September 15, 2015
Column, The Hoofbeat
Column, The Hoofbeat
In the Oxford Dictionaries, “beef” is defined as “the flesh of a cow, bull, or ox, used as food”. However, the modern presence of the word has taken on an informal definition: “a grudge or grievance”. In current months, the latter definition seems to be trending on the internet – most recently in the “beef” between Drake and Meek Mill.
Anyone who has been following celebrity news on social media has probably come across internet memes of Drake, or clicked through stories about Meek blasting fans at concerts. The internet “beef” between the two rappers jump started on twitter, where Meek took to social media to accuse Drake of not writing his own raps, claiming that Drake refused to promote Meek’s album. In the following weeks, Drake responded to these allegations by releasing two diss tracks (“Charged Up”, “Back to Back”) against Meek that triggered a chain of supportive online responses. At first, this spontaneous feud seems like an authentic dispute between two artists. However, it operates as something much more strategic for both the rappers: a brilliant marketing strategy. It is hard not to notice the extra publicity that both rappers have received since the feud began, along with exposure to new potential audiences. It is also no coincidence that the dispute erupted right as Meek dropped his new album, Dreams Worth More Than Money, which perfectly overlaps with his extended promotion. The so-called beef pushed Meek’s album up the charts and kept his name in the headlines. Before recently, Meek Mill was not a commonly known name (it still might not be), but Mill has been exposed to a much larger fan base. The media speculation is benefiting Drake as well, even if Meek is no longer a “woe” that Drake runs with. By swiftly releasing two new tracks days before the OVO musical festival in Toronto, Drake moved ticket sales by recapturing interest from his listeners. The feud gave Drake an opportunity to release music that reestablishes himself with more edge in lyrics and delivery. People will undoubtedly be paying more attention to both rappers. Whether or not the rappers are legitimately beefing or the whole thing is a brilliantly extensive publicity stunt, the payoff is evident. As the Drake/Meek beef has proven that competition in hip-hop, and the music industry in general, increases profits. As more celebrities figure this out, it seems like every new album release or award show has the potential to trigger some serious beef. |