Since dropping his highly anticipated album Damn, Kendrick Lamar's new album has been the topic of pretty much any, if not all, conversations happening in hip-hop.
One consistent topic concerning the album is it's sales. Kendrick didn't just drop a lyical album, he dropped a lyrical album that sold.
More importantly, a lyrical album that out sold Drake.
To me, none of this matters. Not to discredit either project (I personally feel Rather You Than Me was better than both), but people will buy shit, like actual shit, if marketed correctly.
What stood out to me the most, in regards to sales, was the repetitive feedback from fans stating that Kendrick Lamar is officially better than Drake since Damn out sold More Life.
This instantly pissed me off.
Not because of the typical reasons, as I'm a fan of them both respectfully, but because sales were not only brought into the picture but also used to determine whose a better rapper.
Rewind a few months, back to the Remy Ma & Nicki Minaj beef, it was all about skill.
When two female MC's had beef, the only thing people wanted to discuss was content and lyrical ability.
Any time that Nicki Minaj referenced sales during her beef with Remy Ma, there was a backlash.
When she declared Young Money only makes hit records and not diss records, folks wasn't having it, the hip-hop community pretty much said 'bish please'.
My issue isn't with sales, the artist, or popular opinion. My issue is the fact that the criteria for determining whose a better rapper seems to be dependant on whether or not the rapper is male or female.
Shortly after making my comments, a male friend of mine quickly disagreed. I countered his response stating how since Jay Z stated 'numbers don't lie', sales have been brought up repeatedly among male rappers.
The description he gives of Jay Z's approach towards rap beef describes Nicki's.
His comments, the way I interpreted it, indirectly supported my original comment that gender determines the criteria for determining who's the better rapper.
Which I feel is total bullshit.
Another thing mentioned that stood out to me is how disproportionate the male to female rapper ratio is. He was right...there are more male rappers than female rappers.
Thinking about that pissed me off. Of course not because of the obvious reasons, but because it's some female rappers out here with bars better and harder than the male rappers that are being glorified these days.
My rap taste vary, it genuinely depends on my mood, but bars is bars and that cant be denied whether the artist is male or female.
To me, if a rapper can't freestyle, they could never be better than a rapper that can.
But this is just my opinion...and here are some female rappers with freestyles wayyy better than some of ya favorite rapper's whole album.
In no particular order:
Phendi
Still Feel Me
Instagram: therealphendi
https://www.audiomack.com/album/djchuckt/bae-battling-against-emotions
Mya J
Instagram: _imsorrymsjackson
https://itun.es/us/O4Vcjb
Gemifly
Ooouuu remix
Instagram: whoisgemifly
Kiyanne
Instagram: therealkiyanne
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