't quite speak good English and I wanted to make friends 1st living out here). He told me, a queer black woman, that he wanted to go to Compton because he saw the Straight Outta Compton film and wanted to see the area like it was just a place where anyone can go. Like it was some landmark tourist destination like Beverly Hills, Hollywood, or Santa Monica. I tried to educate him on the nuances of the film, hip hop then and now, and sternly informed him that black people aren't just an aesthetic that you can emulate for a week and say "you're about that life", but because he was ignorant to the nuance he didn't get it because he was too removed from it. HENCE Kendrick's point. He was actually born and raised in Compton. Drake's so removed from black history/culture and costumes them as a means to an end to make money. But BARELY talks about black issues/struggles DESPITE being half black. TL;DR: Kendrick's telling about Drake "Everone wants to be black, until it's time to be black when the cops come. They want the rhythm, but not our blues."
13:19 the stockton line is ultimate. Stockon played with the kings with karl malone, who also is a proven pdf file downloader. He had a child with a 13yo, and thats one of drakes neighbors
I agree about this analysis. Kendrick approached this whole beef as he would approach an album. Building a world, a narrative. Euphoria was lole an introduction and a warning, but he was preparing us for something bigger, subtly. Then he tried to wash his conscience by confessing and maybe even justifying himself and explaining that he's very spiritual but sometimes you can't avoid war. Then he gave a very sad picture of Drake's character and how people like him are dangers to society, and he showed it was taking it very seriously. Then the latest track, the entertaining part of the book.
@@erica_em I agree, and when he said Kendrick is a mega genius, it's so true. I also admire the strategic aspect of it, I play chess and I'm fascinated by how he baited Drake into all of this. When you look at the whole picture, I'm impressed by the execution, at a micro level (in each track), and a macro level (the whole set of tracks).
A cleaver narrative but the problem is a lot of what he says is fabrication lying and manipulation of half truths and falsities on his own part though. Also his position as some kid of moral authority is highly questionable given all the facts he already mentioned on his own album, the company he keeps in real life and the fact he targets an 8yr old boy with a monologue about his dad being a Weinstein level paedophile that deserves death with absolutely 0 evidence.
I think part of the genius behind the “They Not Like Us” hook- with regard to the first half about PDF files- is that it transcends race. He’s saying “they” (PDF Files and the OVO clique) are not like “us” (people who aren’t PDF files). He made a bop anthem to reject and hate on PDF files- a sentiment that everyone (except PDF files) can get behind. Brilliant.
It also adds to the whole "are you my friend? Then step this way" part at the end. The song is very much a line in the sand and a call to everyone listening to distance yourself from Drake/OVO.
@@v4vindication622 your opinion but I took it as pdf files vs non-pdf files. Maybe, try listening again. Idk, maybe you’ll understand why our take on it is different from yours. Again, this is not to change your opinion, I just don’t see it your way.
You are right though. On his breakout album GKMC he did the same thing with swimming pools. It was actually a song about alcohol abuse. The amount of clubs, bars, parties I heard the song being played it is endless
I actually listened to Meet the Grahams a bunch of times too. It's hard af in its structure. And I personally enjoy the feeling of experiencing art made from a place of absolute loathing.
i’m saying. it’s the track a replayed the most because of how fucking visceral it is. complete takedown of drake’s character it is possibly the most devastating diss track i’ve ever heard because i legitimately don’t know how you can hear every lyric of that song and still listen to drakes music.
Definitely not listening to that shit in my car lmao. I don’t wanna hear about all Drake’s family issues Rather hear Section 80, go listen to Rigamortus, that’s a sonic masterpiece
AVAA professor. I had some issues with your colonizer argument. As someone who comes from a country which was colonized by British I have heard this argument before from my own countrymen. And I agree Britishers did built many now acclaimed universities and hospitals in my country but they did that cause they needed to do that. They were creating those for themselves and excluding native people from the facilities of those institutions. Later they let Indians in those places because they had no other choice.Drake represents late stage capitalism and corporate greed in hiphop like no one. Drake needed Future, Lil Baby, Bad Bunny, Uk drill rappers and all those artists from various genres way more than they needed him. Drake would have copied all the styles on his own if the culture let him. Drake stole enough from various different cultures so if any deserving artist get famous because of Drake I don't want to say Drake gave them those clouts. And yeah Colonizers definitely "give" colonized people something inadvertently but at what cost?
