I've been thinking about this a lot. While Kendrick is a superior musician to Drake, I was incredibly impressed by the stratagems he used against Drake. I've been trying to capture them in a Sun Tzu or Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power frame. I contend the most ingenious move was definitely the release of Meet the Grahams mere minutes after Drake released Family Matters. Family Matters is a great diss record, but Kendrick zapped so much energy out of it by dropping right after it came out. Kendrick didn't allow it to sit with people and let it start galvanizing the Drake stans side. It also had a confounding effect because it dropped while the main Drake glazer (Akademics) was live streaming, and he looked utterly defeated at the prospect. So, how can one account for the strategies that Kendrick used?
Sun Tzu says:
"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."
This certainly captures some of what was happening with Kendrick's drops. He was intentionally creating a chaotic environment and capitalizing on it. The chaos created kind of a Kendrick mania, but also resulted in a feeling like he could release a new diss at any given moment. This usurped a lot of Drake's overall popularity.
"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."
This relates to how quiet Kendrick was before Euphoria was released. Even I was like, bruh let the whole hood down, but he came out and decapitated the false king
. It can also encompass releasing Meet the Grahams rights after Family Matters.
"If your enemy is superior, evade him."
By releasing your music quickly, you do not directly confront your opponent's strengths head-on. Instead, you're evading their success by diverting attention away from their release and onto your own music.
"Attack where the enemy is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."
Kendrick kind of lulled Drake into a false sense of security and then hit him with an air raid.
Greene says:
Law 28: "Enter Action with Boldness."
Releasing your music immediately after your opponent requires boldness and decisiveness. You're not giving them much time to enjoy their success before you strike, which is a bold move.
Law 36: "Disdain Things You Cannot Have; Ignoring Them is the Best Revenge."
By quickly releasing your own music, you're essentially ignoring or disdaining your opponent's success, which can be seen as a form of revenge or undermining their achievements.
Law 17: "Keep Others in Suspended Terror."
Drake had to be terrified, right? He didn't know when the disses were coming, what time, when, etc. He had to be on pins and needles.
I think you could also talk about the mistakes Drake made. Here's Budden's talking about how Drake was fukking up. Drake also has a perpetual habit of talking about people's spouses unabated. shyt has gotten his head taken off twice now. His first instinct in his music or regarding others is to talk about women.
They need to teach this shyt in a college course. You could go even deeper (no Diddy) on the strategy front. For real.
Sun Tzu says:
"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."
This certainly captures some of what was happening with Kendrick's drops. He was intentionally creating a chaotic environment and capitalizing on it. The chaos created kind of a Kendrick mania, but also resulted in a feeling like he could release a new diss at any given moment. This usurped a lot of Drake's overall popularity.
"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."
This relates to how quiet Kendrick was before Euphoria was released. Even I was like, bruh let the whole hood down, but he came out and decapitated the false king
. It can also encompass releasing Meet the Grahams rights after Family Matters."If your enemy is superior, evade him."
By releasing your music quickly, you do not directly confront your opponent's strengths head-on. Instead, you're evading their success by diverting attention away from their release and onto your own music.
"Attack where the enemy is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."
Kendrick kind of lulled Drake into a false sense of security and then hit him with an air raid.
Greene says:
Law 28: "Enter Action with Boldness."
Releasing your music immediately after your opponent requires boldness and decisiveness. You're not giving them much time to enjoy their success before you strike, which is a bold move.
Law 36: "Disdain Things You Cannot Have; Ignoring Them is the Best Revenge."
By quickly releasing your own music, you're essentially ignoring or disdaining your opponent's success, which can be seen as a form of revenge or undermining their achievements.
Law 17: "Keep Others in Suspended Terror."
Drake had to be terrified, right? He didn't know when the disses were coming, what time, when, etc. He had to be on pins and needles.
I think you could also talk about the mistakes Drake made. Here's Budden's talking about how Drake was fukking up. Drake also has a perpetual habit of talking about people's spouses unabated. shyt has gotten his head taken off twice now. His first instinct in his music or regarding others is to talk about women.
They need to teach this shyt in a college course. You could go even deeper (no Diddy) on the strategy front. For real.
making people call him a deadbeat was outstanding