Drake readdressed this controversy on Sunday’s “The Heart Part 6,” although his response was less than convincing. “If I was fucking young girls, I promise I’d have been arrested / I’m way too famous for the shit you just suggested,” doesn’t exactly ring true in a post-Diddy society (or at any point in human history, really). Still, I’m willing to entertain the notion that Drake is simply so insulated from the real world he believes the criminal justice system actually works like Law & Order SVU.
It’s possible that with their money, influence, and access, Kendrick and Drake have unearthed dirty laundry the other has strived to keep private. And they could also be lying their asses off trying to ensure their opponent is dead before anybody has time to ask too many questions. We may find out soon, or never.
What’s more troubling is our reaction. The collective glee in Drake’s demise doesn’t reflect any sort of justice or comeuppance. I say this because I keep seeing Lil B fans approvingly repost a 2015 tweet of Kendrick thanking Lil B, ignoring how the beloved underground rapper is alleged to have solicited inappropriate photos from underage female supporters. I say this because I’ve seen multiple Instagram clips of Michael Jackson dancing soundtracked by “Not Like Us.” Child sex abuse is horrific and more widespread than most would like to believe, but the current state of this rap beef feels like a 24 hour marathon of To Catch A Predator, a nominally altruistic show that frequently harmed criminal prosecution of sex offenders due to tainted evidence and poor journalistic ethics. You can see strains of that show’s vigilante ethos in the enduring popularity of true crime: I just watched Ty Dolla $ign and some YouTuber go after alleged child predators on stream yesterday. Is shaving a guy’s head after screaming at him really keeping the community safe, or just farming clicks? Does it change your mind if you can dance to it?