In the first weekend of May 2024, we have seen the Toronto-based music sensation Drake and the Los Angeles lyricist extraordinaire, Kendrick Lamar trade barbs via lyrics. Both men are engaging in lyrical mudslinging to the entertainment of several hip hop fans all over social media and possibly all over the world.

Unfortunately, I am a wet blanket at this beach party. Two grown men slinging insults disguised as poetry – a verbal dueling, if you will – is not the sort of energy we need today. We have enough conflict in our world. A fair amount of them require serious mediation before more lives are lost. We have a war between Russia and Ukraine. We have a war between Hamas and the Israeli Defense Forces and we have proxy war happening in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over access to some minerals that are crucial to holding industrial supremacy.

In the United States, we have our own sociological ills. We have a gender war and birth rates are dropping and divorces rates keep rising. Disagreement between men and women is so rife that well meaning young men and women have more cues to misunderstand each other than to support each other. We have cultural disagreements revolving around the conventionally educated vs the conspiracy theorists; the religious vs the secular; the economic conservatives vs the socialists; the uniparty vs the independents… The list goes on. I would go into the racial misunderstandings but honestly, I find the above demarcations above are actually active in almost every racial group in the United States.

So when I see two adult men who are in the prime age of ideological contribution going back and forth over who can disclose more dishonorable aspects of each other’s lives, I cringe. Granted they are artists and are allowed way more variations in expression. But in the words of Bertolt Brecht “Art is not a mirror with which to reflect society but a hammer with which to shape it. The question becomes, what type of society are they shaping by this beef?

Another well-known contemporary, J-Cole submitted a cypher in a show of guile but ended up withdrawing his submission as he realized it was not true to his character. He was mocked at first but respect for him is growing steadily. By removing himself from this exchange he not only dodged some heavy rhyme blows, but he preserved his sense of honor. Truth be told, he is the adult in the room. Breaking down verses of how one man dissects the foibles of another is just reality television over hip hop beats. It gets a lot of attention but it leaves everyone who participates a lot less stately.

The main reason why I want this exchange to end is because I fear it could end or result to some sort of violence which I know Drake is no stranger to. However, the most fatal consequence of such an exchange led to the demise of Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace AKA Notorious B.I.G. almost thirty years ago. Although several beefs have happened over the years, none to me have had quite the searing nature of the past week and due to the mention of people or parties outside of the artists involved my concern is the more factors or subjects are involved in this, the less reliant I am on restraint. All it takes is an action that will lead to an equal and opposite reaction.

End the beef now.