I know it’s bad when I rattle off some shit, deadpan, to my therapist and she furrows her brow like a disappointed teacher before saying “that is a fascinating upbringing”

Or so I hear…

I used to get a hankering for cigarettes once in a blue moon after college. I kept a pack of Marlboros for such occasions. Two drags into one of those loathsome little death sticks and I remembered why I never smoke the damn things. Haven’t smoked a cigarette in 6 years and I can count the number of cigarettes I’ve smoked in my life on one hand.

No. For the same reason that I wouldn’t avoid a relationship with a woman for having an appendectomy.

My mother and father were separated by the time I started asking questions about sex. My mother was super open and cool about it. I got boxes of condoms from “Santa” every year between 12 and 18. My father found out I was ready for “the talk” when an unused condom fell from my pocket during the laundry. I had already been active for six months. Thankfully, I grew up in a very progressive school district, so our sex ed course was comprehensive.

Drugs were a very Regean-era “just say no” from both of them. Interestingly, my best education about drugs came from listening to Blood, Sugar Sex, Magic with my father. He used to wax romantic about the tortured artists that languished under the weight of their addiction; robbing the world of more music while inspiring such remarkable lamentations.

THE MAN IN GAUZE. THE MAN IN GAUZE.

So you killed one person? To save numerous others? When the others would’ve died through your inaction?

Curious.

It’s debian-based, but such an outlier from the rest of the linux ecosystem that it might as well be its own beast.

I don’t think it’s worth Kendrick’s time (or anyone’s) to respond to “your kid isn’t actually yours”. Not an attack on his character, not relevant to the discussion, and well-adjusted adults are able to move past this kind of infidelity.

Domestic violence would be fair game and definitely worthy of response. I’d be interested to hear what Kendrick has to say. His capacity for self-reflection was apparent in Mr Morale and it would make for a fascinating track. I do not hold out hope that we’ll see any real comments on this point on any diss track that comes from this beef. There are far too many easy targets for Kendrick to fire at and the subject deserves more than one or two lines in between verses calling Drake a pussy.

Nothing that Drake’s talked about so far, but I was trying to be fair. As the commenter was asking for a neutral perspective.

Specifically, I’m referring to Kendrick’s threat to remove his own music after Spotify stated to take down R. Kelly’s work. I don’t think Kendrick condones R-Kelly’s behavior but his opinion is an easy point of attack that Drake likely won’t swing at since he’s a shit lyricist.

Generally these sorts of feuds are a flash in the pan without breaking Kayfabe. This, however, is quite different.

Kendrick Lamar and Drake are two of the most successful artists in the industry. Their music appeals to very different tastes. Drake’s music has been relaxed, poppy, and laid-back. Think of the kind of hip-hop/pop that you’d listen to in a car with mixed company or at a bar. Kendrick Lamar’s work is much less approachable by pop-music standards. It’s more emotional, bitter, and raw. His most recent album feels almost like an explosive therapy session. They’ve both seen regular airtime, but Drake’s music is much more palatable to a wide audience.

Kendrick fans will see Drake’s music (and by extension, Drake himself) as “fake” or as a “sell-out” since his music aims for the most broad appeal possible without making a “statement”. Drake fans will see Kendrick and his music as “angsty”, downplaying Kendrick’s success since Drake is more popular in the “mainstream”.

They both have their pernicious aspects. Drake has allegedly used money and coercion to silence women that he’s slept with, allegedly isn’t super involved with the lives of his children, and allegedly surrounds himself with registered sex offenders (including allegations of questionable conduct coming from his Instagram account). Kendrick has… let’s say “complicated” opinions on R-Kelly and the way music platforms like Spotify responded to his downfall. However, to my knowledge, Kendrick faces far fewer allegations of sexual misconduct (at least nothing that’s publicly known).

What makes this particular “beef” (or feud) exceptional is the degree of vitriol coming from Kendrick toward Drake. And it’s not anything that Drake can really “defend” against. I’m not suggesting that Drake himself is a sex offender, but surrounding yourself with registered sex offenders is horrible optics. In addition, some of Drake’s entourage has flipped, becoming informants for Kendrick and confirming some of the rumors floating about.

Anyway, that’s my summary. Full disclosure: I personally prefer Kendrick’s music to Drake’s. However, I don’t really care too much about feuds in the rap world. I just hope no one resorts to violence.

Currently on a factory game kick, so I’m playing Factorio and planning to get Dyson Space Program afterward. There was also a REALLY good abstract factory game I used to play on the Ubuntu software market but I can’t remember what it’s called.