Lil Durk has tossed several rap labels — and rappers — under the proverbial bus, claiming that he gets paid to beef with them, presumably to raise their profile.
Taking to Twitter on Friday (May 12), Durkio made his explosive claim while emphasizing that he was “unpredictable.”
Though it wasn’t clear which recent “beef” he was referring to, it may have been a swipe at his recent ongoing (and seemingly one-sided) feud with Soulja Boy, who called him out alongside NBA YoungBoy.
“Labels try to pay me to beef I just can’t fake it I’m different I’m him unpredictable,” he wrote.
Back in 2002, The New York Times reported that beef was a big business for Hip Hop, generating a gob-smacking $1.6billion a year for the industry.
The outlet further revealed that thanks to the ravenous nature of the music business, with many managers, agents, and other sundry executives taking the lion’s share of the rapper’s profits, beef was essential because it generates publicity — which translates to sales — at little to no cost for the artist.
Rap executives, especially, see this sort of publicity as a good thing for everyone’s bottom line. “The moment you see it, you deal with it,” Lyor Cohen said to the outlet at the time. “They have a great opportunity to change the socioeconomic course of their families for generations to come, and we remind them of that.”
This 20-year-old New York Times report — which also featured quotes from Ja Rule and Elliott Wilson, who was the editor of XXL Magazine at the time — combined with Lil Durk’s seemingly flippant comment, puts the “What Happened to Virgil” rapper’s recent feud with NBA YoungBoy in a whole new light.
YoungBoy had plenty of smoke for Durkio with the arrival of his new project Richest Opp on Friday (May 12), and trolled the OTF honcho in a Twitter video while flexing stacks of cash.
“Bitch ass n-gga, you pushed back. You bet not ever try it again. Don’t play with me. Flood my watch, mama, this Lil Top, n-gga,” the Baton Rouge native said in the clip while dancing to “I Got That Shit,” one of 17 new tracks off his aforementioned project.
YoungBoy kept his foot on Durk’s neck by replying to a tweet from the Chicago native promoting his new single “All My Life” with J. Cole, which also arrived on Friday.
“It’s been up you a bitch n-gga stay down ‘You bet not drop,’” he write, before adding: “Bitch you ain’t never gone troll of a gangster again.”
Wow this been going on for years
Shame on them.
This was actually an investigative article bringing facts from a 20 year old article from a big name source. It would have been nice if you went deeper into how labels profit and how its killed young blk Rappers. Please do more articles like this but more in depth.
Music industry is no different than crack in the 80’s. The goal is spread ignorance, and destruction. Let’s broadcast songs all day everyday perpetuating black stereotypes. Shooting niggas, fucking niggas wives, twerking ass and selling drugs on every hip-hop/rnb station in America.
This is quite sickening when you realize labels take out life insurance policies on their artists too. Its a big conspiracy.
Honestly, cant respect herpes boy once he said u not a man til u kill one. Im old school, u aint a man if u cant take an ass whooping 🤷🏻♂️ n herpes boy lil fans be the ones out here shooting shit up without thinking, believing they hard n doing something 😂 but yall aint ready for that convo.
Honestly, cant respect herpes boy once he said u not a man til u kill one. Im old school, u aint a man if u cant take an ass whooping 🤷🏻♂️ n herpes boy lil fans be the ones out here shooting shit up without thinking, believing they hard n doing something 😂 but yall aint ready for that convo.