In this bonus episode from an Instagram live conversation, we discuss the recent events in the hip hop world involving Kendrick Lamar's surprise album drop and Drake's unprecedented legal petitions against Universal Music Group and Spotify. We explore the implications for hip hop culture, the role of business in the music industry, and the broader impact on Black music culture. Plus, we touch on the historical context and future of hip hop.
Chapters
00:00 Intro Theme
00:16 Introduction and Thanksgiving Greetings
02:18 Kendrick Lamar's Surprise Album
03:02 Drake's Legal Maneuver Against Universal Music Group
06:18 Hip Hop Culture vs. Business
10:58 Drake's Privilege and Impact on Hip Hop
18:46 The Future of Hip Hop and Artist Independence
29:59 The Changing Values in Hip Hop
31:06 The Impact of Drake on Modern Hip Hop
32:50 The Role of Technology and Algorithms in Music
34:17 The Decline of Nuanced Rapping
37:20 The Consequences of Celebrity Culture
38:51 Reflections on Hip Hop's Future
41:53 The Importance of Preserving Hip Hop History
47:21 Thanksgiving Reflections and Farewell
50:49 Outro Theme
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00:00:16
DJ Sir Daniel: It's vacation time.
00:00:17
This holiday time, you know, we just decided to hop on here real quick.
00:00:22
Before everybody goes on vacation, because we're not doing a show
00:00:26
tomorrow, of course, it's Thanksgiving.
00:00:28
And so we just wanted to hop in, check in with everybody really quickly.
00:00:33
And just, um, touch base on the situation happening with Mr.
00:00:40
Kendrick Lamar and Mr.
00:00:43
Aubrey Graham, a.
00:00:44
k.
00:00:44
a.
00:00:44
Drake.
00:00:45
Shout out to Mr.
00:00:46
Alpete in the chat.
00:00:48
We see you, brother.
00:00:49
Thank you for checking in.
00:00:51
Um.
00:00:53
Yeah.
00:00:54
Uh, you want to let some more people in or you want to start chatting, start talking?
00:00:59
Jay Ray: No, things are happening.
00:01:01
So as long as folks are watching, as long as people are doing the thing,
00:01:06
um, we just really appreciate y'all for taking some time out as we, so in, in,
00:01:12
in full disclosure, so let's explain.
00:01:14
Um, I do want to explain what's happening here.
00:01:17
So the gold.
00:01:21
You know, IG is home.
00:01:23
Like, we love it here on Instagram.
00:01:25
We are here all the time.
00:01:27
And What's happening, Stephanie?
00:01:29
It is so good to see you.
00:01:32
Happy Thanksgiving.
00:01:34
Hopefully our show, by the way, was good for you when you was cooking yesterday.
00:01:38
Hopefully that, that did what you needed it to do.
00:01:41
Um, but we wanted to try.
00:01:44
So we've been granted access as cue points to go live on TikTok, which is
00:01:50
like way earlier than we should get it.
00:01:52
But we got to do all of this stuff before we go live.
00:01:55
The problem is one of the things.
00:01:57
We need is to be together and TikTok wants us to go live for a certain period
00:02:03
of time before it'll give us that.
00:02:05
So we gave it a shot, but I am just happy that we get a chance to wrap tonight, Sir
00:02:11
Daniel, because it has been a wild night.
00:02:16
Couple of days
00:02:18
DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah, I mean it was just last friday That kendrick, um pulled the
00:02:24
beyonce and dropped the surprise album Um entitled g and x And um, of course It's
00:02:34
all everybody I can talk about because one, it's slack and two, it's just,
00:02:43
you know, it's, it's Kendrick Lamar.
00:02:45
And he's
00:02:45
DJ Sir Daniel: going to give you a, a body of work.
00:02:48
He's going to give you, um, some raps to think about.
00:02:52
And like I said, there's going to be some bops on there as well.
00:02:56
So, um, since then, literally this week.
00:03:02
Drake has responded by filing several petitions against the parent
00:03:09
company, Universal Music Group.
00:03:13
This has, this is unprecedented and it has Yes, mustard.
00:03:23
It has a lot of implications and it has a lot of, um, um, it's probably
00:03:30
going to have a long lasting effect on hip hop and drape for that matter.
00:03:36
Jay Ray: Yes.
00:03:38
Um, so one of the things, you know, sir, Daniel, that I had to do is
00:03:42
I, Didn't know what a petition was.
00:03:45
So that was the first thing I had.
00:03:47
I was like, what does this mean?
00:03:48
Is this a lawsuit?
00:03:49
Right?
00:03:49
That's the first place my head went.
00:03:51
And then I looked, and then I, through my research, YouTube University,
00:03:56
it was like, no, no, no, no, no.
00:03:57
A petition is, um, a way, it's a legal maneuver to be able to gather information.
00:04:03
Um, so you file a petition so then you can get the information you need in
00:04:08
order, if you choose to file a petition.
00:04:11
Now.
00:04:14
Daniel, you're absolutely right.
00:04:16
I will tell you, so I'm sitting in two places with this.
00:04:19
Stuff can be two things.
00:04:20
This thing is like four things, actually.
00:04:22
Yeah.
00:04:23
But my first,
00:04:27
first visceral reaction was, this is the least hip hop thing I have ever seen.
00:04:35
I mean,
00:04:38
Drake, let's just call a thing a thing.
00:04:42
DJ Sir Daniel: Drake has really awesome.
00:04:47
All the implications about Drake being light skinned, and being of mixed
00:04:53
race, and having a Jewish parent are all being used against him right now.
00:05:01
Um, it is, like you said, the least hip hop thing that you could ever do.
