I, like most people who spend a concerning amount of time on the internet, have been completely consumed by the current rap beef between Aubrey Graham and Kendrick Lamar. While the music produced by the beef has been nothing short of incredible, I also couldn’t help but get philosophical about this war of words.
There have been serious allegations on both sides, but I want to focus on what I believe is a central pillar to the beef: inauthenticity. In Lamar’s song “Euphoria,” one of the main points made is that Graham has forgotten who he really is, and that ‘’Drake” is instead a caricature who has flown too close to the sun.
This inauthenticity on Graham’s end has led to a national-level of humiliation. “Not Like Us” is being played at clubs around the world. Some of his most dedicated fans are taking a moment to acknowledge the fact that he has “lost” this beef. There are multiple Twitter threads exposing the many lies and facades he has put up over the years.
However, I don’t believe Graham has intentionally lost himself. I believe it is incredibly easy for someone to lose themselves if they are not constantly reminded who they are. Drake has all the means necessary to become whoever he wants to be, and he is encouraged by the masses to do exactly that. For almost a decade, it did not matter what accent he put on or what stylistic era he chose; Drake’s fans would support him regardless.
While the average person does not have a massive fan base to blindly support their every decision, I do believe we can all become victims to this hysteria in a similar way. Think about how trends take root in our personal lives. When the masses all believe that one thing is cool, we tend to adopt that into our arsenal of identity. It does not matter if we don’t feel comfortable about it; the internet encourages us to participate in the consumption of trends without taking a moment to consider how that decision makes us feel.
Influencers are constantly recommending products that will make you an ”It-Girl.” There are thousands of people on Reddit who are willing to validate virtually every bad decision a person can make. There are very few spaces on the internet where people will flat out tell you that adopting a specific trend is detrimental to your sense of self.
One can argue that true friends will sit you down and call you out on the decimation of identity you may fall victim to, but as we all are affected by this, that is becoming less of a reality. How can your friends tell you that you are losing yourself, when they are also experiencing this exact phenomenon? If we’re all trying to just fit in, this adopting of trends can be perceived as self improvement rather than an erasure of self.
All I’m trying to say is that it is crucial to be mindful of forming your sense and personal beliefs regardless of what the internet is saying. I’m not saying to ignore product reviews and recommendations! I just think it’s important to remember what made you happy before listening to a stranger tell you what might make you cool.
P.S. I enjoy Drake’s music! That being said, I was shocked to find out that he and his fans consider him to be in the same vein as influential as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. I’ve never thought that Drake was speaking for the culture. I was under the assumption that he knew he was best at making fun music for us to dance and sing along to. Tuh!
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