Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
It was a real eureka moment. I finally understood what had happened. Let me go back — at first, I was confused. Drake looked out at a world full of people who were saying his very new and very mid album “For All the Dogs” was mid. Anthony Fontano gave it 5 out of 10 and called it “Another bloated head-scratcher.” NME called it “deeply mid.” I called it worse than mid. Pitchfork used the word “boring.” But when Joe Budden called it mid, just like everyone else, Drake turned into the Incredible Hulk. Budden did not stomp on the album like I did. He was respectful, even though he was disdainful, but only Budden got a long written retort on Drake’s IG. Why would Drake, one of the biggest artists in the world, take a break from enjoying his private jet to write a long, tired respond to a negative review from a podcaster who’s nowhere near Drake’s level of fame? And then I found out. That’s when I had that eureka moment.
Some angel online pointed out a 2019 Drake interview on Rap Radar where Drake said, “I used to rap like Budden back in the day like the way I used to try and get certain flows off.” That’s when I understood. Drake used to look up to Budden as an MC — when Drake was young, he tried to rhyme like him — so, of course, it would hurt to hear that guy diss Drake’s project. The long, petulant IG response — which boiled down to I succeeded in rap more than you and I have more money than you — felt defensive because…
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