00:05:07
There are so many implications of Drake's actions.
00:05:11
Actions on street culture right now by involving the legal system.
00:05:16
First things first, the number one rule of street life is no snitching.
00:05:25
This might be, even though this is, he's not necessarily snitching
00:05:31
on Kendrick, there's still some dry snitching involved, right?
00:05:38
Yes.
00:05:39
Yeah, and there's and that's like you said that's like the least hip hop thing you
00:05:44
can do people are calling him a karen um It's just there are this is going to be
00:05:50
so many long lasting effects on his on his persona on his um Reputation in the
00:05:58
rap world that I don't think I don't know One of the questions we're asking is is he
00:06:05
going to be able to come back from this?
00:06:09
Jay Ray: I have I do want to think I do want to I do want to answer that I do
00:06:17
Get there.
00:06:18
I do want to answer that So well, here's what's been sitting with me sir, daniel,
00:06:23
especially over the last couple of days So i've been telling sir daniel i've
00:06:27
been really taking in just like a lot of different content because I also
00:06:32
wanted to Not let my knee jerk reaction Of this not being hip hop be like where
00:06:39
I stopped at this You Here is where I blame pop's, um, commercial rise.
00:06:51
Now this is, now I'm blaming hip hop for this.
00:06:54
So what has essentially happened is hip hop Is a commercial entity, right?
00:07:06
It is a business.
00:07:08
We have turned it into a business.
00:07:10
The reason why Drake exists in the way that he exists is because of the.
00:07:16
Business of hip hop, right?
00:07:18
He doesn't have to be from the culture He only has to exist in it and be
00:07:24
allowed to move within it In order to be a successful artist so The reason why
00:07:33
this has happened is because We stopped
00:07:40
The culture stopped being the important thing.
00:07:44
The business became the important thing.
00:07:48
Right.
00:07:49
So there's uh, mark saying it in the chat.
00:07:53
Right?
00:07:54
Um, oh, mark is tuning in.
00:07:56
Oh, mark is on a plane
00:07:57
DJ Sir Daniel: sends travel.
00:07:59
Thank you.
00:07:59
Thanks.
00:08:00
Thanks for tuning in on
00:08:01
Jay Ray: a plane.
00:08:01
DJ Sir Daniel: Thank you.
00:08:02
They're traveling and they're, you know, safe travels to you, mark.
00:08:06
Yes.
00:08:06
And I hope that you get to your destination safely.
00:08:09
Thank you for taking us with
00:08:11
Jay Ray: you
00:08:11
DJ Sir Daniel: But I think what you're getting at j ray
00:08:14
is like this is You're right.
00:08:18
The culture, the commodity that has become, has created an environment
00:08:24
where, um, getting your lawyers involved and, um, is a thing.
00:08:32
Now, like you said, though, there are two things can be correct at the same
00:08:36
time, can be true at the same time.
00:08:39
There is, people are talking about that.
00:08:41
Um, the, he, he can sue because of the, um, I guess the defamation
00:08:52
part of some of those lyrics.
00:08:55
That's open, I don't, you know, other rappers, I've heard rappers say really
00:09:03
disgusting things about each other before.
00:09:06
And nobody has brought a lawsuit.
00:09:09
Jay Ray: So here's the thing, but here's the thing.
00:09:12
This is probably why I'm gonna use the I statement.
00:09:15
This is probably why I'm not worth like 500 million.
00:09:19
Drake is like, see what happened was my business got impacted.
00:09:27
Now you in my pockets.
00:09:29
So I don't give a, I don't give a damn about hip hop culture.
00:09:34
What the legacy of battle rapping is universal music group.
00:09:40
You should have protected me, your commodity.
00:09:47
And I want to know what happened because I'm trying to get to the
00:09:53
bottom of how did y'all let me and my business get damaged, right?
00:10:02
That right there is.
00:10:04
Stuff can be two things.
00:10:05
I'm like, as a business person, I completely get that
00:10:12
sentiment of wanting to do it.
00:10:16
And, at the same time, sometimes, I would think you gotta take hip hop,
00:10:24
you just gotta take one for the team.
00:10:25
You just gotta take this L because you are part of hip hop culture and the
00:10:31
code up until this point of hip hop has been, this is not the way we do things.
00:10:40
However, so to go back to your question that you asked,
00:10:45
I think I, I would have said.
00:10:48
No, it's not possible for him to come back from this.
00:10:52
Do I think hip hop will ever Do I think hip hop as a culture
00:10:56
will ever take Drake seriously?
00:10:58
No, but I think there are a bunch of Drake fans that don't give
00:11:01
a damn about hip hop anyway.
00:11:03
So it doesn't matter.
00:11:06
DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah, there's just so much what I'm struggling with the
00:11:12
challenge that I'm having is with the hypocrisy of a lot of people that are
00:11:18
involving themselves in this situation.
00:11:22
Um, like in one breath, you can have someone like a Drake who, when will use.
00:11:33
lyrics as evidence of defamation in his court trial, right?
00:11:40
But On the same hand, Drake was screaming Free Thug, free thug, uh, during the
00:11:48
whole YYSL trial, when YS L's lyrics were being used against them in Rico,
00:11:56
in, um, in Rico, charges and charges of, of, uh, uh, uh, of, um, um, conspiracy.
00:12:03
Mm-hmm.
00:12:04
and gang activity, so on and so forth.
00:12:07
So it's like you can't have it both ways.
00:12:10
Are you, are you saying don't use rap lyrics against me,
00:12:15
this is freedom of speech?
00:12:17
Or, no, this went too far.
00:12:21
You call me a pedophile.
