Jamaal Bowman and Other Democrats Pick Sides in Kendrick Lamar/Drake Rap Beef
(Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and other Democrat lawmakers weighed in on the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake this week.
The Hill spoke with Bowman and other members of his recently-formed Congressional Hip Hop Power and Justice Task Force. The task force was announced in February. According to a press release from Bowman’s office, the group “will give voice to the shared values of Hip Hop” and advocate for solutions on issues “that disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other marginalized groups,” like mass incarceration.
Bowman was joined by Rep. Maxwell Frost (R-FL) in taking Lamar’s side of the feud.
Lamar and Drake have had public beef for years now, but the tension between the two came to a head in recent weeks with each artist taking shots at each other through diss tracks. Lamar’s Not Like Us focused on repeatedly accusing Drake of being a sexual predator. Drake has gone equally aggressive, questioning the paternity of one of Lamar’s children.
“There’s no question that Kendrick is the victor,” Bowman said, calling the rapper a “pillar of the culture.”
Frost also said he’s backing the American side of the beef (Drake is Canadian), but he questioned how intense the attacks have gotten between the two.
“I think they both brought it to hell, and I think it went somewhere maybe it shouldn’t have. But that’s also part of the nature of this — is they can go that low. So, I think now’s a good time to end,” he said.
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) was not as up-to-date on the rappers’ feud, but she said she also leans toward Lamar. She argued that the viral feud has been a reminder of the importance of rap music and the “power of communication through music.”
“You’ve got members of Congress in a particular moment, when we’re fighting so many things really asking ourselves, ‘Who is in the right? Is it Kendrick Lamar, or is it Drake?'” she said.
