A Wrestling Fans’ Guide to Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake

Opening Break Down

I apologize in advance, as I’ve had this in draft but got caught up in work and never released it. Well, it’s better late than never. Also, this is experimental, as we’re trying something new. Let’s see how it goes.

I want to start that I will be comparing the two artist with wrestlers I think they better fit. In terms of impact, the true comparision is Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, but honestly their stories don’t match that. Well Flair was the last great territorial champion, Kendrick’s career really existed in the post-coastal sound era. So he’s not really a territorial star, but rather a national star who came from the territories. And while Drake did come from the mixtape scene, the Ultimate Warrior also did the territories, but both were truly products of a system designed sell them. Drake did not make hip-hop national, that was done in the 90’s, he was a product of an already developed system.

Some will say that Drake and Kendrick is John Cena and CM Punk, but I always looked at Cena/Punk as more Jay-Z vs. Nas. Sure Cena and Jay were hated by the hardcore fans, but both mastered their craft and no one will deny their work ethic. Jay wrote all of his lyrics, and Cena could call a match in the ring. Just asked the upper deck who could hear Cena from there. But neither cheated their craft like Drake did. No, this comparison will be two unrelated people, because there is really no direct rivarly for people like Kendrick and Drake.

The Reason I Wrote This

I listened to Jim Cornette on YouTube as he talked about the last Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake beef. Now say what you will about Cornette, but hearing an old, out-of-touch, southern White man try to understand Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake had to be entertaining. Brian Last, who is in the music industry, tried to explain it, but there was so much that I think he could have explained better. While Brian is in the music industry, there are a few things in Hip-Hop that are hard to explain. Basically saying it’s jealousy is really missing the point with this one.

Now Drake vs. Kendrick is a rivalry brewing for 10 years. When Kendrick dropped Control, he laid down a gauntlet to everyone about his desire to be the best rapper in the game. Though many rappers responded, it was Drake’s reaction that people cared about. Because while Joel Ortiz, or Papoose could take offense to Kendrick claiming to be the King of New York from LA, Drake was the top young rapper in the game. After Control, Drake and Kendrick would exchange subliminal disses for 10 years. But before we get to now, let’s talk about who these two are and what they represent.

Drake is Hip-Hop’s Ultimate Warrior

He came into wrestling like a crazed maniac, running to the ring and destroying people. After the success of Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon needed another Hulk Hogan. Along came the Ultimate Warrior, with a betterbody than the Hulkster, though less wrestling ability. But Vince could over look that, as the Ulitmate Warrior felt modern, straight out of a cartoon. Though he had many flaws, with the right workers around him, the Warrior could look presentable enough sell many tickets.

In 2009, Jay-Z’s career was winding down. Kanye West had just released 808 and Heartbreak, an experimental album, and Lil’ Wayne had just created a roster for his Young Money label. On that roster was Canadian child actor, Aubrey Graham, or as he’d be known to the world, Drake. Drake was not the best freestyle rapper to start off, rule #1, don’t have pre-written stuff for a freestyle. But he had the look and image to sell. Lil’ Wayne’s mentor, J. Prince knew exactly how to market Drake. He built a team around him, and right off the bat Drake came in as one of the hottest young artist on a song full of rap legends. The Boy was now a made man… “Last name ever, first name Greatest!”

The Last Territory Star

It’s easy to look at Drake and Kendrick and think of Kendrick as an “indy darling,” as Brian Last put it. But that’s ignoring what Kendrick Lamar is. Kendrick Lamar was the last successful artist signed by Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label. Kendrick’s legacy is tied to Dr. Dre, and Dre is from the era when east coast and west coast meant something. Being signed to Dr. Dre, Kendrick was far from an “indy darling.” Instead, I’d say Kendrick Lamar was more like Shawn Michaels. Michaels was a territory star in Minnesota’s AWA, and changed modern wrestling with how good he is. Just like Verne Gagne’s territory produced great in-ring wrestlers, Dr. Dre’s mentorship produced some of the greatest rappers ever. Once 2011, many of those greats came together to passed the torch to Kendrick.

In 2012, Kendrick would release his second album, but first on a major label, Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City. This album told the full story about growing up in Compton, CA, trying to avoid the traps of the gang bang lifestyle, and produced many hit songs. Just before the album though, Drake invited Kendrick to be one of his opening acts. Drake had a more mainstream audience, but he wanted the hardcore fans. He craved to have the street cred that other rappers had.

Drake would select Kendrick Lamar, and A$AP Rocky of the A$AP Mob from New York, to open his tour. This would be like Vince having local stars on the card while also main eventing Hulk Hogan at the end of the territories. For Kendrick, this would be the equivalent of touring the territories, seeing if his music works outside LA.

The Difference that Caused the Split

After Brian Last explained how when Kendrick opened for Drake, it felt like there might be some jealously. Well, that’s sort of true, but not in how you might think. You see, after Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City, Kendrick was getting the attention of the music critics. He had put on a 5 star (er… 5 Mic) classic. It was clear Kendrick had taken the established culture of Hip-Hop in Compton, and expanded on that. His narratives about his city were beyond the gang banging tales, but he spoke of being a child trying to be a good kid in craziness. It’s like Shawn Michaels learning from Curt Hennig and taking that style even further. Drake on the other hand, was finding himself on top of the sales charts. He was next to his mentor Lil’ Wayne, but he wanted more.

Ironically, it was Kanye West’s signee, Big Sean who leaked an unreleased track from his album Hall of Fame that got this feud going. On the track Control, Kendrick Lamar rapped for 3 minutes straight about his intention to take over the rap game. He called out all the young rappers at the time and said he’s coming for them. You see Hip-Hop is about competition, and Kendrick was talking about completing. Of the names he called out, it was Drake who took it the hardest. This was the worked shoot which the one who doesn’t get the business took personal.

