What advertising can learn from rap

Listen to article

By Joe Blumenberg

By Joe Blumenberg

Rap feuds aren’t anything new. Think Jay-Z versus Nas or Notorious B.I.G. versus Tupac Shakur. The latest “beef” between industry veteran Pusha-T and Canadian rapper Drake, has gained national attention.

The feud can be traced to the early 2000’s, when Pusha-T’s group Clipse accused Drake’s record label, Young Money Records, of stealing Pusha-T’s rapping style. Although this attack was mostly directed toward Lil’ Wayne, this was a clear provocation which laid kindling to later controversy between the two groups, catching the eye of music fans everywhere.

This brings us to now. Drake and Pusha-T have been exchanging lyrical jabs on their albums and online for the last two months. The latest and, arguably, most vicious “diss track” was Pusha-T’s song “The Story of Adidon,” which was uploaded to YouTube on May 28. The song attacked Drake for not writing his own lyrics and having a son whom he's been accused of hiding from the public.

The battle has been gaining traction on many online platforms, like YouTube, Reddit and Twitter. The feud also began just before the release of Pusha-T’s new album “Daytona.” This begs the question: Did the rappers battle each other only to promote their music? Even if it wasn’t their intention, the feud inadvertently advertised their music – “Daytona” debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold 72,349 albums its first week.

This affirms the idea that once a cultural movement like a rap battle starts, it snowballs into not only profits but mass engagement.

Pusha-T and Drake, even if they didn’t intend to, created a compelling idea on the rise that rapidly spread through digital, social and word-of-mouth. Everyone was talking about it, and later, everyone was listening to their music.

Battling is engraved in hip-hop culture. It creates tension, compelling stories and cultural movements. It might be why hip-hop is, hands down, the most popular genre in the country, and it keeps getting bigger.