A Lesson from the Drake vs. Kendrick Saga

The stadium is packed, the crowd is roaring, and the spotlight is on. But are you the player or just another spectator? This is the real question when it comes to fandom—not just in music, but in life. The recent tidal wave of energy around Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and the spectacle of his ongoing feud with Drake has shown us something beyond just bars and beats. It has revealed the sheer power of attention, influence, and, unfortunately, blind devotion.

When Fandom Becomes a Form of Mind Control

There’s admiration, and then there’s obsession. Somewhere along the line, the lines blurred, and we went from fans who appreciated artistry to devotees who let celebrities dictate our emotions, thoughts, and even our relationships. The internet is flooded with clips of grown men in existential crisis because their favorite rapper is taking an L. Imagine spiraling over two artists—both of whom are winning, regardless of who “lost” the battle. Imagine compromising your real-life relationships just to stay intoxicated by an illusion.

Are you a fan or a follower? Do you have your own thoughts, or are you simply regurgitating whatever your favorite celebrity, artist, or influencer feeds you? Are you so emotionally invested in someone else’s career that you’ve lost sight of your own?

This might be the perfect moment to talk about having a backbone—about getting a life outside of vicariously living through entertainers who, at the end of the day, are still rich, still booked, still creating, and still unbothered.

The Business of Beef and the Currency of Attention

Make no mistake—this “beef” is business. The hysteria, the memes, the heated debates—all of it fuels engagement, which fuels streams, which fuels bank accounts. You might be in the comments waging war over who “won,” but Kendrick and Drake? They are profiting, strategizing, and leveraging the moment.

Look at history: Jay-Z and Nas had Ether vs. Takeover, 50 Cent and Ja Rule had a decades-long battle, and Biggie and Tupac’s feud remains a defining chapter in hip-hop. But notice how, even in defeat, these artists thrived. There are no true losers in a high-profile rap battle—only those who know how to leverage attention and those who don’t.

And that’s the real lesson: How are YOU leveraging attention?

You see people flipping this moment into cash—selling merch, remixing songs, making reaction videos, dropping parody tracks. They’re capitalizing. They’re recognizing that while two titans clash, there’s opportunity in the rubble.

But what about you? Are you just another voice in the crowd, or are you using this moment as a lesson in amplification?

What’s YOUR Hit Song?

You don’t need a beat or a mic to have a hit song. Your “hit” could be a business you’ve been sitting on, a book you need to finish, a message the world needs to hear. Instead of spending all your energy dissecting someone else’s success or failure, when will you recognize your own potential?

What have you created?
What have you contributed?
What have you built?

You see the power that music and entertainment have to galvanize the world—so what’s stopping you from tapping into that same power for yourself?

The world moves on hype, yes. But it also moves on impact. And your impact isn’t tied to what Kendrick or Drake are doing. It’s tied to what you do, what you create, and how you show up in the world.

So, instead of just being a spectator, get in the game. Instead of debating someone else’s greatness, step into your own.

Because while the music plays, the lights shine, and the world watches—the real question is, what are they watching you do?