00:12:23
And now this is affecting my business.
00:12:25
This is too much.
00:12:26
I can't deal with this.
00:12:28
Whichever.
00:12:30
Jay Ray: I think it is.
00:12:33
I think it's both.
00:12:34
I think at the end of the day, if Donald Trump has proven nothing, Donald Trump
00:12:40
has proven that you only have to be about the thing that you're about at
00:12:45
the time that you about it, if you're not about that thing tomorrow, you
00:12:49
could just not be about that right now.
00:12:52
Drake has, is making the argument that I don't care nothing about hip hop code.
00:12:59
I don't care nothing about that.
00:13:00
I am a business.
00:13:02
This, these lyrics.
00:13:05
This affected me.
00:13:06
They absolutely can be used in my situation.
00:13:10
Free thugger all day.
00:13:12
Right.
00:13:12
Free YSL all day.
00:13:15
I don't care what's happening over there.
00:13:18
But what's happening over here is I'm going to use these lyrics because
00:13:23
my business is impacted by it.
00:13:26
Now, here's the other thing that's so crazy.
00:13:29
Drake don't even, Drake don't even need the money,
00:13:34
DJ Sir Daniel: you know, and one can argue that he is set for life and legit.
00:13:40
He is, he came, he did his big one.
00:13:45
He got, um, He got ridiculously wealthy off of this culture.
00:13:53
Yes.
00:13:55
You know, one could say the same thing about, um, someone like, uh, M.
00:14:01
C.
00:14:01
Hammer, who came along even though M.
00:14:04
C.
00:14:04
Hammer was not part of a huge diss war, but Hammered was a butt of jokes,
00:14:12
a butt of a lot of hip hop jokes and punchlines, so much to the fact, so much
00:14:16
to the point where he didn't participate, he doesn't participate in anything
00:14:22
hip hop related anymore because he was not respected and, um, and embraced.
00:14:28
While he was a while he was actively in the hip hop arena.
00:14:33
Jay Ray: Mm hmm,
00:14:34
DJ Sir Daniel: but he made a lot of money I don't know how much of it was
00:14:37
kept but he made a lot of money and the argument can be well He got his money.
00:14:43
He did his big one and had now he's out He's still comfortable the
00:14:47
same thing could be said for people like a young emcee Who a lot of
00:14:53
people then didn't take seriously?
00:14:55
As a hip hop artist, got his money and it's still living comfortably, sir.
00:15:02
Mix a lot, sir.
00:15:03
Mix a lot to give a damn about, you know, whether he was the
00:15:09
realist or the hardest lyrics, sir.
00:15:10
Mix a lot is a good jillionaire and we'll continue to make money hand over
00:15:16
fist because of his business acumen, uh, but we'll continue to do so because of.
00:15:24
His contribution to the to the culture and I don't think you don't see him suing
00:15:30
anyone or saying, you know, y'all didn't treat me well or You know, I don't think
00:15:36
it was to take it to the extent that it was but he's not doing that There's
00:15:40
lots of people who have come and gone in hip hop who have certain levels of
00:15:46
respect that were, you know Garner during their tenure in rap music And they made
00:15:51
their money and they peacefully exited I don't see what is keeping drake from
00:15:58
doing the same thing from Peacefully saying you know what y'all got got me
00:16:05
Y'all um, i'm the i'm the bad guy here Y'all don't appreciate me right now.
00:16:12
I'm just gonna step back i'm gonna take Care of my child.
00:16:16
Um, I'm going to, you know, still run these businesses on the low and still
00:16:22
collect money in the next 10 years when y'all want to have some type of reunion
00:16:28
or have some type of celebration.
00:16:31
And, and, and like it always does, it comes back around.
00:16:34
Hey, you know what?
00:16:35
That Drake guy wasn't that bad.
00:16:37
Let's celebrate Drake.
00:16:39
When you want to call me for that kind of show and you want me to
00:16:41
show up, I may or may not show up.
00:16:44
But right now, that's that.
00:16:47
Sir
00:16:47
Jay Ray: Daniel, I actually obviously don't know if this is true, but I
00:16:55
think that that is what this is.
00:16:59
I actually think this is Drake.
00:17:01
This is Drake's way of being like, I'm going to burn Some
00:17:07
stuff down on the way out.
00:17:11
I lost this bat mercilessly lost this battle.
00:17:14
Right.
00:17:15
My name as far as like a hip hop artist is in the mud.
00:17:21
I can't do that anymore.
00:17:23
So what I'm Going to do is I am going to get everything that's coming to
00:17:30
me from universal and spotify And I heart i'ma dig deep in them pockets
00:17:39
Because all three of them should Have protected me, but since they didn't, I'm
00:17:44
gonna get up in their pockets and I'm
00:17:46
DJ Sir Daniel: gone.
00:17:48
Well, you know what, what I'm seeing people say is that the reason why he is
00:17:57
going specifically after Universal and, and, and naming bot as the main enemy
00:18:04
here is because he knows that they've used that in his favor in the past.
00:18:11
So what he's saying is, Okay, I'm just gonna lift up the
00:18:15
skirt on this whole operation.
00:18:17
And if I gotta go down, Y'all gotta go down too.
00:18:21
Which is, you know, I'm kinda not mad at it.
00:18:26
Cuz I get it.
00:18:27
It's like, oh, okay, so, So y'all wanna play, do this?
00:18:31
Well, let's just, everybody's gonna, nobody's gonna eat.
00:18:34
Nobody Nobody And so, you know, I it's petty and I kind of get it.
00:18:42
That's some scorpio There's really some scorpio nonsense right there.