This and also, unlike Drake, these rappers never took on Drakes personality. You can watch Drake transform as he bites these rappers' styles/stories. His stories get more "hood" his heritage gets rewritten (like Kendrick said), and he becomes the Drake we see now. People are seeing Drake as a camelia with no identity. Just a mix and match person who can make songs that follow the trends. They call him a pop star because, like most pop stars, he stands on or for nothing. And he commits the cardinal sin in the rap of being inauthentic.
Thank you for saying this @souvikdeb808. I’m French from black African descent and I moved to France when I was 6 and i also had an issue with this part of the conversation for the following reasons: 1) In highschool when we finally discussed colonisation there was a chapter about how african countries benefited from colonisation, and I find this discourse appalling and manipulative. As you said, yes they created infrastructures but at what cost? They didn’t take care of areas they didn’t live in (some areas in the cities that became ghettos post colonisation, or even roads leading to remote villages). They made all these improvements for themselves their own comfort thinking they would be staying in those taken space for ever. 2) I’m not part of the African American culture as I’m obviously part of the African diaspora of Europe and my ancestors history is not comparable to the history of African American ancestors. However, we know what it means to be black, that it’s not just about colour, it’s about how you were raised and knowing your identity. My sister is biracial yet she also didn’t take well the slave part in the heart part 6. She is a gen z and identities with her both sides even though she feels more black as she was raised in a black family. Drake was raised in an all jewish neighbourhood, by a white mother with barely or even (i bet) no black person he could relate to growing up and build his identity as a biracial man. And he is Canadian!! He also saw himself through the eyes of white people and embraced it. The problem is he doesn’t truly identify as a black man, he uses blackness as an aesthetic and a mean to an end. The guy literally posed for the camera wearing full black face as an adult! This is the issue with him. He is cosplaying as a black African American person without even trying to understand that culture. On top of that him being Canadian double downs on the colonizer portrayal.
@@Sweeties_sweetest British created a "educated" native middle class as overseers. Those people helped them to protect the system.They were the police men who killed and tortured freedom fighters, beurocrats fought against independence.I come from Kolkata, a city that was capital of the whole south asian british empire. They built many big colleges and hospitals there.Kolkata and some other big cities were "advanced".But British took away the lands from Native tribes, enslaved them, created division between religions, took away the crops of the farmers that lead to the great femine killing millions. Drake is a overseer of the big corporate system in my opinion. He is just the symptom of the disease that is late stage capitalism. Aubrey Graham plays the character called Drizzy Drake. Stealing cultural traits from different parts of the world. I have enjoyed Drake songs before but I definitely recognize him as a part of the larger problem.
I think the problem with Drake and kanye being vampires as the billionaire artists that they are, working in an increasingly fatal capitalist system, is that the relationship within this context always leaves too much room for harm and exploitation. The billionaires are basically fishing when there's a growing famine in the ocean. Drake and Kanye both actively take advantage of that to not only collaborate with young artists but to exploit them at the same time. Kanye with his recent high school and literally everything else. Drake with all the artists and genres he's hopped on, songs he's employed people to write to mask as his own artistry. The shit is crazy
Kanye is no longer close to being a billionaire though I agree he does exploit black culture. However Kanye has authentic roots in Black society and is still fundamentally himself and doesn't shy away from it. Kanye's story is a man(artist) who has always struggled with an inflated ego that sits on a very insecure foundation. Drake is just a white boy trying to be 'black'
@@nykareem2001 Kanye is still a multi millionaire with major influence and power. But I do agree that he's a different kind of problem compared to Drake and because he's genuinely himself He's still more hip hop despite how much more insane he is
@@kabirkumar5815 Yes, I'm not saying they are both equivalent to each other outside of having power and taking advantage of people. Kanye is 100% hip hop because he's genuinely being himself, even as scatter brained as he is now
5:51 - I found your channel by accident while searching BBL Drizzy. Your analysis of how Drake lost was immaculate and well worth the like. For me, this is video number 2. The fact that such a cleary articulate scholar is so equally down to earth and just enjoying the jams for the jams has earned my sub and love for your content. The fact that you don't edit these is the cherry on top (adds authenticity and relatability, imo). Much love from Zimbabwe.
