One time, I was watching this documentary about a tribe in Africa, and there was a young girl who was being forced to marry an older man from a neighboring tribe. However, the girl was in love with a relative from her own tribe—a boy in her age range—and she had been secretly intimate with said relative. Of course, the girl stood in opposition to the forced marriage, but there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it. I didn’t watch the documentary to the end because it was pissing me off. And I wasn’t upset at the girl being enamored with someone that she’d known and cared for her entire life, it was the subjugation and exploitation of the girl that angered me. If y’all only knew how fucked-up the world is outside the United States, you’d be a lot more appreciative, and maybe a little more compassionate. When you see people laying their lives on the line in protest against war, famine, genocide, and general fucked-up things, know that those types of people are the ONLY reason you’re comfortable not giving a fuck about the well-being of others! Freedom has never been free. And even your right to publicly express yourself was fought for. Nonetheless, plucky people often abandon themselves to exercises of futility. There are right and wrong ways to do everything, and I guarantee that someone can find a better way than what’s currently considered the best way to do anything. Innovation and individuality are the two most important things for our future. Unfortunately, your way probably ain’t working! What’s more important than happiness? Let me answer that question for you, ain’t shit more important than happiness! Being contented, pleasured, confident, and at peace is the only way to enjoy life. The problem is, a lot of people are happiest seeing others discontented, in pain, unconfident, and perpetually amidst conflict. But I have a simple semi-solution. If you’re a parent or prevailing figure, it’s time to stop pestering and pressurizing your progeny and patrons to preserve the past. Because the truth of the matter is, people are unhappiest when they’re inhibited. And that’s why I personally support the banning of TikTok in America—it does more harm than good. But that’s neither here nor there, it’s just imperative that people are allowed to be themselves without shame or inhibition. We all know that having morals and being principled are honorable traits. And the desire to be perceived as upstanding and virtuous causes people to search for things to stand against, as they appreciate the fact that raising objections to disagreeable subjects can be considered righteous. For instance, traditional hip hop beefs are messy, malign, merciless, and sometimes murderous. If you’re a hip hop traditionalist, you might believe that it’s defensible or commendable to call for the conservation of all the most dreadful and disgraceful elements of beef. In some people’s heads—mainly stupid people—fighting and fearlessness are never faultless. In other words, some people believe that anything is worth dying for. If you’re uncertain, let me assure you that very few things are actually worth dying for! Please don’t let your liberty to act freely fool you into believing that you can control the outcome of your actions. You can only control yourself, and your environment will produce the consequences that align with the circumstances. Diverging slightly, think about it like this. Ostensibly, a Good Samaritan is public-spirited, selfless person who assists people through the kindness of their heart, right? What if that altruist is also a lunatic? Soldiers at war generally believe that killing opposing soldiers is justifiable because war is consciously tit for tat. How many soldiers, on either side, in any given war, know exactly what they’re fighting about? Better yet, how many soldiers join the military strictly because they’re prideful and yearn for a seemingly sinless cause to die for? There are people and forces that will dispute every step you take, regardless of how noble your cause is. And to those people, their cause is more noble than yours! At a minimum, the least you can do is stop opposing people who don’t oppose you.
Drake’s home in Toronto, that was featured as the cover art of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”, recently experienced a shooting—where a security guard was injured by gunshot wound. A few days later, an unknown trespasser was arrested for attempting to burglarize the same Toronto residence. Meanwhile, “Not Like Us” is set to be the summer anthem of 2024. What’s more, rumors are circulating that Drake hasn’t given up on the beef and is cooking up more fire tracks to keep the smoke flowing. Like I said before, I think this beef is overcooked and is on its way to being as burned out as Drake sounds on “The Heart Part 6” if Drizzy doesn’t call a truce. What do you think is going to happen to black Canadian tourists in California after Drake’s hometown compound was shot up? Niggas are stupid as fuck, so you know that several American and Canadian gangs are claiming the shooting. Do you think California is currently safe for Canadian music artists other than Drake? Drake can afford sufficient security, and he has relationships with California natives. But as far as Cali hip hop fans are concerned, it’s “fuck Drake”. In my opinion, we can expect many more violent encounters stemming from this beef, especially if Drake responds with lyrics that disparage California or the West Coast in any way. If Drizzy isn’t careful, he could do irreparable damage to his reputation by attempting to switch from the “Certified Lover Boy” to a certified gangster while battling a beloved rapper from Compton. Kendrick doesn’t need a gang affiliation to summon some of the toughest thugs from California because he’s never had street beef. So, just being a neutral, respectable Cali representative who makes music that impacts and influences the lives of Californians, especially with Californians being so loyal to their own, grants K. Dot jurisdiction over his home state. Yet, if niggas from Cali decide that Drake has taken things too far, it’s up for The Boy, and not even Dot can stop it! It’s just time for this shit to end. Had that shooting not occurred, things might be different. But because someone was shot as a direct result of this beef, everybody is going to be on edge. If you know anything about hip hop culture, and if you know how smart Kendrick Lamar is, you know that Dot knew exactly what he was doing with “Not Like Us”. It’s a West Coast-style beat from a West Coast producer and a West Coast rapper on a song that’s calling a now West Coast rival and his entire entourage pedophiles! In retrospect, it was silly for me to initially side with Drizzy in this beef, especially after I cited the East vs. West war—that was sparked by Tupac and Biggie’s beef—as a reference for the potential of escalation. This shit could really get ugly! Now, I’m about to sound hypocritical as fuck, but I really, really want to hear the other six songs that Dot has tucked away, as well as whatever else Drizzy has in store. This beef has provided some classic tunes. And despite the fact that I’m giving King Kunta the crown, the residual songs could just bedazzle that motherfucker. In an ideal world, colleagues could clash in contention with contentment and continue while coexisting cordially. But in reality, conflict causes confusion that conjures crazies without consciences who can’t control their crossness. Being influential affects people, and affected people can be affective. Deviating a bit, how do you think Diddy fares in all this? Conspiracy theorists commonly deem everything eclipsing a distraction from something. Theoretically, if the biggest rapper in the world is a pedophile who employs sex offenders, and one of his closest competitors is a woman-beater and a deadbeat dad, who cares about a little sex trafficking from an obsolescent music mogul? Technically, the media had already stopped covering the Diddy situation, but it’s definitely not over. I don’t believe the Big 3 beef has anything to do with Diddy, but I’m sure the theorists are theorizing. However, the way everybody turned against Drake after Kendrick dissed him on “Like That” suggests that they too were warned, like J. Cole, that dissociating themselves from Drake would be prudent. I just hope everybody stays free and alive when it’s all said and done. Peace.