00:18:46
And um, but I think what we'll see though Is what this is going to do is
00:18:51
it's going to force artists to really?
00:18:55
They have to step their game up and not rely on a machine Yes.
00:19:02
To to, to propel them, to the forefront Your music is or is going to have
00:19:08
to organically take you places.
00:19:11
And I think that's something that where a lot of people might be scared about.
00:19:19
Jay Ray: I, I also think the other thing, sir Daniel, is yes to that.
00:19:27
I think the artist,
00:19:31
the true artist.
00:19:33
are not necessarily focused on the commercial side of it.
00:19:37
We'll do that.
00:19:38
Right.
00:19:39
We'll be like, okay.
00:19:40
Um, I think those are This will actually say, well, what's the
00:19:44
point of the label for real now?
00:19:46
Like if, if I really got to do all of this stuff to build this audience
00:19:52
and y'all can't do the push of the button thing that you used to be
00:19:57
able to do to make it happen for me, why do, why do I need y'all?
00:20:01
I don't really need y'all.
00:20:03
So I think that that's a thing that's could be scary for the industry.
00:20:08
Yes.
00:20:10
I think also that
00:20:14
For the record labels, it
00:20:20
The music business is built on payola.
00:20:25
It just is.
00:20:27
We know that it is.
00:20:28
It's part of the game.
00:20:30
It's been part of the game.
00:20:32
So the question is, what's, what's, what's left?
00:20:37
You know what I mean?
00:20:38
If, if at the end of the day, this thing that this house was built on, which
00:20:44
was a house, which was a house of cards anyway, that was like bound to fall over
00:20:49
at some point, what's If this house of cards that this thing is built on, like,
00:20:54
tips over because of Drake, who has a lot of money and resources and time, right,
00:21:01
to figure this thing out, what's left?
00:21:06
I used to think, like, yo, these dudes are, like, really, really
00:21:10
powerful and whatever, whatever.
00:21:12
But Drake is huge.
00:21:15
DJ Sir Daniel: Uh, What I keep going back to and thinking about is that these
00:21:23
were the things that people were, the accusations that people were making
00:21:29
against him was one that You're not tough.
00:21:34
You're not a tough guy.
00:21:36
You're not a tough guy.
00:21:38
You're not built for, you're not built for the street side of things.
00:21:44
And you're, and you're really not like that as an MC.
00:21:49
I think you're like that as a performer.
00:21:54
Um, you have surrounded yourself with some really dope writers and you just, in the
00:22:00
past, you happen to have had opponents who did not have the same, the same type
00:22:06
of star appeal that you have, like it.
00:22:10
When I think about what happened between him and meek Meek was bound to lose that
00:22:15
because meat does not have that gravitas that drake has let's be clear Meek was
00:22:21
you know, meek was kind of corny, you know, you had the whole thing Uh with his
00:22:26
relationship with mickey minaj working against him at the same time all of that
00:22:31
stuff was happening So that was bound to go against meek and that was bound
00:22:36
to go in drake's favor And drake, yes.
00:22:39
Um Mark Drake is a pop artist, and so he's got his pop, masquerading as
00:22:46
Jay Ray: a, masquerading as a rapper.
00:22:48
DJ Sir Daniel: Exactly.
00:22:49
So he's got his pop audience and he can go play over there.
00:22:53
He really truly is operating in a priv, in a, in a privilege
00:22:58
that a lot of people don't have.
00:23:01
And I think what people don't realize is when we talk about what white
00:23:05
privilege is, it's In America, this is an example of what white privilege is.
00:23:14
And you know, yes, Drake is black because he has a black father.
00:23:19
And he uses that to his advantage when he wants to.
00:23:24
But when he, but when it all boils down to it, he has a privilege because of
00:23:30
his mixed heritage, his complexion.
00:23:34
All of that stuff he uses to his advantage and I'm not falsing him for that, you
00:23:39
know, if you have it Use it if it's in your toolbox You may as well use it But
00:23:45
I think what people have been trying to say and what people a lot of rap artists
00:23:51
like, um, Yassine bae Um, uh little kim all of these dmx rest in peace All of them
00:23:59
have been saying this guy is dangerous to the actual culture of hip hop.
00:24:07
He is not hip hop.
00:24:10
You,
00:24:11
Jay Ray: I want to throw, I want to throw the, uh, something at you like
00:24:15
you just, you preached up there.
00:24:18
Shout out
00:24:18
DJ Sir Daniel: to Dr.
00:24:19
Ed too.
00:24:20
Jay Ray: Shout out to Dr.
00:24:21
Eric Garns, the psychological wage of whiteness that Du Bois talked about.
00:24:26
Drake is the rare artist
00:24:33
in hip hop that can literally leave it behind and walk into something else.
00:24:42
Yeah.
00:24:43
Offset can't do that.
00:24:45
Nope.
00:24:46
With other Kendrick Lamar can't do that.
00:24:51
You can't leave the, the, the, the blackness of hip hop behind and go and
00:24:59
make a rock album in the same sort of way.
00:25:04
I do think to that point, I do think Drake was.
00:25:09
Um, uh, with the Nevermind album, the house album.
00:25:13
I always said, and I think I said it on the show, that Drake was, this was
00:25:17
like a test to see what was possible.
00:25:20
For him outside of hip hop.
00:25:22
He threw some hip hop at the end there and was like, okay Y'all
00:25:26
apparently still want me to be hip hop.
00:25:28
So i'ma keep being hip hop right now But I I truly believe you are absolutely
00:25:33
correct This is what those people were talking about that folks weren't paying
00:25:38
attention to they were like nah this dude right here though Is something
00:25:43
else And we can't let this happen, but the problem is, hip hop is so big
00:25:50
business today, and it was already happening in the 80s and the 90s, y'all.
