Kendrick Lamar’s verse was the shot heard ’round … the block. Fans, radio stations and even some hip-hop heavy hitters gave more than the nod of approval for the two and half minutes of what some are calling the beginning of a new generation rap battle.
What actually happened? Lamar grabbed some of the biggest names and created a stir, the Internet is buzzing with anticipation in hopes of an epic battle like Nas and Jay-Z. Meanwhile rappers like Wale have sat back and looked at Lamar like an unruly child misbehaving in a store.
This was not a diss record; this was a more innovative marketing tool, similar to album leaks from Kanye to Katy Perry on the Internet. Media thrives on sensationalized stories. Kendrick Lamar is no longer the obscure rapper from California; he is now the No. 1 hottest search on Google trends, as of Monday. This “calling out” of his peers has given Lamar a wider fan base if they didn’t know him before, now they know.
Lamar did shed a better light on rap music. This “battle” will not cause any bloodshed, no lives will be lost, and in fact, maybe it will encourage his peers to stop making feel-good records and start getting back to the art of real lyricism.
All hail the self-proclaimed king of the freshman rap class, Kendrick Lamar.
