What, when, why?
While it is appreciated that people take time to share their thoughtful insights and provide deeper meanings, some take it a little too far… Example: GlobalGrind‘s Cacy F. reaches for the heavens with an article entitled ‘Race, Identity & The Black Experience In The Drake x Common Beef’. Fueled by Common‘s recent diss remix to “Stay Schemin,’” which replied to Drake‘s response to Common‘s diss on “Sweet,” the author feels that the hip-hop legend went too far:
Though the lines in the above verse may read that Drake is easily read, the subtext is saying Drake isn’t Black and cannot talk about the Black experience.
Note to Common: The Black Experience isn’t something that’s specific to darker black folks who are only American. Any person of color, or woman, can have a Black Experience.
Most of Common’s diss is about Drake’s nationality, his race/culture and his relationship with his parents, one of whom is white and Canadian (his mom), and his dad, who is black and African-American. The record is scathing, clever, and all types of WTF. To call someone’s sick mother a bitch, should be beneath Common, but apparently anything goes in rap battles these days. BUT: really, Common?
Let’s break this down…
First of all, this Common vs Drake beef is painfully lame but way to fan the fire with a gust of hot ass air. As “light-skinned” as Common is (and doesn’t he have freckles?), he has no room to comment on the mixed ancestry of anyone else. As someone who is constantly told about what I’m not “Black enough” to comment on, this is a particular sore-spot but no intelligent person ever actually utters those words and Common has proven to know better. Therefore, I doubt he needs to be reminded that the Black experience is not limited to dark skinned Blacks or American Blacks.
There’s also some offense taken by Cacy to the exclusion of women in the Black experience as well as Common calling Drake a “son of a bitch,” therefore calling his mother a bitch. Sigh… another day. Let’s continue.
“What’s Beef?”
Common‘s lines have more to do with this random birth of “Gangster” Drake who will “catch bodies” one minute, gently stroke a chick’s baby hairs while crying about his ex the next, then boldy instruct her to pop that ass for him and “the crew.” As much as I enjoy Take Care, a lot of the lyrics make you wonder… Common is not the only one confused by this. Regardless of how some people want to reshape the word, there is a difference between being a Black man and being a NIGGA; there’s a difference between living as a Black man and living as a NIGGA. In general, people just don’t have a decent upbringing, star on hit shows in their country, make money as pop music stars and then turn into hood NIGGAS.
Don’t eat the mystery meat.
As Drake seems to regress in maturity while increasing his ball size, this can’t be the only basis for this dispute as Drake is not the only rapper guilty of flip-floppage or perhaps just being multi-dimensioned? So what is it? If Common is just sick of sing-songin’ rappers, as he expresses in the track that started all of this, he certainly didn’t echo that sentiment when his buddy Kanye — however talented — was bludgeoning our eardrums for 2 years trying to sing. So with that said, you are right, Cacy — the two rappers are the only ones that know the beef’s reasons and if not over a woman, we can assume it’s just an odd marketing ploy. This isn’t Common vs Ice Cube “I Used To Love H.E.R.” beef; this is some unidentified origin type beef and it smells rancid.
Get familiar.
It’s disappointing though that you bother to delve into this subject but have not even listened to Common post-Erykah Badu and then suggest that this beef is the fault of that strange relationship. You dear, have some serious catching up to do: his 2007 Finding Forever — a very solid album, his 2008 Universal Mind Control — complete ass and his latest critically-acclaimed work The Dreamer, The Believer. Admittedly, it’s odd to see the rapper in any beef much less a seemingly petty one but he is not “formerly conscious” as you ignorantly claim.
However, let’s be real here… neither rapper has delivered any lines in this verbal scuffle that will mark hip-hop history for the ages. If put in the same room to battle, it would be the most boring match ever and neither would survive against a rapper whose preferred style is vicious punchlines.
Overall, I’ll be quite happy when Common goes back to feeding our minds and Drake goes back to feeding strippers.
Read Cacy’s article at GlobalGrind.com.
Listen & Download
Listen to Common – “Sweet” (Drake Diss)
Common - SweetListen to Common vs Drake – “Stay Schemin” Remix
Common vs Drake - Stay Schemin Remix
[thanks pigeonsandplanes.com, csumeats.com, vibe.com]
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