18. tryna strike a chord & it's probably a minorrrr
a timeline of the kendrick-drake feud + all the other things i was up to this week. but mostly just the kdot drizzy drama.
SNOW CRAB ROLLS
I stopped by Nijiya Market on Sawtelle on the way back from my weekend excursions and picked up a sushi spread. Some unagi rolls, California rolls, and inarizushi to share with my mom, and some tuna sashimi and snow crab for the next few days. For one dish, I marinated the tuna with some yuzu and served it with avocado, and for the other meal, I made little handrolls with snow crab. YUM.
FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS
I love flowers and aesthetics so it was only natural for me to adopt my new hobby of flower arranging. My goal is to create an arrangement every couple of weeks to maintain a pretty, serotonin-boosting environment. This one highlights a couple of orienpet lilies, orange ranunculus, and pinky-red peony tulips. They just make me so happy 🥹
THE MAIDENS, Alex Michaelides
I loved his debut novel, The Silent Patient, but this one was a miss for me. It’s a thriller murder mystery where the primary suspect is the very obvious murderer; however, there’s a twist. I just really didn’t appreciate how all the subplots up until the big reveal were ultimately proven to just be red herrings. 2/5 ⭐️
JOURNALING
I started one page journaling. Not for anything super deep, but rather just to establish a habit of getting my raw feelings out. I haven’t been super consistent, but I’m trying!! I think I want to maybe compile a few prompts or maybe hit shuffle on my Spotify and journal for a song or something to switch it up and incentivize how I participate. Bloop, my pet finch can only persuade me to do so much.
TWO AND A HALF MEN
An irreverent sitcom about Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) allowing his persistent younger brother Alan (Jon Cryer) and his son (August T. Jones) to move into his beachside home temporarily after a brutal divorce. The juxtaposing lifestyles between Playboy Charlie and raising a child create humorous plots and dynamic character development. My favorite character is Berta, Charlie’s housekeeper who provides the most comedic relief with her impeccably timed one-liners and retorts. I couldn’t continue watching once Ashton Kutcher joined the cast though.
KENDRICK-DRAKE FEUD
No explanation necessary, just listen. They’re all in order with explanations. It’s OVOver!!
2023
October 6 (First Person Shooter, Drake ft. J. Cole): J. Cole establishes that he, Drake, and Kendrick are hip hop’s “Big Three”
2024
March 22 (Like That, Future & Metro Boomin ft. Kendrick Lamar): Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar retaliates with “f*ck the big three, it’s just big me”
April 5 (7 Minute Drill, J. Cole): A surprise attack directed at Kendrick. Not very hard-hitting, but
April 7: J. Cole apologizes for 7 Minute Drill and steps out of this feud citing “That’s the lamest sh*t I ever did in my f*cking life”
April 13 (Push Ups, Drake): Drake boasts his own accomplishments despite his peers not liking him on his first diss track. The whole track is just Drake calling Kendrick short and a creative sellout. Involves the Swifties with “Then we need a verse for the Swifties” referring to his (incredible) contribution to mainstream music with his verse on Bad Blood.
April 19 (Taylor Made Freestyle, Drake): Drake suggests Kendrick is too scared to release because he’s waiting for Taylor Swift to release her new album, The Tortured Poets Department to not compete with her on the charts. This track was quickly taken down after the Tupac Shakur estate sent Drake a cease and desist letter for using his AI vocals.
April 30 (euphoria, Kendrick Lamar): 6-minute retaliation where Kendrick calls Drake inauthentic on several levels, from a BBL plastic surgery and taking Ozempic to tapping into Black culture for the clout. As a literary genius, he melds several multi-level entendres with simple lines like “Now let me say I’m the biggest hater / I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk, I hate the way that you dress” into almost 6 distinct parts with their own intonations and dialects. I implore all Literature Classes to annotate and analyze this specific song as it pertains to culture.
May 3
9am (6:16 in LA, Kendrick Lamar): A back-to-back drop produced by Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift’s producer where he alleges that Drake has a team of ghostwriters and his work caters to the mainstream media for his success. Also mentions that Drake’s extensive team has moles.
8pm (Family Matters, Drake): Drake makes serious allegations accusing Kendrick of beating his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and that his business partner, Dave Free, is the father of one of his children. Continues to belittle Kendrick’s impact on the industry, stating that his “success” comes from others like Baby Keem, The Weeknd, etc., and not of his own accord.
8:30pm (Meet the Grahams, Kendrick Lamar): Literally 30 minutes later, Kendrick retaliates with a letter-like response addressing each of Drake’s family members, even alleging that Drake has a hidden 11-year-old daughter,1 and compares Drake to Harvey Weinstein. He alleges that Drake leaked his own [censored] video and has known pedophiles, prostitutes, and predators on his payroll and around his son. He also doubles down on his take that Drake is a culture vulture, colonizer, and more interested in fame over art. I found this to be a very uncomfortable and spooky listen, and Christian Divyne articulates my thoughts perfectly.
May 4 (Not Like Us, Kendrick Lamar): This one’s on repeat for me. Like all the other listeners, I love the line “Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles // Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minorrrrrr.” It's the most bouncy club beat—I’m pretty sure this will become a STAPLE walk-out song, summer nightclub beat, and ultimate hype song. I can only imagine how feral college house parties will be this week.
May 5
1am (BBL DRIZZY, Metro Boomin): The CATCHIEST tune, I cannot stop bopping
8pm (The Heart Part 6): Okay this flop just happened an hour ago. Drake doesn’t dispute any of Kendrick’s hard-hitting claims on trafficking and instead, directly mentions Millie Bobby Brown, then claims that he made the fake child up to determine who the mole at OVO was. The worst part? He takes a low blow at Kendrick by making fun of him for the trauma he endured when no one believed that he didn’t endure sexual abuse in his childhood, reopening a wound and implying that he’s now projecting onto Drake. This entire song can be summarized in one line: ”I'm way too famous for this sh*t you just suggested” implying that he’s too much in the spotlight to ever be a pedophile. This only makes him sound more like a bad man.
TL;DR
I don’t think Kendrick will respond to this anytime soon considering Drake’s diss track will backfire. The past week has been so entertaining, but I doubt we’ll hear anything for a few weeks.
love ya bye! 💌 pk
My theory? I think Kendrick mentions the number 11 as a reference to Millie Bobby Brown’s character on Stranger Things. She mentioned in a 2019 interview that they hang out together and he offers her boy advice. I find it sus that a man in his 30s is texting a 14-year-old “I miss you so much" or going to an afterparty as her date. All of it just directly relates to the grooming/pedo allegations.