A bunch of vultures that started off by saying 'American culture' whilst simultaneously discrediting the b-community, and you fell for it? So gullible.
I agree, once all the dust has settled this rivalry needs to be dissected and studied. This isn’t just two rappers beefing, this is two different philosophies battling each other.
RAP means Rhythm & Poetry. Hip Hop culture isn't color. It's a lifestyle. It's a way of life. I'm not black but I'm definitely a part of the culture. Why? Bc Hip Hop was and is my life meaning it has been my therapy thru hard times and struggles growing up. The music is LIFE from the beat to the rhythm to the lyrics and the artistic creativity. If you can FEEL THE ENERGY in Hip Hop music and it impacts you more than just "hearing" it, YOU ARE PART OF US! Whether you're black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Indian or like me, a Pacific islander from the Bay Area, Northern California - you are included. Great video!!
Professor Skye, this is literally the first time I've ever bothered to comment on a RU-vid video. Your analysis was so thoughtful and interesting, I listened to your entire presentation, and rarely do I listen to an entire 30-minute video. As an African American man who grew up in LA/Compton years ahead of Kendrick's generation, I'm fascinated by what I'm learning about the current state of hip-hop. I grew up with Chuck D and X-Clan. I appreciate and applaud nearly every point you made. However, I would ask you to consider this perspective regarding your point on colonization. I don't think the Drake/Kanye comparison is the right fit. The apparent criticism of Drake by Kendrick and others is not that Drake (the so-called colonizer) hasn't contributed to the "culture." It sounds like he's under attack for misrepresenting authenticity and loyalty to the "culture." Mother Teresa contributed immensely to Indian culture in Calcutta. She stood for that culture internationally, promoting their interests in places and among people that the Calcutta locals could not reach. The hip-hop culture seems to have embraced Drake and appreciated his contributions for years. It appears that only recently many in the "community" have lost respect for him, possibly for reasons that haven't been clearly vetted yet. Unlike Drake, Kanye is a founding member of "modern hip-hop culture" and has put in an incredible amount of early work shaping it. Here's the crux of the current (violent) split in hip-hop as I can best discern. Hip-hop is a powerful global force for potential good. It's the #1 export of America’s struggling urban communities. Kendrick seems to see it as a tool for positive change, whereas Drake is being attacked as someone who exploits it for self-aggrandizement. The growing sentiment seems to be that the content creators want to see more of the financial gain, while those at the top (even artists who have made it) are less concerned about change. At some point recently, Drake must have signaled that he's not with any change. Notwithstanding the long-term conflict between Kendrick and Drake, everyone must not forget that this most recent battle started with a verse on a release called "We Don't Trust You." Some want to accuse the culture of discriminating against Drake, forgetting the openness within the hip-hop culture. For example, Eminem, a rapper of European descent from Detroit (which wasn't on the hip-hop map), earned and commands enormous respect. This is not about who you are but rather where you stand and who you stand with. No one would ever call Mother Teresa a colonizer. She was "ride or die" with Calcutta.
Thanks for the reply. I can appreciate your point since I'm not seeking agreement, but rather offering another perspective. You must admit that it's extremely difficult the neatly separate culture from economics. Tea became an important part of British culture. The British wanted the tea but didn't want to compensate the Chinese fairly. This cultural fetish, motivated the opium war, the annexation of Hong Kong, and the partial colonization China's coastal regions. Please don't miss my more important points -
The classroom analogy at the beginning of this was mind-blowingly accurate! Not Like Us felt like our reward for paying attention to Kendrick's more contemplative diss tracks from before.
The thing about colonization is that it can’t exist without ‘consent’ if that’s what you’d like to call it, but to say that you’re taking away agency is to deny the power imbalance. It’s colonization because the only other option is death, there is no other option.
I’ve been writing this essay about how colonialism , chattel slavery, and secrets societies mimics the summoning of demons. I’m saying all of those artist are being summoned by Drake, the power imbalance is very off. The will for the system to push Drake is a lot stronger than pushing all those other artist he used.
