Once upon a time in a universe far, far away, HipHopDX used to host blogs. Through Meka, Brillyance, Aliya Ewing and others, readers got unfiltered opinions on the most current topics in and beyond Hip Hop. After a few years, a couple redesigns and the collective vision of three different Editors-In-Chief, blogs are back. Well, sort of. Since our blog section went the way of two-way pagers and physical mixtapes, Twitter, Instagram and Ustream have further accelerated the pace of current events in Hip Hop. Rappers beef with each other 140 characters at a time, entire mixtapes (and their associated artwork) can be released via Instagram, and sometimes these events require a rapid reaction.
As such, we’re reserving this space for a weekly reaction to Hip Hop’s current events. Or whatever else we deem worthy. And the “we” in question is me, Andre Grant, and our Sr. Features Writer Ural Garrett. Collectively we serve as HipHopDX’s Features Staff. Aside from tackling stray topics, we may invite artists and other personalities in Hip Hop to join the conversation. Without further delay, here’s this week’s “Stray Shots.”
Is “Wanna Know” The End Of Meek’s Career?
Andre: The only beef that’s actually resulted in diss tracks, Drake v. Meek Mill has been a lifetime of vacuous entertainment in only a week. First, Drake was accused by Meek of not writing his raps. And, even in 2015, this is a big enough accusation to get people up in arms. Still, the fervor was relegated to Hip Hop fans. Pop fans seemed to just be waiting on Drake to sing venom into their hearts about the Philly emcee and be done with it. That kind of happened with “Charged Up” and “Back To Back.” Then Meek was supposed to respond immediately, but in a wave of Internet stuff that didn’t happen for a while.
“Charged Up” was a whispery, spoken word warning-shot. A quiet declaration of war. Meek didn’t respond or perhaps he couldn’t. Then “Back To Back” came down the pike in the middle of the night. Bottles were sent to Charlamagne Tha God. Old reports that Drizzy donated cash to Meek’s High School began to circulate. It was looking like the 6 God had all his bases covered. The whole thing unveiled something else, though.This was cleverness versus earnestness, and Drake knows something that Meek Mill doesn’t seem to: that cleverness will always win on the web. The Internet is not about the truth. The Internet is a swarming hive-mind chomping at the bit of desire. It is still, for the most part, fantasy and escape. You cannot feed it with the truth because people will grow to resent you. It thrives on narrative. And it only reveals the truth when it is uncovering something hidden, dark and secretive like a plot.
So, no, Meek Mill’s career isn’t over. Not even close. In fact, he’s learned a valuable lesson here: no one in the pop community cares whether you write your lyrics once you’ve crossed over. And it’s starting to be that die-hard Hip Hop fans don’t care, either. This is beyond apathy. This is a wholesale shift in Hip Hop’s perspective. Nevertheless, perhaps this is all part of the overall growth of Hip Hop as a genre. There’s nothing wrong with its popularity being so high that it begins to borrow rules from the high-stakes world of other genres. But like a teenager growing up before our very eyes, we still see Hip Hop as the close to the chest journalism of times past. It is not that, now. Not anymore. And maybe that’s okay.
Ural:
Meek Mill’s career isn’t over by a longshot. He’s a gifted emcee who has made at least two fairly well-received albums and spit some of the best freestyles one will hear all year. Will he ever have a chance in crossing over into mainstream pop? Probably not. And that’s totally fine. Like many successful rappers of the internet age making headway without terrestrial radio, pop celebrity and notoriety, Mill will still be able to properly establish himself in Hip Hop. There’s a reason why mainstream looks at Azealia Banks as a has been following her controversies with Iggy, yet her touring schedule has been more than consistent outside of the acclaim her music has gotten. Even this week, Vic Mensa allegedly dropped a diss track directed toward Travis Scott. At this point, nobody really cares much because both aren’t that significant enough to the mainstream public. Therefore, there’s really no winner. Looking at Mill’s social media numbers, the drama between him and Drake has only grown his reach further.
Drake won the people over by wisely utilizing his fanbase and the internet. On that level, the lyrical exchanges between the two didn’t matter. Just last night, a press screening for N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton really became an eye opener to how people view diss tracks in this day and age within Hip Hop. There’s a scene where Jerry Heller, MC Ren, MC Yella, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E are listening to Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline.” Comically, half the movie theater yelled “That’s a real diss track right there not this Drake and Meek shit.” While Heller wanted to launch a smear campaign via the Jewish Defamation League and lawsuits, the remaining N.W.A. members wanted to keep things on wax. At this point, there were two ideological differences in how to handle conflict in Hip Hop. It just so happens that keeping things on wax was just enough and fans weren’t necessary allowed into the battle area. This made the beef insular and balanced. It’s the exact opposite today. Like mentioned in our first listen, there are certain things in Hip Hop that don’t matter to the general public mainly because how involved fans and social media are in today’s rap beef. Drake won by default because he had a significantly larger following, not because of the issues raised in both response tracks.
