Episode 175 with Anthony Fantano
Anthony Fantano is breaking down the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar on this week’s episode of KK&F. Where did it start? What keeps everybody tuning in? Who’s winning? We get into all of this and more in our convo with Anthony. Watch below:
In the multi-track beef that’s unfolded in the past few months between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake, reputations have been tarnished, #1 hits have been released, and parents have been pulled into the fray. Beginning in late March with “Like That,” the beef now encompasses nine songs (and counting?), giving each rapper a platform to call his opponent’s character into question, slight his rapping skills, and diminish his place of importance in modern pop culture.
It seems an awful lot, given references in songs like “Not Like Us” to Drake’s creepy behavior to underage women, like Kendrick has dealt more serious blows in the conflict. He’s also brought Drake’s son and parents into the picture, calling out the latter for raising “such a horrible f*ckin’ person” and summoning sympathy for the former. (Writing for Pitchfork, Alphonse Pierre has suggested that Kendrick might be the beef’s winner not only because of the damage done by “Not Like Us” but also because it’s a real hit.) Drake has responded with his own vitriol, calling Kendrick an abuser and belittling his work. Sure, Kendrick may have public support here. But how did this all start, and where will it end?
We tackle these questions with music critic Anthony Fantano, who leads us through the backstory and gives us a breakdown of this explosive back-and-forth. We hope you’ll enjoy this fresh new pop-culture focus on KK&F, and we can’t wait to hear what you think. You can listen to this episode as a podcast when it’s released tomorrow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and more.