Actually "wock" is short for Wockhardt which is the pharmaceutical company that manufacturers the cough syrup promethazine with codeine aka Lean. - respectfully
Aava! I would say that the "dumbing down" may be less "making fun of drake" and more actually tapping into the culture of club and dance music that drake has gentrified! Beating him at his own game AND paying homage to the music that's been degraded in the process. Perhaps the call and response stuff is a kind of in group signifier, as though drake is being left out of the very process of participation unless he wants to call himself a total creep. The legacy of call and response in Black American music could also factor in here, but I may be reading into it too much. That being said, it is Kendrick, so is reading into it too much really a possibility?
You should look up what Donald Glover said about This Is America starting as a Drake Diss and proof he could make bangers if he wanted to. Southern rappers have hated Drake and known about his allegations for a decade. There's a whole multi-artist multi-EP Civil War happening here.
So interesting for a scholarly type guy like yourself to break this down. And don't trip, I been mixing Cole's, Dot's, and Drake's names for like 2 weeks straight
Hey prof! Regarding the “wock/walk” line, u may be right with a secondary meaning, but on its face its a play on “lean”ing on someone (pressuring them) and “wock” refers to another name for lean - which is the promethazine cough syrup drink you’ve probably heard before in rap
And I think you are missing the subtext of the slavery line. Drake said kendrick always rapping like he trying to free the slaves in the last one as a diss - kendrick is throwing that back in his face as if saying “why is that a diss? What side are YOU on?” No one said drake can’t rap about slavery, but that particular line in his diss struck a lot of ppl as whack. So this section 1. Implies Kendrick wrote this whole song after drakes last response would which would be insane and 2. Doubles down on the metaphor, and puts drake in the “slave owner” or “colonizer” camp.
1 more thing - yes sonically you can say it’s “dumbed down” but this isn’t Kendrick intentionally dumbing things down to “satirize” drakes music. The narrative after MTG was that drake was making catchier songs , and Kendrick’s disses were putting ppl to sleep. So he went and got mustard to make a club BANGER beat, and the repetitious hooks are there cuz it’s a club song. Also part of the reason there’s such defined sections, so the track can be manipulated and mixed into the next/previous song. It’s not a satire, it’s a genuine (successful) attempt at responding to a narrative in real time by making a catchy diss. Which personally I think adds to the idea that someone within OvO who does not like Baka and PnD is leaking all the shit to Kendrick ahead of time
@@worldwidestepper9880Yeah, this man's erudition is good but...he's Really got to get into the culture a bit deeper or at least attempt to not appeal so much to his "I'm a white academic" spiel. It may be him but I believe he probably holds back alot for his RU-vid persona and his teaching position, Which is fair, but I think it really hurts his ability to engage at a deeper level.
I think with this track he’s doing with all of Drake’s brands and phrases the same thing Pusha T did or tried to do with the 6 tag (tick tick tick, sick sick sick / six six six) and make it impossible to see or hear them without thinking of the diss. OVHoe, 69 god, certified lover boy certified pedophile are all gonna be something you think of when you talk about drake
Finally!!! Somebody on the outside looking in giving unbiased and realistic view!! As a person who grew up on the art and see who controls and manipulates it..put it this way…Kendrick isn’t just goin against Drake..Kendrick is goin against the industry! I personally love both of their music but as you grow so does your music. Yes, Drake has club bangers but no club album, which is why KDot said “you don’t have one.” Drake has been subliminally bullying Kendrick for years and KDot has been warning him, not to mention, the people who are deep in the culture who understand the way Drake moves, he’s making questionable decisions that we didn’t start out loving him for. He’s grown in money and material things..but he’s still a (lover) boy who hasn’t grown up yet. That’s what KDot’s issue is with Drake. As far as the industry..we’ll, it’s been playing out in our faces but only 5% of us will see it the other 95% will stay lost 🤷🏽♂️
I think that song is actually triggering for some people because it's a lot of peoples reality. I'm sure it made a lot of deadbeats triggered. This is why I feel like it's not being discussed as much as the other two
As an intellectual black man. Who also grew up in the hood. I absolutely love the academic review of this music art form. I don't think enough people understand the genius in it.even the one who seem to have dumb down music are often more intentional and intelligent then perceived
Drake only has a black dad but he is not of the black culture that is why he needs to have all those features to co sign for him to give him cred that he can relate to black people to do black art
That part! But I don't blame Drake the fake, I blame those who forgot to stay on code and coddled his ass into black facing and using the n-word without so much as a side-eye before a sit-down somewhere.
