How feuding performers capitalize on “beefs” in the vegan age

For most musical performers and their fans, alike, May 26th was your average day in the industry. There may have been a few singles drop, some shows to attend, and some autographs to sign/receive, but for the most part, it was just another day. Then the clock struck midnight.

“Daytona” dropped. It was the first album from artist, Pusha T, in nearly three years and boy, did it come with some controversy. Among other tracks, a notorious diss track aimed at Drake sent the web world into a full-blown frenzy. Pusha took shots at Drake’s music, his dating life, and even rumors about the artist hiding a child. Here’s an excerpt from the line:

“A baby’s involved, it’s deeper than rap;

We talkin’ character, let me keep with the facts.

You are hiding a child, let that boy come home,

Deadbeat mothaf**** playin’ border patrol, ooh”

Of course, Drake fired back. The hip-hop mogul not only put out a diss track of his own (we’ll let you decide on its true relevance in the feud) and even went as far as sending Pusha T an invoice for “reviving his career”.

I say all that to say this: from May 27th to June 2nd, Google searches for Drake nearly quadrupled, and for Pusha T, the explosion was nearly 50 times greater than in any week of any other year, according to an Economist article. “Daytona” became Pusha T’s highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 while Drake’s “Scorpion” earned platinum status on the day it was released.

So, it begs the question: who won and who lost the diss track showdown? The answer: both won.

From a marketing standpoint, the number this spat brought in for both artists made it impossible for either of them to lose. From a lyrical standpoint, Drake’s clapback might not have been as significant as he’d hoped depending on which hip-hop groups and pundits you follow. Opinions aside though, this was an objectively successful marketing move whether it was intended as such, or not.

Minaj a Truce?

The latest Nicky Minaj drama has become a threesome of sorts with Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner and over what? It seems like Minaj screamed “that’s not fair” when Scott’s “Astroworld” was being doled out to Jenner’s millions of Insta-followers.