Questlove’s statement that “hip hop is really dead because of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef” is a nonsensically wild interpretation

Editor’s Note: The following article is an editorial and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more Opinions on the Grio.

I am a fan of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Point. I think his cultural curation through his podcast (“Questlove Supreme”), documentaries (“Summer of Soul” and upcoming “Soul Train” documentary), books and musical direction for awards shows are all necessary and make him an integral part the hip-hop scene – hop and black culture.

Still, and at the risk of never being a guest on Questlove Supreme – which makes me very sad, by the way – its latest version says that “hip-hop really is dead because of the direction.” The record of the Kendrick Lamar-Drake feud is truly stupid, senselessly short-sighted, and revisionist in a way that would even impress Malcolm Gladwell.

In a recent Instagram post where he had to turn off comments because he was figuratively murdered, Questlove says this about the feud between the aforementioned hip-hop top dogs (no pun intended):

“No one has won this war. This wasn’t about skill. This was a wrestling-level match that involved mudslinging and knockdowns by any means possible – women and children (and actual facts) be damned. The same audience that wants blood will soon be posting “rip” posts like it’s not part of the problem. Hip hop really is dead.”

Le sigh and IKYFL at the same time.

I know this isn’t the same Questlove who played drums on Jay-Z’s “Takeover” from his live album “MTV Unplugged” released in November 2001. Maybe it isn’t The Michelle Leslie Brown of 225th Street playing ball in the park… that’s that OTHER Michelle Leslie Brown of 225th Street playing ball in the park. Hell, during the live recording of the part where Jay-Z makes fun of Prodigy from Mobb Deep, they even included parts of “Shook Ones, Pt. II.” AND THEN, when the verse about Nas dropped, they played “Oochie Wally” and “NY State of Mind.” I’m sure social media has pointed out to him ad nauseam that he’s an active participant in beef, but I mean, how is everyone feeling about the problem now when he was part of the problem in 2001? Nas would release “Ether” a week later, which at the time was as mudslinging an album as there could be. Factually? Uh. Bangers? Absolutely.

Everyone in rap beefs gets excited when it comes to facts. Do we know for sure that Tupac slept with Faith Evans, Biggie’s estranged wife? According to MOST people around at the time, that wasn’t the case. But he said it, and that’s why Hit ‘Em Up is one of the most devastating diss records of all time. Maybe Questlove has his disappointment with the record (which many think goes too far, but which also happens to be the best diss record of all time) or a small step back, “No Vaseline” by Ice Cube (which many believe , that he’s in the… I’m running for the best dissident record of all time), but I’d be surprised. “No Vaseline” is easily a record that could have killed someone; The number of street dwellers involved in this riot is astonishing. Plus, that wouldn’t make sense since, again, he played drums on Jay-Z’s most famous dissident album in 2001. On purpose. AFTER both the Notorious BIG and Tupac were murdered over an argument that went too far. It’s not that he didn’t know what songs would be played.

Of note, Nas is headlining this year’s Roots Picnic, taking place June 1-2 in Philadelphia. The Roots Picnic is of course hosted and curated by The Roots. Questlove and Black Thought are… The Roots. By the way, I’ll be there. Because hip hop.

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Then there is the whole aspect of what he does NOT find troubling. Drake and many other rappers have joked about Megan Thee Stallion being shot on record and calling her a liar even though we know she was shot AND there is a conviction in the case. To my knowledge, he didn’t go along with it and say, “Enough is enough!” It’s just an example, but it’s kind of telling, isn’t it? There have been a tremendous number of diss records, diss posts from hip hop artists, and all kinds of violence that have turned the hip hop community on its head. I’m sure Questlove respects them and that one could assume they went too far, but the Drake and Kendrick beef is where hip-hop really died? Come on, brother.

Is it a terrible job that involves innocent women and children? Yes, it absolutely is. Is this the first time this has happened? Absolutely not. This is how hip-hop beef has always worked. It has always gone “too far”. Misogyny, low blows. In fact, in the interlude “Message for BA,” which precedes the Ice Cube diss record “Real N*ggaz” from the NWA album “EFIL4ZAGGIN,” they talk about raping Ice Cube with a broomstick.

I’m not saying any of this is okay; But if wrestling match-level mudslinging and takedowns aren’t hip-hop, then hip-hop died DECADES ago. I highly doubt Questlove thinks that way.

I don’t see any real difference, at least not among artists, in the level of criticism leveled between Jay-Z and Nas in 2001. The only difference is how involved the fans are in the discourse. Does the audience want blood? Uh. I can’t imagine anyone wanting this to end in Tupac and Biggie fashion. Do people really want their man to win? Of course they do. People choose sides and want their side to win. But again, if this killed hip-hop, then hip-hop has been dead for decades.

Interestingly, I think we’ve gotten some of the best raps from Drake in this fight, but both have taken this thing into waffling, evidence-free territory (so far), and THAT is what happened when Pusha T changed the diss game with “The Story of Adidon.” I wonder if Questlove felt like hip-hop died that day. I doubt it.

Maybe Questlove is getting to the point where he’s seen too much as an elder statesman and thinks beef is pointless. Perhaps. Or maybe he’s forgotten that this art form he contributed so much to has always been this way, but now all the conversations we needed to have in person are happening on social media. Is that changing? Not for me. It’s all hip hop. If you want to argue that hip-hop is still problematic, especially for women, then let’s have this conversation.

But THAT beef definitely didn’t kill hip-hop any more than The Roots as a backing band on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” – there was a time when THAT would have been considered a sell-out move and definitely not hip-hop. Was it dead then?

Either way, maybe we just never thought hip-hop would make it this far. Again, I’m a fan of Questlove and I love hearing how detailed his knowledge of music and hip-hop is. I learned so much listening to his podcast about artists I love and people I don’t even know who have influenced my life. But this attitude is really bad, especially when it comes from him.

Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio. He writes very dark things, drinks very brown spirits and is pretty fast for an easy guy. His greatest achievement to date coincides with his greatest achievement to date, which was receiving a call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his plays (the greatest), but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown.” was standing. (Blackest).

Be sure to check out the Dear Culture podcast every Thursday on theGrio’s Black Podcast Network, where I’ll be hosting some of the blackest conversations known to man. You may not leave the convo with an afro, but you’ll definitely be looking for your afro glory! Listen to Dear Culture on TheGrio’s app. download here.