I’m so glad I found your channel! This is amazing 💗 btw OVO stands for “October’s Very Own” referencing that Drake is an October baby. Yep… that’s actually want it means.
We really appreciated the fact that this professor has educated himself so well that his cultural awareness and competency prepared him to cover black culture related events, with sensitivity as a true ally. He understands that in this moment... the Culture is not only the African American population but also includes the global black community... White supremacy created and supported colonization, slavery, racism... and every black human has experienced the tribulations that comes from not being white ... Another great example of a true ally to the Culture is Slim shady. .....He has always respected the roots of the genre and would never claim to be of the Culture...or covet a title or crown within our Cultural assets and art forms...he has always understood our struggles 🕊️👍 and moved with us, against our oppressors!! That is why he is respected and welcomed in our spaces. This white human gets that distinction 🤎
I imagine Kendrick using "They not like us" for its implicit message but also for the way it speaks to our time and our discourse. It's a phrase to excuse injustice, which he would be well aware of, and a tool used by people who wish to divide society for their own interests. Take it from the man. If I was a real G kind of person, who came up in the struggle, I would not want to see other people claiming that ground. If that's not your life don't rap about it. I love Lil Dickie and Harry Mack, they're not fronting. Marshall Mathers earned it. Black america sees their culture co-opted and monetized by other people all the time. It's real artists against the machine.
I just want to say as an art/pop culture critic, writer, rapper, and and african american man ... i love your analysis outside from them being similar to mine i admire they way you go into depth about your stances
AVAA. Appreciate the POV. This definitely growing a cinematic universe on Kendricks side. He seems to be keeping a thread throughout so at any point someone can drop in and get caught up fairly quickly
Hey prof. first time commenting here. One thing to add more here is that the artist that Kendrick mentioned and that drakes collaborated with are not the entirety of the Atlanta Rap scene, and that just like they might have benefited from the collaborations, the community as a whole A. didn't get these benefits and B. on the long term will face negative effects from them (many mentioned the point about diluting the culture here). This is the same for colonization at least in my country where there are a few that benefited greatly from colonization, and we got roads, trains and modern stuff, but 70 years after that event we are much worst. An interesting point to tackle both is that colonization halted the natural progression of the area and put it into a narrow path of progression set by the colonizer (for rap capitalistic watered down hit-making). And this is why Kendrick chose to deliver this over an LA beat to show how styles could have progressed and reached success without tampering from others (I'm in Rwanda and Dre's halftime show is played at every house party, no one is really playing ATL trap like that)
I feel like you're the first person I've seen who's fully understood the gravity of this situation and how unprecedented it is. Insane how this is gonna be one of his biggest songs
AVAA, I just want to say if you want to avoid demonetization without having to spell out the word in the future an easy around it is by saying PDF Files, that’s what most content creators do
@@ryanmahon1 Be realistic. Corporations aren’t going to magically allow for these marketing- unfriendly terms just because you don’t like them. 🤷♀️ We don’t live in a world where the corporate overlord algorithms will allow that, so people who want some sort of financial compensation for their content creation (not to mention who want to be able to reach a larger audience without being penalized) need workarounds. Or should they give up on the discourse entirely? These terms may not be elegant or creative alternatives, but they are relatively effective.
Katt Williams said it is all coming out in 2024. The through current here is artists against the establishment and their evil stooges. I love seeing hypocrites fall; it's truly good for everyone. Katt Williams also said he wished it was a politician or a religious leader who was doing what he is having to do but they are not. That comes through in his recent performances: he's in the position of telling jokes about things that really are not joking matters. I'm fine with the jokes, it's just something that clearly deserves a better forum. I guess the NYT and WSJ don't think it's that newsworthy or that the public deserves to know? Who gets to victimize people; that's basically the question. Take it from the man.
14:30 I understand your interpretation of the hook “they not like us”… but in this instance I believe Kendrick is strictly referring to Drake and his OVO camp and that they’re mostly from Canada…. He set up this narrative in Euphoria when he said “You can run to America, but you can’t imitate this violence”… I believe the “not like us” chant is really reinforcing the sentiment that Drake is a culture vulture. 15:40 P.S Wok is a cough syrup used to make lean.. but I love the double entendres!
