Why I Love That Grown Men Are Obsessing Over the Drake and Kendrick Lamar Beef
Swifties finally feel seen.
If you haven’t lived under a rock these past weeks, you’ve probably seen Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s rap battle take over the internet. Most importantly, you’ve probably seen straight, grown men lose their shit over two famous men writing poetry about each other. I mean … Diss each other. And I’m so here for it.
Listen, personally, I love the drama. It’s entertaining watching two MCs battle it out with their talent. And though I’ve been a Drake lover girl since before he got shot as Jimmy Brooks on Degrassi over two decades ago, I have to admit, Kendrick is the winner of this battle. But that’s beside the point.
I think it’s so cute how men are falling into rabbit holes over this rap beef. It’s also proving that men are smarter than we give them credit for. (Ladies, if he can understand a song with a quintuple entendre, he understood your “complex” text.) Most importantly, I finally feel like I can relate to men, especially as a Swiftie.
Analyzing this rap battle is just what it feels like when Taylor Swift drops a new album with a bunch of easter eggs. Basically, when one of these artists releases new material, you take a listen. Before you know it, you start conducting an entire research study about people who don’t even know you exist. It may sound a little bit psychotic, but it’s so fun. It takes dedication, and that’s why I think people part of these fandoms are low-key detectives and scholars. We’re actually doing society a favor, people.
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People often discredit Taylor Swift because they’re not fans of her music, and I can understand and respect someone not liking her music (though I may low-key judge. Kidding). But I get it. However, she constantly gets hate for it, and as a result, so do her fans. I can’t tell you how often I get judged for being a Swiftie. It’s ridiculous having to feel like you have to explain to someone or even worse, prove to someone, why your enjoyment of something should be respected or validated. Like, WHO CARES? Let people enjoy what makes them happy, especially if it’s not causing you or anyone else harm.
Sure, Swifties can be intense and sometimes even unhinged once they get riled up over a new Taylor theory, myself included, but it’s what keeps our inner child alive, and I love that for us. And for that reason, I love that men are having this similar experience with Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s disses. We all deserve it.
As someone who breathes pop culture, I think that dedication can sometimes be confused with the praise of celebrity culture, and that’s not how I view it. Since I was young, I’ve used pop culture as a fun escape and use of entertainment. I don’t place celebrities on a pedestal where I think they’re perfect humans. But I admire many of them, including Taylor, Drake and Kendrick. Sometimes, people like them, who are doing outstanding things, remind us how capable we are as humans to create, connect and leave a mark on the world. And to a certain degree, that’s inpiring and respectable —whether you’re a fan or not.
So if you don’t get it, I invite you to stop being such a hater and dive into something that brings you that childlike joy.
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