Queue it up with Kay | Drake shouldn’t be the reason we give Kendrick Lamar his well-deserved flowers 

The Drake-Kendrick Lamar rap beef fallout has defined pop culture in 2024, but it’s high time we discuss whether the rap beef should have earned Lamar the overwhelming praise he’s received since May.  

Without releasing an album, Lamar has suddenly gone from a Big Three rapper to one of the most-watched artists in the business. The beef changed the rap world as we know it, but I don’t think it should have caused Lamar to beat out every other rapper dropping music this year. 

The BET Hip Hop Awards were hosted Oct. 15. Lamar swept the awards, winning eight of the 17 categories.  

His winnings included Artist of the Year, beating GloRilla, who dropped two albums and took over the summer with “Yeah Glo!,” “Wanna Be” and “TGIF,” and Future, who graced his fans with two Metro Boomin collab albums and a U.S. tour.  

Now, I am no die-hard fan of award shows. The Grammys ruined my faith in award shows in 2020 by snubbing The Weeknd with zero “After Hours” nominations. But these wins for Lamar, also known as “K-Dot,” are a little bit of a stretch.  

The Grammys robbed Lamar of Best Hip Hop Album in February for “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.” That album had everything you could hope for from a hip hop release: pop-style vibes from “N95” and “Silent Hill,” artistic interludes that include the sounds of tap shoes and bars from his cousin Baby Keem and deeply emotional social commentary in “Auntie Diaries” and “Worldwide Steppers.” 

Why is it that this work of art didn’t earn Lamar recognition, but a feud with Drake did? I hate to say this, but it seems clear that pop culture has only started to acknowledge Lamar as a true rap king because he destroyed a far more mainstream artist.  

The back and forth between Drake and Lamar kept hip hop fans on their toes for weeks. We impatiently anticipated the next musical blow from each artist. Lamar’s lyrics, visuals, speed and accusations were more enticing than Drake’s, but he has always been the talented, aggressive artist capable of taking down a pop icon like Drake.  

Lamar has always deserved his flowers. He has been the most underrated in the Big Three for years. It just so happens that, six months ago, he beautifully orchestrated the demise of Drake with the musical powers he already had.  

The whole hip hop world watched as Lamar dropped back-to-back lyrical masterpieces that effectively ended Drake’s career. I have already harped on Lamar’s success and Drake’s failures during the spring debacle enough, so I won’t waste more time on that here.  

Lamar’s wins at BET merely serve as a representation of pop culture’s sudden overwhelming support of K-Dot following the rap beef. I’m not saying that his songs from the squabble are not worthy of recognition, but I believe that other artists from 2024 deserve recognition, too.  

4Batz dropped his debut album “u made me a st4r” the night Lamar dropped “Not Like Us” on YouTube. The suspected industry plant Tweeted at Lamar, saying, “Can I get 24hrs at least?” I even completely forgot to listen to 4Batz’s tape until months later, and it became one of my favorite albums of the year.  

While 4Batz already blew up for “act ii. date @ 8” early in 2024, “u made me a st4r” was his chance to prove he would not go out as a one hit wonder. 4Batz had no idea Lamar was going to be dropping a double dose of disses that night. The anticipation hip hop spectators felt waiting to see what 4Batz was capable of quickly transferred to excitement over the beef. 

Drake-Kendrick Gate was undoubtedly the most exciting musical interaction of my time, but I also don’t believe this should have been the reason everyone suddenly loves Lamar. The songs were entertaining, but Lamar deserves respect outside of his Drake disses.  

Maybe it’s just because I have always been a huge Lamar fan. I have loved his music for most of my conscious listening life. I was bumping “good kid, m.A.A.d city” when I was in middle school. “DAMN.” took over my playlist in high school, and I still spin “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” once a month. 

I see Lamar’s songs from the rap beef as a highly publicized extension of what he’s been doing his entire career. K-Dot has always been lyrically gifted (seriously, listen to “Sing About Me, I’m Dying Of Thirst” and try not to cry). He has always made songs that mask serious conversations in impeccable flow on top of engaging beats. 

I want to see Lamar earn the respect he has always deserved, but maybe we should wait for his rumored upcoming album. Other artists are shining in 2024. Let’s not let Drake be the reason Lamar gets famous, nor let the rap beef overshadow the rest of the music this year.    

Graphic by Livi Davis.