Ja Rule’s career went left, despite 50 Cent being a relative nobody at the time because there was a moment where authenticity mattered within the culture on a surface level. That’s just not the case anymore. As Hip Hop becomes more and more infused into the mainstream, certain rules just don’t apply. If anything, Mill should use this situation as a moment to reinvent oneself as someone who plays outside of current notions of Hip Hop. Then again, the owner of his label is Rick Ross, one whose past is shrouded in cases against his authenticity as well.
Andre Grant is an NYC native turned L.A. transplant that has contributed to a few different properties on the web and is now the Features Editor for HipHopDX. He’s also trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot. Follow him on Twitter @drejones.
Ural Garrett is a Los Angeles-based journalist and HipHopDX’s Senior Features Writer. When not covering music, video games, films and the community at large, he’s in the kitchen baking like Anita. Follow him on Twitter @Uralg.
r.i.p meek
Dickrider
First off, I’m not a fan of either one of these dudes, but Drake is doing it right now. He’s been doing it for a while and doesn’t look like he’ll be done for quite a while.
Meek is a nobody… but that’s a good thing.
He’s dating the #1 female in hiphop at the moment.
He has the #1 male in hiphop at the moment dissing him (twice).
His name is all over hiphop, the news channels, The Toronto mayor and Whataburger has made statements about HIM.
The audience has created a website/go fund page with HIS name on it, and donating the proceeds to Philadelphia schools.
All of this over a tweet from a dude named Meek Mill…
my point exactly, it was nothing but a publicity stunt. its no coincidence that both rappers have albums in the top 10 and singles in the top 10, and more interestingly a single together in the top 10 (rico).
Ural hit the nail on the head. Drake won by default because of popularity and that’s it. This beef between drake and meek has revealed a lot about where hip hop is at right now.
Drake “won by default” because Meek took his sweet ass time responding…and when he finally did respond, he dropped that garbage ass track. sorry, but popularity had nothing to do with it. Meek is gonna go back to being just another rapper who’s bezel falls off his watch at awards shows..
this article is a mess. Lets go mine Meek Mill’s tracks and see if he has borrowed lines or had collaborators. Im sure he has. this attack on Drake is once again, hiphop purists romanticizing the past and pretending that Drake is some anti-hiphop pop infector. Its BS. What Drake did has been done in hiphop before and has been done many times and Quentin was credited. Relax people. Meek is no savior. He is a fake wanna-be generic thug who writes bad bars. Get over it
Drake won people over by showing up to work. Meek was non existent n when he did appear, he brought trash. There was some pretty good lines but no bars u gotta run n tell people bout
I love to see ppl still on drakes dick when he never put any work in. He spits sooo much g shit that he has never done. His raps are not dope cause he not writing them Real recognize Real and this world is fill with fakes.
Yeah like meeks friend and boss, rick ross.
Oh no! Drake used a credited writer like Jay Z , Beastie Boys, 50 cent.
Fuck those guys too
meeky minajs boss man ricky spits so much g shit he has never done too. when the reality is he was a cop who searched niggas booty holes for drugs.
This is hilarious. People acting like Meek Mill is some sort of great rapper. His biggest hits are with Drake or Nicki Minaj or Rick Ross. Dude, hasn’t even made a great song without someone else. He’s a terrible rapper.
I know you’re a troll since Drakes whole album “If you’re reading this it’s too late” was on the Top 100 chart. That’s never happened before but somehow he’s a terrible rapper
This is the dumbest, most PUSSY review I’ve EVER read! If you want to protect Meek because you like him, even though you KNOW he’s WACK, you should just say so!! His bars are WACK, his flow is WACK, he CAN’T make songs, even though he called out the BIGGEST song maker right now for being a fraud & CAN’T make a HIT record to save his LIFE!!! STOP the pathetic dick-riding! You think Meek is cool, COOL! But don’t try to convince EVERYONE else with a functioning brain that this isn’t one of the ALL-TIME fails of hip-hop battles! Meek is NOW officially SOFTER than Drake & that in itself is QUITE amazing!! lol
Word is bond son!!
Nahh you’re mad cuz they said the truth. This was a popularity contest and Drake won it, both disses were weak. Your favorite rapper is a fake, get over it
meek already got killed by Cassidy, why is he still relevant anyway?
Great tidbit by Ural. Now, No Vaseline was a real diss
I don’t get how it’s being implied that Drake is just pop and Meek represents hip hop. Bc Meek is a “thug” he’s more “hip hop”? Just because Drake is more diverse and can make different types of music doesn’t make him any less “hip hop”. His fans aren’t just pop fans. Ppl just wanna see the underdog win which is why journalists like these guys are rooting for Meek so hard. Drake is a better artist in every way imaginable.
I do think there has always been a blurred line between pop/ hip hop and rap. Because the distinction is usually up to the individual in question. Is Jay hip hop or is Talib? Was NWA hip hop or is the Roots? If hip hop is a culture is it a genre as well? What is the difference between rap and pop? Does it matter that Drake sings because the great Grandmaster Flash was also able to rhythmically move words over a beat. Meek Mill is not hip hop because he is from the streets. He is hip hop because he said so because thats how he got his foot in the door. Now he is getting more exposure and he is going to have to reienvent himself to get more fans, will that move him out of hip hop/rap and into pop? Does it matter? Is the blurred line why we do not win awards at the mainstream shows because they would put Chris Brown against Lil Wayne?