00:25:58
This is not new.
00:26:00
Drake is just the ultimate manifestation of what hip hop was going to be.
00:26:08
DJ Sir Daniel: There is no difference between Drake and Kid Rock.
00:26:14
Vanilla Ice, The Beastie Boys, Um, Justin Timberlake, there's no difference
00:26:23
between Jack Harlow, there's no difference between him and those people.
00:26:28
The only difference between them and them is that he got a black daddy.
00:26:32
Yep.
00:26:32
But, and, but they've been able to, like you said, they can, they came, they cherry
00:26:38
picked what they wanted from the culture.
00:26:41
They reap the benefits.
00:26:43
Uh, Mark Wahlberg, all of them, they came and they can go and the list goes
00:26:50
on and it just makes me, you know, when you hear people talking about policing
00:26:55
and gatekeeping, the culture, you know, at first it sounded like, oh, you
00:27:01
know, we're being too, um, We're being paranoid, you know, it's okay, you know,
00:27:07
hip hop is about is a universal culture.
00:27:10
It belongs to the world now and blah, blah, blah.
00:27:13
But this is a prime example of what happens when we stop
00:27:19
vetting people in a sense.
00:27:22
Jay Ray: And we
00:27:23
DJ Sir Daniel: started letting, you know, business Trump the art side of
00:27:29
the music of hip hop culture of rap music when that business took over
00:27:35
and became more important than the actual art and the actual culture.
00:27:41
It was a done.
00:27:42
It was a done data because I'm telling you right now.
00:27:46
And those and on the battle circuit j ray prime example
00:27:53
Remy ma Was standing at her own.
00:27:57
She was on the sideline at her own chrome 23 I believe it wasn't one
00:28:01
of her own chrome 23 battles And two mcs were battling And used her And
00:28:09
accused her of cheating on her husband during their battle, and she had to
00:28:15
stand by the sideline, ice grill, and not have a reaction, because
00:28:21
that's what the battle called for.
00:28:24
And to this day, she has not said anything or addressed anything
00:28:31
with regards to her marriage.
00:28:32
But that happened.
00:28:35
She didn't call up an attorney.
00:28:37
She said, I'm not going to call y'all for libel, for accusing me of
00:28:42
being an adulteress, and accusing me of stepping out of my marriage.
00:28:47
Nah, that was part, that was part of the battle.
00:28:50
That was part of the hip hop.
00:28:52
Can you imagine if Foxy Brown and, and Foxy Brown sent
00:28:58
Lil Kim a cease and desist?
00:29:02
Can you imagine?
00:29:03
Can you imagine?
00:29:05
Now, would they, well, let's take it to big and pot, would they still be alive?
00:29:09
Jay Ray: We don't
00:29:10
DJ Sir Daniel: know.
00:29:10
So
00:29:11
Jay Ray: here's the thing.
00:29:15
I think that there are elements Of hip hop culture that we can certainly
00:29:25
critique and certainly can be revised I I think that Battling makes you if you
00:29:37
care makes you a better emcee, right?
00:29:41
If you take the battle seriously You lose one you win the next one right
00:29:46
because you study you get better You figure it out you move on because
00:29:53
It you It used to be true that everybody wanted to be the best emcee.
00:29:59
That was the most important thing.
00:30:01
Am I respected?
00:30:02
Do people think I'm nice?
00:30:04
You know what I'm saying?
00:30:05
Like, that was important.
00:30:09
It's, that's not the thing now.
00:30:12
That's not the thing.
00:30:13
No one cares if you nice.
00:30:15
Nobody cares if you write your own stuff.
00:30:18
I mean, which has never really been a, been a thing.
00:30:21
None of the people really wrote.
00:30:22
But, but it's just not a thing.
00:30:26
People don't care if you nice or not anymore.
00:30:27
So to your point, one, I I can't imagine.
00:30:32
Two, there are instances where we wish the battles didn't go that far, right?
00:30:39
The battle went too far.
00:30:41
Big and Pac are a perfect example.
00:30:43
And there are other examples.
00:30:45
Um, but, at the same time, time.
00:30:49
Um, you can, those folks in their time, I'm sure it wasn't even a thought like,
00:30:59
because it's like, no, no, no hip hop.
00:31:01
We are hip hop culture.
00:31:02
That's not what hip hop culture is.
00:31:06
Now what Drake is showing us is this is hip hop now.
00:31:12
This is it.
00:31:14
This is it.
00:31:15
And I'm sure, I'm sure, I want to know what Karis one has to say.
00:31:21
I'm sure he's like, I've been seeing This is what's been happening.
00:31:25
This is what's been
00:31:26
DJ Sir Daniel: happening.
00:31:26
And you know what?
00:31:29
People like Terrence Robertson probably have been warning us for
00:31:33
years about hip hop becoming this.
00:31:38
This.
00:31:39
This is hip hop.
00:31:41
Jay Ray: Do we want that?
00:31:43
So, is this hip hop?
00:31:45
Sir Daniel, this is not, I don't love that, right?
00:31:49
I'm like, if I could take one thing and be like, okay, this part of the culture, like
00:31:54
that is not the culture I signed up for.
00:31:57
Well, the culture where we call the, the law on each other.
00:32:04
DJ Sir Daniel: No, because it's because of words.
00:32:07
I don't know the,
00:32:14
I,
00:32:17
it's, it's really bewildering to me.
00:32:21
Like I, some people are like, no, he's well within his rights.
