IDK’s tweet was simple yet controversial. “The big 3 need to retire and make way," he wrote on March 30. Wanting to see rappers rise up and take the mantle is not an especially hot take, especially since the the trio of Drake, Cole and Kendrick have been making hits for close to 15 years. It was the suggestion that they should give up the mantle, however, that rubbed fans the wrong way. IDK's tweet was flooded with responses telling him to "snatch" the crown and put in work to "dethrone" the Big Three himself.
IDK Tweet Sparks Backlash
IDK addressed these responses the next day when he tweeted: "Dry humor doesn't work on this platform." The rapper's attempts to make light of the semi-viral tweet didn't stop fans from calling him out, though, so he decided to use Kendrick Lamar lyrics to bolster his original point. He retweeted a screenshot of 2010's "Monster Freestyle", in which K-Dot raps that JAY-Z should have retired. IDK posted the screenshot along with the message: "This is also Kendrick."
The parallel was obvious: young rappers want to elbow out the elders. IDK went on to tweet that fans take things too seriously when it comes to online discourse. A quick scroll through IDK's timeline proves that he's an enormous fan of the Big Three, so this clearly wasn't an instance of him trying to start beef. As far as he's concerned, he's keeping the competitive, youthful spirit of hip-hop alive, like Kendrick did before and like the rappers after him will do.
About The Author
Danilo is a writer based out of San Diego. He graduated from the Art Institute of Tucson with a B.A. in digital media, and has since forged a career as a pop culture journalist. He covered hip-hop for Heavy.com, Rhyme Junkies and PopMatters prior to joining HotNewHipHop.com. Danilo's top five is constantly changing, but Biggie and Slug from Atmosphere remain permanent fixtures. His favorite rap album of all time is "Late Registration" by Kanye West, and that stays the same.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbvTp5ywoJmltbC8jZympmdnbX92g5RmoJ2jXZiuta%2FHnqpmoJWWwW6%2F1KCenquknruoecGinmasmKeypnnSoaaupJRiv6bAyKucZqCZpXqpu89mpZ6vow%3D%3D