When you don’t understand the business, like a Goldberg or Warrior, then a worked shoot feels personal.  Control was that for Drake. Kendrick said I’ll murder these rappers, meaning if they are collaborating, Kendrick will put out his best. But Drake took it different. Not being raised in American culture, Drake took Control as a diss.

Night at the Grammys

From this point on, you can see a shift in Drake. Like Ultimate Warrior would have to Shawn Michaels in 1991, Drake would downplay Kendrick. and then he took the first shots on wax. Drake saw the top spot of Hip-Hop’s new generation as his. But he could also see a threat to his crown. Kendrick Lamar

Drake’s album Nothing Was the Same featured the song “Started From the Bottom,” and you also start to see Drake lean into “the struggle,” that many rappers grew up with. This was his shift from authenticity, to trying to appeal to the street audience of Hip-Hop. The Grammy’s of 2014 would have Nothing Was the Same go up against Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City as Drake and Kendrick would face each other for the first time for best rap album. Drake had won his first Grammy the year before, but Kendrick was the favorite to win this year.

The biggest surprise was both albums lost to Macklemore’s the Heist for rap album of the year. People were upset. The social media response was so heated, and Macklemore sent Kendrick an apology. Wait, why did Macklemore only apologize to Kendrick? Well many thought the Grammy should have went to Kendrick Lamar. Drake felt a type of way about it. He had the sales, but he wanted the awards to match. Drake does not see himself in the same class as Kendrick, he’s chasing Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Beyonce and Taylor Swift had Grammys.

Working Themselves into a Shoot

Over the course of many years, Drake and Kendrick would send shots at each other. Like two wrestlers cutting promos on each other, both would send a line or two, just to remind the other they are thinking of them. Both of their hardcore fans wanted blood. Basically for years, they’d exchange words like Bret Hart and Bill Goldberg. Just two wrestlers with a bunch of bad blood. Here is a 10 minute clip of just their lines to each other over 10 years. The build up for these two to battle was brewing.

Over the years, what started as misunderstandings turned into both working themselves into a real shoot. Drake downplaying Kendrick, treating him as an indy darling, despite the fact Kendrick started to win Grammy after Grammy and even outsold Drake in 2017. Kendrick’s mainstream appeal was growing so much, he was selected to lead the soundtrack for the Marvel movie Black Panther. On the other end, Kendrick started to see Drake as everything he hated about the music industry.

Drake was the highest selling rapper, but in 2016 he became the highest selling artist, getting his first #1 single, and then two more #1 singles in 2017. Both were truly at their peak in 2017, Kendrick owning 7 Grammy’s to Drake’s one, and Drake with 3 #1 singles to Kendrick’s 1. And both artist would widen their gap in their respective area, as right now Drake has 10 #1 songs to Kendrick’s 2, and Kendrick has 17 Grammy’s to Drake’s 5.

Controversy

It was around this time that Drake was found to have ghost writers for his music. This is a standard in themusic industry, but a huge no-no in Hip-Hop. In rap music, the talent is in the lyrics, and each rapper is expected to write their own lyrics. At least if you are expecting to be considered a great, which was a title Drake was chasing. Using writers in Hip-Hop is like not being able to call a match in the ring. It was a scandal in Hip-Hop that rivaled Milli Vanilli.

Why We are Here Now

So what many consider the greatest battle of all time just concluded. I don’t think of it as an even battle though. It felt like Hip-Hop purist wanted Kendrick to destroy Drake. In wrestling, it would be like seeing your favorite embarrass that steroid filled, overrated meathead, like Steve Regal and Bill Goldberg. Drake had the greatest team, and enjoyed the greatest protection; but Kendrick was forged from the greatest Hip-Hop had to offer.

The question of this battle happening was always in doubt. For one, they both seem to want different things. For 5 plus years, it felt like Kendrick was the soundtrack of the movement, being chanted at Black Lives Matter rallies around the world. It felt like Kendrick was comfortable with this spot. On the flip side, Drake did not seem to think of other rappers as competition. He was looking at outselling Taylor Swift, and having ghost writers didn’t matter. Kendrick was not taking Drake’s place as Kendrick’s music focus on protest and mental health, while Drake sang about girls and partying. Drake, like the Ultimate Warrior, just focused on the hits. Clothesline, run, guerilla press, splash. Kendrick, like Shawn Michaels, was always innovating and producing classics.

The Conclusion

One thing that kept coming up is comparing Kendrick and Drake to Prince and Michael Jackson. In many ways, it’s the same argument in wrestling, music, or anything that sells. Authenticity vs. commercial. Drakepumps out music faster, he has a team, there is a team of writers and Drake is able to sell more and more music. Kendrick takes longer to release, he writes all his own stuff, and others as well. He is a true artist. The Ultimate Warrior and Shawn Michaels both came out in the late-90’s, and both would be big stars. Warrior though didn’t need to do much as the machine was behind him, his looks, his energy. It would take Shawn Michaels many more years, but once Shawn did get over, he was a legend.

Ironically, in Hip-Hop, Drake has the highest selling concert tour ever, Kendrick is right behind at #2. So it’s not indy darling and mega star. This is what the Ultimate Warrior was, the one who sold out the Skydome with Hulk Hogan, vs. what Shawn Michaels eventually became, the one who sold out Ford’s Field with John Cena. Brian Last, you better put some respect on Kendrick Lamar’s name! Because heaven help you if Kendrick Lamar dedicates Sweet Chin Music to you, like he did to Drake on the song Not Like Us. (At 2:21 in this song is where Kendrick mentions Sweet Chin Music… because we all know how Shawn Michaels feels about Canada!)