This shit is like miley cyrus and taylor swift in a popularity contest.. Shit is so lame.
I usually like DX editorials but this article is bullshit.
” Drake won by default because he had a significantly larger following, not because of the issues raised in both response tracks.”
NO! Drake won because he made better diss tracks and ripped Meek apart in “Back to Back”. Meek Mill’s diss on the other hand was pathetic. It was not a popularity contest. There was a consensus on the internet that “Wanna Know” simply sucked. THAT’s why Drake won.
Yeah Drake won i’m not a fan but on the real these niggaz diss was weak. The only diss part i like on meek shit was the reference quentin miller than the beat changed and he didn’t kill shit what a disappointment. Meek Career over it’s been over Cassidy killed him but ain’t nobody notice because he not mainstream no more we should have learned then. R.I.P. Meek Mill Rap Career
Ok Andre cool opinion ,though I dont agree with the notion that hard core hip-hop fans dont care but that the audience has grown larger and more diverse ( like Ural noted)
Ural you had good points but there was a paragraph thst made no sense..
Yeah I think real hip hop heads still care about authenticity, but now there are so many pop-rap fans that just don’t care. It’s BS and stupid. Hip hop should have never gotten tied this closely to pop.
lol you guys are crazy!! idk if Meeks career is over but clever ALWAYS wins no matter what!You don’t wait for a rapper to tell the truth you wait for him to say something CLEVER and if the truth is in it,then so be it,Drake is smarter,and MORE CLEVER…Meek is a cool rapper who shot WAYYYY about his pay grade…how can his fans ever look at him in his face again?tht shit was an unintelligible,garbled mess EVERYONE said it was garbage!Im a hard core fan and love what Drake puts out,hes not trying to be anyone that hes not,and hes clever…
Agreed, these guys are rappers. There job is to spit bars, Drake did his job. Meek was on drugs and decided to talk over a beat instead of spitting rhymes. Don’t discredit Drake for being popular. Meek killed himself!!
wish both these niggas would jus fade away. anyway at least 1 is done with. Rest In Piss meek, fuckin high pitched, screaming, fake azz , wannabe thug. Cass already destroyed this pussy, plus no real nigga respects this bitch in Philly, lmao. Remeber when meek milly snitched on his self, posing on IG with a chopper while he on Parole trying to play gangsta?, smh fuckin failure. This deformed lookin nigga KEEP TAKING SO MANY L`S.
Ghost Face
this dudes career is in serious jeapordy. no more Drake features and if rumors are true, Nicki is done with him. How does he get attention now? he got bodied by a singing nigga. if u drive around listening to meek, people gonna look at u funny. the industry is gonna turn on him. Wait two years and he will be Canibus but with wacker rhymes. RIP Meek
Give that man Ural Garrett a salute. Its the first journalist I heard have the nerve to say, Meek cant be representative for all things real anymore because he ok with Rick Ross’s past being shrouded in cases against his authenticity as well. Let me help you out here Mr. Garrett..shrouded is one thing. Ross lied about being a correctional officer during the time when he was supposed to be moving keys, got caught in the lie, doubled back and made an excuse for why he lied. Meek did not care one bit, he sat quietly and watched as 50 attacked Ross, using the excuse that he knew 50 before Ross. He isnt done, but I guarantee you Birdman and Wayne wont clear any more Nicki features on Meeks records. Drizzy pulled a boss move on him, he will never get another feature from any artist who wants to remain in Drakes good graces lol. When Burger King, White Castle, and Hamburger Helper all clown you, and The Undertaker doubles down on it. Its time to keep silent and go back to your Platinum wrist, Platinum whip, Platinum chick rhymes.
How can his career be in jeopardy when he has a loyal fan base? These blogs are what’s making hip hop worse and worse everytime they post this bullshit!!!!He just sold 200,000 1st week and now a month later we talking about his career over?!! Smh
I think y’all are fans of meek mill. Always commenting in his favour. He’s not in same class as Drake cos Drake has done so much good to modern hiphop. Drake is a legend compared to mill.. So mill should shut the fuck up and focus on nicki. He just mad cos Drake fucked his bitch
The only thing I “wanna know”is why didn’t Meek let his sister ghostwrite his comeback diss record for him. She did better on youtube.
Drake won “by default” because he has “a bigger fan base”?
You clowns can’t be serious.
No, Drake won in as old fashioned and Hip Hop-a way as possible.
BARS.
What the social media age does to pour salt in the wound AFTER a win, is a separate new reality.
Ovo I stand #Drizzy
Drake is fake. I listen to him for the sake of music is a universal language. Meek Mill, I never liked you dude. Sorry! Remember that guy who said Drake’s fans are low-key gays? “Low key maybe high key, i’ve been peeped that you like me, you know.”