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Kendrick Lamar had a huge inspiration board hanging in the garage where he was recording his album ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City’. On the board were five paragraphs of writing. It was said to be “a cross between a list of principles, an aesthetic credo, and [a] self-motivating tool”. There were 5 concepts on the list: Charisma/Personality/Swagger (grouped together as one), Substance, Lyrics, Uniqueness and Work Ethics.
This post isn’t just about Kendrick Lamar, it’s about Akenya and the way the spirit of competition moved her to respond with self-reflection. So before you can really get into the gist of why I’m mentioning K.dot, watch the 4 minute video. Then, come back and read the contextualization below the dividing line.
I want to use Kendrick and the long-standing rap competition between him, Drake and J.Cole to illustrate that competition is sometimes inherent to an art-form. From the sundry of interviews, quotes and lyrical thesis statements I’ve heard from K.dot, I know he believes in the spirit of competition (against himself). It’s use for him spotlights his swagger, substance, lyrics, uniqueness and work-ethic. He often talks about his desire to be the best, through his passion. Don’t take my word for it, click these links and hear or read it for yourself.
By referencing the current “Big 3” competition between Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J.Cole in the art community of Hip Hop, I think it contextualizes that the spirit of competition can be a meaningful call and response tool. Wether people use it to set themselves apart as a different type of artist or like Akenya (or J.Cole) use it as a self-reflective mirror to also reveal the same.
J.Cole is getting the SLAP for his recent public apology to Kendrick, after he posted a response track to Kendrick’s “Like That” verse. Some of those lashings are coming from me because I think being petty has a time and a place that leads to right treatment. Moreover, I think competition has a time and place too (maybe that’s my 25-51 Human Design channel talking).
I love Cole. I love Kendrick more. Watching them be in competition (wether silently or blatantly) has been good for me, personally. Though, there’s a weird complex feeling I have for honoring J.Cole’s ability to self-reflect and desire to do what he felt was correct for him to do— which was apologize for his response diss track on stage. Other artists are having this same ambivalent response too.
My hypothesis is this is something that he never wanted to do but the nature of the game and what the people say can dictate your movement.Throwing jabs eventually leads to throwing power shots at some point and that ain’t his thing or something he wants to do with his fam so he chose to bow out gracefully, never knock a man for bowing out gracefully or choosing to protect his spirit whether you or agree or not that took courage to do .. I respect the high vibrations part of it all !! I did want to see a lyrical war though that because I’m a petty emcee 😭😭😭 but I salute the young king for being himself — Styles P in an Instagram post.
The spirit of competition is a call and response that reveals more about us than I think we care to acknowledge. I think the question is where is the spirit coming from and do we remain honest in response to what it is calling us to do. Because, for J.Cole relying too much on others’ perceptions of the way we should respond to competition is a recipe for what Kendrick Lamar would say leads to an abuse of power:
“I remember you was conflicted
Misusing your influence
Sometimes I did the same
Abusing my power, full of resentment
Resentment that turned into a deep depression
Found myself screaming in the hotel room
I didn’t wanna self destruct”
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