While it may start as a symbiotic relationship, Drake gets to keep everything he receives, (street cred, lingo, general acceptance) even after he moves on to the next hot trend. If you look at ALL of the artists who he’s given a number one to not all of them are still receiving the benefits of their once symbiotic relationship. Then just to add, some like Future already had Dungeon family ties & Kendrick had Dre/the whole west coast behind him. So yes, he helped them but the argument is that he doesn’t continue to help and there never should’ve been a ‘Drake’ in the first place
Meet the grahams makes me feel like training to become a psychologist actually empowers me like a freaking don, which is actually incredibly illuminating to me to not take psychological impact on another person for granted. Which is why that track gets replays from me. It's existence in itself is a truth about psychology.
Thank you for your non editing style. I second that style too! Be raw & uncut, those who come to watch for real will stay. It makes your content more real to a degree.
Ok brother I’m going to give you facts. First Don’t knock yourself you’re good. I’m a OG in hip hop.Strait up b boy. You are Hip Hop. Hip hop culture is not a color never was and never will be. It’s deejaying,breaking,emceeing.And the knowledge of self. Don’t forget that. Your a historian keep up the good work…
Its not about consent or coercion in that case, its about racial capitalism and who is afforded the wealth and power to shape the culture to meet their ends.
the refrain at the end is so funny, it's gonna go so hard in the clubs. it's crazy because being called "freaky" & the "69 God" is definitely something Drake would call himself
The fact that the Rap Genius website crashed every-time that Kendrick released a song speaks volumes! People say Kendrick is boring but he definitely moves the culture. Why else would Rap Genius crash 🤷🏽♂️ People want to hear and more importantly they want to understand what Kendrick is saying! This battle will go down in history as one of if not the best in history!
AVAA! I will echo a few comments from your previous video in that I don’t agree that these songs (at least Kendrick’s) are just ‘content’. It’s a different form of art but the vitriol in Kendrick’s voice, the assuredness in how he’s playing this - I feel like we’re watching him chisel the marble right now, and can’t see the bigger picture just yet. We’re not seeing things be churned out to be churned out, there’s a vision and artistic energy behind this in conjunction with the vitriol and urge to bury Drake. I understand the feeling that these need to be reacted to as they’re released (and I think there is some valuable cultural recording in that), but I hope I speak for many in the audience / class who’d also be interested in a broader look at this when the dust has settled. Maybe even a collaboration / discussion with another critic/academic/head in the space who can provide some additional context / views, like FD. I’d love to hear some more polished thoughts down the line when everything isn’t out of date within days of release.
Just wanna say your MTG and Family Matters video got me to sub. Very thoughtful and articulate channel and person. Gonna go through the rest of the videos in the following days.
By the way… a small trivia bit for you… on the piano an A minor chord only involves the white keys lol. That was another instance of Kendrick’s genius.
Hasan, FD Signifier, and Anthony Fantano had a 90 minute chat last night that is worth tracking down and watching. There are a lot of shorter cuts out there, but the full 90 is worth it. Probably my favorite somewhat-succinct analysis of this whole beef and Drake’s difficult place in the culture.
I’d say anyone with a genuine interest in an INFORMED academic takes of this beef and more generally why Drake is considered out-group by the black community while other mixed folk like J Cole or Alicia Keys are not, should go listen to FD Signifier. This “professor” is about as clued in on the politics of white-coded biracials as my cat.
It wouldn’t be the first time that he has made a club song containing heavy topics. In his debut album GKMC he had a song called Swimming Pools. It’s a song that talks about his relationship with alcoholism, Along with his family. It’s also my all time favourite song of his
AVAA. I think the John Stockton bar also ties in the nonce allegations as he was on the same team as Karl Malone who assaulted a 13 year old girl. Also, loved that Kool Moe Dee ruffage from yesterday
@18:24 “Stab this way, Stab that way” FINALLY!!!! You’re the ONLY ONE who said it!!!!! I know I wasn’t the only one who caught that…….. I watched so many popular reactors and no one has caught that….thank you. Thank you so much. Edit: I know it sounds weird but in a way I feel relieved. And makes me fear my critical thinking… makes me feel like I’m out of my mind sometimes lol. 😂
