At this point, just know that y’all ain’t gon’ like a lot of my shit! Honestly, there’s a part of me that I’ve been running away from my entire life. I recognize that in being smart and sane, it may give the impression that I’m humble, but I have a very high sense of self-worth. This may sound crazy, but I’ve always believed that I have the potential to conquer the world. And don’t mean conquer in the sense of a supervillain craving world domination. Instead, I mean that I believe I’m persuasive enough to change enough minds to dramatically affect the course of history. Just seeing the influence that my opinions have on some of your favorite black personalities is indicative of limitless possibilities. Please don’t let my lack of internet virality fool you—motherfuckers know who I am. And many of them are what you would consider the “right” people. Yet, a lot of them are afraid of me, some don’t fuck with me because I’ve expressed unfavorable thoughts about them, a few likely understand that my absence from the spotlight is calculated, a bunch are just waiting to see where I take this, etc. But history shows that revolutionaries don’t get old. For instance, Martin, Malcolm, Huey, Assata’s whereabouts are unknown, Abraham Lincoln, JFK, etc. If I am to maximize my potential, some people are going to have to get the fuck out of my way! And I am fully aware that those people ain’t gon’ like that. Metaphorically speaking, if I view myself as an immovable object, but I’m currently stationary, what’s going to happen once I’m mobile? In other words, what happens when an immovable object and an unstoppable force is the same thing? Again, I’m kind of scared of myself—if that makes sense. How much power should one person have? When you think about why the world is so perilous and pathetic, aside from the multitude of mental illnesses that can’t be cured or mitigated, power struggles play a major role. A power struggle is exactly what it sounds like—a struggle amongst opposing people or conflicting groups for preeminent power or complete control. And struggling for power is the stuff that wars are made of. Imagine having aspirations to conquer shit while possessing the capacity to decipher all the advantages and consequences of overwhelming your opposition. With great power comes powerful enemies! The more power you have, the more power you’ll want. And the more power there is, the harder the struggle is to acquire it. Diverging slightly, do you believe that you deserve the best? Personally, I’m not very materialistic. But outside of worldly possessions, I absolutely won’t settle for anything less than what I consider the best for me. When making decisions, because I’m single with no kids, I have the luxury of only focusing on what I want. In order to maximize your potential, you must keep the possibility open. From my perspective, a good deal of great people are divested of the maximization of their potential by their reluctant pursuit of societal ideals that are ultimately more unrealistic than their personal goals. If you don’t know, there are people out there that benefit from your pliability and acquiescence, and who gain power every time they convince a potential opponent that the struggle isn’t worth enduring. I’m sure a lot of people would love to tell me that I don’t have what it takes to conquer anything. But those people can go unalive themselves for all I care! Once again, not giving a fuck is like a superpower. And it’s no coincidence that controversial and rebellious people tend obtain more power than neutral and conformist people do. Sometimes wars are psychological, and defeating an enemy can be as simple as persuading them to avoid the power struggle. Don’t be tricked out of your potential.
Yo, Ebro, fuck the consensus! As a matter of fact, there’s a new consensus. Until further notice, Drake is indisputably number one inside and outside the Big 3! So, remember when I said, “If this melodious melee turns into a Royal Rumble of sorts—with every rapper dissing every other rapper and/or Drake—this could be the greatest summer in hip hop history?” Well, I made that statement because I’m a life-long fan of hip hop, and I saw this Big 3 beef inspiring the imparting of inconspicuous industry infighting coming from a mile away. The Game, a rapper from Compton, recently implied that he’s only been pretending to like fellow Compton-born rapper, Kendrick Lamar—as he vowed his support for Drake in Drizzy’s rap beef with K. Dot. Additionally, Kanye West just released a “Like That” remix, where he defends Kendrick Lamar while dissing Drake and J. Cole. In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before other Drake-hating rappers communicate their resentment. Additionally, I think J. Cole will never hear the end of people’s disappointment with him flying the coop after laying an egg. Over the weekend, Drake put out a new Kendrick Lamar diss titled “Taylor Made Freestyle”, in which he uses artificial intelligence to replicate the voices of west coast legends, 2Pac and Snoop Dogg. But the taunting tune is receiving mixed reviews. Honestly, I think Drake’s latest entry sounds rushed, and I believe it was executed poorly. Had The Boy mimicked Pac and Snoop’s rap cadences correctly, I assume that Taylor Made Freestyle would have been better received by rap fans. I don’t hate the song, but I for damn sure don’t love it. Moreover, Drake and Rick Ross have been keeping their feud sizzling via social media. And to assure the barbecue doesn’t stop, Chris Brown threw some fresh beef on the grill with a fire diss track that flames former Migos rapper, Quavo. But obviously, if you’ve been paying attention, it doesn’t stop there. Lupe Fiasco, one of my top ten favorite lyricists, asserts that he will battle anybody who wants smoke. And the more the temperature rises, the hotter tempers will get! This shit is just getting started and I’m totally here for it. Do you know who else is all eyes and ears for this high-spirited homage to hip hop heritage? It’s singer, songwriter, poet, actress, model, and hip hop aficionado Jill Scott. Lately, Jill was subjected to criticism online for pronouncing her support for Chris Brown—who some people still hate for physically abusing Rihanna back in 2009. If you’ve spent enough time around feisty women, you know that they can get touchy and aggressive without warning. And if you’re a feisty woman, I’m certain you can admit that you’ve taken a disagreement way too far. In retrospect, I believe that Chris was just defending himself against a very violent Rihanna, and she ended up getting scratched and bruised in the process. But regardless of what factually transpired, the Chris Brown and Rihanna incident took place an entire 15 years ago, and they’re reportedly in a good space as friends, so people need to move the fuck on. I don’t fuck with people for several reasons, and them being full of shit is amongst the main ones. Moving on, as it pertains to rap beef, I don’t think rivalries are necessary to keep the culture enthralled, but the tension and anticipation is inherently thrilling. Like I said before, everything from video games, to reality television shows, to sports, to politics is centered around conflict and competition. Rappers, gamers, influencers, athletes, politicians, and everybody who struggles for power has just a little bit of a conqueror’s spirit. Remember, with great power comes powerful enemies. Hierarchies are as natural as peaks and valleys. Whether we like it or not, people are going to fight for what they believe in. So, we might as well enjoy the show, right? Peace.