00:32:25
You know, this is, um, you know, the calling somebody a pedophile
00:32:29
that's, you know, that's defamation of character and that's going to
00:32:32
affect him throughout his life.
00:32:35
Is it though?
00:32:37
Has an investigation been opened up on him?
00:32:42
Like, no.
00:32:44
Jay Ray: There's nothing legal happening around this?
00:32:47
Like, it was a, it was a rap battle.
00:32:49
DJ Sir Daniel: It was a rap.
00:32:50
The only thing, again, the only thing that this is drawing question to, and
00:32:56
this is because he wants to burn, he's feeling like, if I can't live in this
00:33:01
house, I'm going to burn the whole thing down, is The is universal music group
00:33:06
being exposed for using that technology to force people To hear things and and
00:33:14
to stream things even if they didn't want to and that's why We continue we continue
00:33:20
to purchase Um, uh, uh, uh, we continue to purchase music and continue to have
00:33:27
like, um, solid and, um, what's the word I'm looking for a tangible, tangible art.
00:33:35
We continue to use that to show that, Hey, I like this.
00:33:39
I'm supporting it with my money and I can play it when and wherever I want to.
00:33:44
I'm not allowing your algorithm to pick stuff for me.
00:33:48
Yes.
00:33:49
And yet maybe we're dinosaurs and.
00:33:52
That's why we're not being affected by this, but he is, he's
00:33:56
really just burning down a system that has co opted the culture.
00:34:01
And who knows that might work out for the culture in the long run.
00:34:05
Maybe this will force the, maybe this will force artists to really not rely on.
00:34:13
The technology and the algorithms to get their music to the masses.
00:34:17
Um, but I was also going to say with regards to, um, where we are as a culture,
00:34:29
I, another thing that this brings light to is what I've always been saying
00:34:35
a lot of people now, rappers are.
00:34:38
Nobody's rapping.
00:34:40
Nobody's um, listening.
00:34:44
Nobody's listening to understand.
00:34:48
People are just saying stuff because they want to be right.
00:34:51
And I call it the disease to be right.
00:34:57
When you You want to be right so bad, you're going to say and say
00:35:02
anything and not listen and not try to listen with understanding.
00:35:06
There's nobody listening with nuance anymore.
00:35:08
Nobody's rapping with nuance anymore.
00:35:11
It's just how it is.
00:35:14
And, um, um, I don't know.
00:35:16
I just really think that this is, this is kind of a wake up
00:35:19
call for what we've been seeing.
00:35:25
And to think this.
00:35:27
All came about I think this really the knife was turned when Probably when
00:35:33
kendrick was offered the super bowl performing that was And it was like oh so
00:35:40
y'all can reward him he's being rewarded For being for being the better rapper jray
00:35:49
Make the Stanley went to court, had to go to court, not because she pressed charges.
00:35:55
She went to court because the state picked up charges.
00:35:58
Yep.
00:36:00
Diddy is trying to get bail because the state picked up charges.
00:36:07
There are legit victims that are pressing charges because actual
00:36:13
things happen to their person.
00:36:15
Yes.
00:36:15
Their bodies were violated.
00:36:18
Their livelihoods were violated.
00:36:19
We're violated.
00:36:20
We're still talking about a war of words here.
00:36:25
And for, and again, no, these are just petitions.
00:36:30
These are just petitions.
00:36:36
They're not lawsuits, but still everybody is like, yo, Karen, you just call
00:36:42
nine one work on the whole culture.
00:36:47
Jay Ray: This rapper guy,
00:36:50
DJ Sir Daniel: he's, he said, he set up a, they've set up a
00:36:54
barbecue outside on the lawn and.
00:36:58
Like, they're crip walking, and I don't understand what is going on.
00:37:02
I'm feeling really unsafe.
00:37:04
I need somebody to come by here and, like, get them in order,
00:37:08
because this is not right.
00:37:12
Jay Ray: It but what's but what this also says, too
00:37:18
This says a lot.
00:37:20
Drake had to know that this was going to be the perception that
00:37:25
people had, and he still said, I don't give a damn about none of that.
00:37:30
Run, do this petition, because these people to run me my money.
00:37:34
That right there is like, wow, you actually knew how
00:37:40
people would react to this.
00:37:43
It's rolled them dice anyway, because, and I truly believe this.
00:37:50
I truly believe he was like, they black, I don't care what these
00:37:54
black folks is talking about anyway.
00:37:57
Like, it's okay.
00:37:58
I don't need them.
00:38:00
DJ Sir Daniel: Um, and it, and it lets me know that he truly, I don't think
00:38:05
he celebrates the culture of hip hop.
00:38:09
I don't think he celebrates that or he's trying to preserve that.
00:38:13
I think he's, he's trying to preserve celebrity.
00:38:17
That's what's important to him.
00:38:19
Celebrity.
00:38:21
Celebrity is what's important to him.
00:38:23
Celebrity keeps the lights on.
00:38:25
Celebrity will, um, keep his child in private school for the rest of his life.
00:38:33
Celebrity will create that lifestyle that he's always wanted.
00:38:39
And that's that.
00:38:40
Damn, this culture thing, huh.
00:38:44
You know, you're cheesing me dog.
00:38:47
I don't care about that.
00:38:48
I don't care about that culture dog so
00:38:51
Jay Ray: Sir, daniel, then the the question is question it and yeah
00:39:00
do what's next for hip hop like this truly is like Change this could change
00:39:13
everything because if this first of all the inkling of these petitions
00:39:20
is We'll have rappers on edge because they will be like, I don't want
00:39:24
nobody else doing no petition on me.
00:39:27
So battles will look real different, right?
00:39:32
For better or for worse.
