The rap war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake appears to be over. Unanimous decision winner: Kendrick Lamar. But beef is so culturally all-encompassing that even a second drama went viral this week. Let me break it down for you. I'll also discuss "block party" events, whether you should put pickles in Dr. Pepper, and introduce you to my new favorite phrase: "That's poop in the butt."
What is "BBL drizzle"?
This week's viral video is the thousands of versions of the song "BBL Drizzy" that are going viral on social media. Let me explain: In a very public exchange between Drake and Kendrick, Drake debuted the song "Push Ups," in which he told Kendrick's fellow Metro Boomin' "Shut up, you bastard" Damn it, play some drums." So, last week, Metro took him up on the offer and released a song called "BBL Drizzy," a remix of a King Willonius song," with the "BBL" part in the title. Referring to Drake reportedly having a Brazilian butt lift, Metro revoked the rights to the song and told the public he would offer $10,000 to whoever wrote the best lyrics for the song, and it all went viral. The same went viral, in fact, the whole world started recording songs attacking Drake and Metro started handing out free bats and saying, "I'm going to pay you to beat that dead horse over there. "
Here are just a few highlights from the tens of thousands of versions of BBL Drizzy:
The original has a laid-back 1970s vibe.
Performance by YouTube rapper Packgod.
Jokey YouTube rapper Yukon's version.
Japanese version of BBL Drizzy.
Harp version of BBL Drizzy.
If you had any doubts about who won the 2024 rap battle, Drake was teased by Harp .
Kendrick-Drake feud encourages literacy?
All wars have unintended consequences, and this war may have led to a decline in literacy rates. This is what Ms. C., a teacher with a TikTok account, said. In a recent video, she said: "I have students who hate reading, and they are reading these lyrics in the most meticulous, careful way I have ever seen. They are looking for the subtle fourfold meaning and eloquently Explain them to your peers.”
Why is “Blockout 2024” a hot topic?
Earlier this week, TikTok user blockout2024 posted this video in which they suggested that people would lose money if they blocked celebrities on social media. In a follow-up video, they explained: "When we hate them, they make money. When we praise them, they make money. But when we block their social media accounts and forget their names entirely, they Everything will be lost.”
The trend, also known as "Celebrity Block Party," quickly became popular on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and elsewhere. While the initial video appeared to be posted in response to a display of wealth at the Met Gala earlier this week, a larger concern soon came to light: Blockers believed that some celebrities were not using their platforms to adequately support Palestine and the Conflict in Israel. Primary targets: Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift, both of whom are fairly centrist and borderline apolitical.
It's too early to tell if it works, but I'm willing to put a lot of money on "it doesn't." Online activism doesn’t have a good track record. People online tend to overestimate their importance, and block party campaigns rely on Taylor Swift fans caring about Palestine more than they care about getting updates from Swift. Maybe I'm cynical, but I don't think this happens enough to make a difference. If even 1 million fans blocked Taylor Swift because of this event, her follower count would reach 282 million. This is just on Instagram. Without commenting on the specifics of Middle Eastern politics, the whole thing has a #Kony2012 vibe.
Bumble reveals the scary future of dating
Dating site Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd revealed the scary potential future of online dating in a recent interview with Bloomberg. Herd envisions a future where every user will have an AI wingman to help them connect. You'll tell your bot something deeply personal, and it will scan each other's AI wingman to find a match. "In this world, your dating concierge can go and set you up with another dating concierge. And then you don't have to talk to 600 people," Hurd said.
While I'm generally in favor of not talking to people, as many people have pointed out online, this is like an episode of Black Mirror . Not in a general sense, but in one particular episode: Season 4, Episode 4, "Hang the DJ."
What happened to Dr. Pickle Pepper?
TikTok’s weird cooking trend of the week: pickles and Dr. Pepper. This video from TikTok's Kayleeh109 has been viewed nearly 3 million times. It suggests you go Sonic, fill a cup half a cup with pickles, add Dr. Pepper, and presumably drink it. My stomach churns just thinking about it, but I haven't tried it, so what can I say? Judging from the response videos, people seem to love it. Mainly Southerners. I still don't believe it. This was probably an elaborate prank to get me to drink something disgusting.
My favorite Gen Z line is: “That’s shit in the ass.”
Countless insults are thrown around online every day, but every once in a while, a phrase captures a sentiment so perfectly that it takes on a life of its own. Case in point: "That's shit from your butt." Although it was originally used to describe food (that looked like shit from your butt), the phrase is now used to describe anything bad. A song you don't like? Shit out of the ass. Jerry Seinfeld’s new Netflix movie? Shit out of the ass. Putting pickles in Dr. Pepper? Shit out of the ass.