00:39:34
That, but also just the idea of like, yo, we are now at the point
00:39:41
where the culture don't matter.
00:39:45
Is there a way back?
00:39:48
Is there I
00:39:57
don't think there's a way to
00:39:58
DJ Sir Daniel: go back for anything because we don't have time machines.
00:40:03
We can't go back.
00:40:04
Only thing we can do is we can go forward.
00:40:07
I think what will have to happen is we will have to have,
00:40:12
Jay Ray: um,
00:40:16
DJ Sir Daniel: there will have to be implicit and intentional movements like
00:40:22
QPoints podcast that will Celebrate and make space for people who want
00:40:31
to who still who want to do things in a traditional manner or who even
00:40:36
push the culture forward and push the art forward, there'll be room.
00:40:42
We have to create platforms for them.
00:40:45
You got to create.
00:40:47
Um, yeah, we got to Create ways that they can be celebrated and that
00:40:53
we use the technology that we do have to share it around the world.
00:40:58
But as far as going back to the way things used to be, that's not going to happen.
00:41:05
It's not going to happen.
00:41:07
We have to just be really serious about moving forward
00:41:12
and doing a little gatekeeping.
00:41:15
Thank you.
00:41:15
And being intentional about who participates in this, you know, you know,
00:41:26
I've been saying it on this podcast.
00:41:28
We're going to stop with these cookout invites.
00:41:31
No, it's a little too loosey goosey with the cookout invites.
00:41:34
2025,
00:41:36
Jay Ray: just no.
00:41:37
No, none of them can come.
00:41:39
Period.
00:41:40
Okay.
00:41:41
None of them can come.
00:41:42
This is family only in 2025.
00:41:45
Right.
00:41:45
No new friends.
00:41:46
Right.
00:41:47
In 2025.
00:41:49
Exactly.
00:41:51
And, and I, I'm, I'm with you.
00:41:53
I think one of the things that I, I'm feeling really passionate about
00:41:58
in this moment too, is rekindling the love for our history, you know?
00:42:08
History is so rich and it's so important and it used to matter so much it
00:42:17
used to matter and I want to get us to the point where people care about
00:42:24
knowing what shoulders they stand on.
00:42:27
For nothing else than to Feel better about the stuff that you do.
00:42:35
I just think folks just don't care like we used to.
00:42:40
And if there's one thing that we can do, I can do.
00:42:44
If there's one thing that I can do, and I'm hoping that we can do at
00:42:48
QPoints, is just rekindle that spark of like, nah, nah, nah, this matters.
00:42:54
This history matters.
00:42:56
The lineage matters.
00:42:57
In which you stand really does matter so you make different decisions I feel
00:43:03
like drake could have chose a whole bunch of um ways to do things Um,
00:43:11
this is the way he chose and that's it's whatever it's his business not
00:43:14
ours Um, but at the end of the day, um
00:43:21
man This yeah, it's it's It's whack to me.
00:43:26
That's all, that's it.
00:43:28
Uh, yo, it's just whack to me.
00:43:31
Yeah.
00:43:32
I hope you get, I hope you get all the money you want.
00:43:36
DJ Sir Daniel: I hope you get what you, you wanted.
00:43:38
Um,
00:43:41
uh, and, uh, you know, go with God.
00:43:44
Jay Ray: Go.
00:43:44
Go
00:43:46
DJ Sir Daniel: with God, you know, people and people are still going to,
00:43:51
people are going to continue bumping.
00:43:53
Um, Kendrick Lamar, people are going to continue still continue bumping.
00:44:00
Um, Drake.
00:44:03
Right now, it's just not popular.
00:44:05
That's the thing that I, that gets me is he could have just sat it out
00:44:10
and waited till he became popular again, which with the attentions,
00:44:14
with the collective attention span that we have, he would have been back.
00:44:19
His redemption story could have, his redemption tour could have started at
00:44:24
the top of 2025 and by summer 2025, he would have been back on tour, he would
00:44:31
have had a new album, all would have been right with the world, and nobody
00:44:35
would have been, um, the worst for it.
00:44:39
Jay Ray: He literally could have done that.
00:44:41
Like, you know what, Kendrick is a businessman too.
00:44:43
He could have called up Kendrick and be like, look homie, you won that thing.
00:44:47
Me and you, let's hop on a joint, da da da da da, let's do
00:44:51
the thing, whatever, whatever.
00:44:53
There could've been a whole, and you are absolutely right,
00:44:56
Drake would've been back on top.
00:44:59
DJ Sir Daniel: It could've been a whole, um, it could've been
00:45:01
another Nas and Hov moment.
00:45:03
Jay Ray: Absolutely.
00:45:05
DJ Sir Daniel: They, right now, this is their summer jam screen.
00:45:09
This is their summer jam.
00:45:11
But they could've, they could've had a moment where they both came
00:45:14
out in their tuxedos, high fiving.
00:45:21
Doing the pole nine,
00:45:21
Jay Ray: the big three, big three, just do the big three.
00:45:24
Drake, j Cole, Kendrick 2025.
00:45:29
It would've went crazy.
00:45:31
DJ Sir Daniel: Pusha T wouldn't have had none of that.
00:45:34
Pusha T would still be like, Nah, I ain't.
00:45:36
I'm still not fucking with that.
00:45:38
But, but I think it could have been, it could have been Kendrick and Drake
00:45:44
having a whole Jay Z and Nas moment.
00:45:48
Um, yeah.
00:45:50
For the culture, you guys have to, and then you guys have to really
00:45:56
decide, um, create boundaries.
00:46:01
Like, if you want, like, the same way there's a street code, there
00:46:05
could be a bound, a code or a boundary when it comes to these raps.
00:46:09
Now, if you feel like, um, Anything is, you know, is on the table and you can
00:46:16
say anything, you can say anything and you've got to be ready to understand
00:46:20
the same thing can happen to you.
00:46:22
It's just part of it.
00:46:25
But if you don't want to participate in that, don't participate in it.
00:46:29
Jay Ray: Our brother J Cole got so much flack for bowing out
00:46:33
and he literally said, you know what, I'm not going to do that.
00:46:37
DJ Sir Daniel: He said,
00:46:40
Oh no, my brother.
00:46:41
No,
00:46:42
Jay Ray: my brother.
00:46:43
You
00:46:44
DJ Sir Daniel: got to get your own.
00:46:46
He saw it.
00:46:49
He saw what he, I think Cole saw what, what could have happened.
00:46:53
It was like, you know what?
00:46:56
No, I, at least I'm not going to be involved in
00:47:00
Jay Ray: it.
00:47:00
DJ Sir Daniel: So it's just,
00:47:02
Jay Ray: let's send some love to Stephanie.
00:47:04
It looks like she got a kitchen sink thing happening.
00:47:06
We so sorry, sis.
00:47:08
We got to get fixed.
00:47:10
It's thanksgiving eve.
00:47:11
We need you to finish that meal.
00:47:13
Oh, no.
00:47:14
Yeah Yes, so sorry.
00:47:16
Sending you some love, Stephanie.
00:47:19
Um, oh my God.
00:47:21
Uh, Sir Daniel, I'm glad we hopped on IG and just rapped.
00:47:26
See how we, see how we did this for easily like an hour?
00:47:29
I knew we had a lot to talk about with this one.
00:47:33
DJ Sir Daniel: You know, and it's, you know, it's for a
00:47:36
handful of our people that get it.
00:47:38
That understand, um, we thank you for tuning in.
00:47:42
We thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving Eve with us.
00:47:46
Like I said, we, you know, we know everybody's going to be busy tomorrow.
00:47:50
Tomorrow's about family.
00:47:52
Um, hopefully this doesn't.
00:47:55
Take over the conversation at the
00:47:58
Jay Ray: table.
00:47:58
DJ Sir Daniel: It's just with politics.
00:48:01
Don't bring up politics.
00:48:03
Don't bring up the election and don't bring up Drake and Kendrick
00:48:06
Lamar at the table because it's gonna, it's gonna cause turmoil.
00:48:10
So,
00:48:12
Leave that out of the Thanksgiving conversation tomorrow, y'all.
00:48:17
QPoints, we did the talking for you.
00:48:19
We know that all the other podcasts have been talking about it ad nauseum.
00:48:23
We're the only ones that actually made sense.
00:48:25
But yeah, just keep it going.
00:48:29
Jay Ray: Oh my God.
00:48:30
Come on, and we're wrapping just as Mark is landing.
00:48:34
DJ Sir Daniel: See?
00:48:34
Thank
00:48:34
Jay Ray: you, Mark.
00:48:35
DJ Sir Daniel: The perfect way to, um, to suspend your flight.
00:48:41
Jay Ray: Y'all, listen, thank you so much for hanging out, and Sir
00:48:45
Daniel, I'll talk to you, but enjoy your Thanksgiving, Sir Daniel.
00:48:49
DJ Sir Daniel: You do the same.
00:48:51
Um, love on your family for me.
00:48:54
Um, enjoy the food.
00:48:56
I know we've got, we've got a house, a house full right now.
00:49:01
Jay Ray: Yes, love on your family too, man.
00:49:04
DJ Sir Daniel: So, and be safe.
00:49:06
Jay Ray: Yes.
00:49:06
DJ Sir Daniel: Everybody, not just Jerry, everybody watching
00:49:09
right now, y'all please be safe.
00:49:11
With each other, um, and love on each other and just, you know, experience what
00:49:17
this holiday is supposed to be about.
00:49:20
And, um, we will see you on the next go around.
00:49:22
It's like, you know what to do.
00:49:24
You already follow QPoints.
00:49:27
You know how to get to, um, It's magazine.
00:49:30
cuepoints.
00:49:31
com.
00:49:32
Absolutely.
00:49:34
Magazine.
00:49:35
cuepoints.
00:49:36
com.
00:49:37
Um, J.
00:49:38
Ray has worked so hard on that newsletter, that sub stack, it
00:49:41
looks beautiful, it's perfection.
00:49:44
If you need something to read on your flight back home, make sure you
00:49:47
subscribe to that and take it with you.
00:49:50
That's magazine.
00:49:51
cuepoints.
00:49:52
com.
00:49:56
And of course, we're here on Instagram at QPointsPod.
00:50:01
And the same thing for our website, QPoints.
00:50:03
com.
00:50:05
And um, well, I think I just did your, your job.
00:50:08
You did, but it's all good.
00:50:09
I completely walked over your script.
00:50:10
Jay Ray: It's fine.
00:50:11
It is absolutely fine.
00:50:13
It is the holiday.
00:50:14
Um, so I'll do your ending.
00:50:17
Please.
00:50:18
As Sir Daniel says at the end of every show.
00:50:22
In this life you have a choice you can either pick up the needle
00:50:27
or you can let the record play
00:50:30
DJ Sir Daniel: I'm, jay, right and i'm bj sir, daniel and this
00:50:34
is a few points podcast Dropping the needle on black music history.
00:50:39
We will see you on the next go round.
00:50:42
Happy holidays Everybody shout out to shout out to southwest for the free wi fi.
00:50:46
I know that's right
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