Common vs. Drake

The internet has been on fire lately with the new Common vs. Drake beef! Apparently, Common is not feeling Drake at all! Over the weekend many people have guessed the beef is a result of a love triangle gone bad. There's no secret that Drake and Serena got together after Serena and Common broke up.  I don't know if I would say that they "dated" but they definitely hooked up.  We all know that Drake runs through women like they're going out of style.  He must have not got the memo that Serena's tennis cakes were off limits.

I'm trying to remain neutral as possible in this situation (not that I'm directly involved). I LOVE Hip Hop and I love when rappers beef because it becomes a pissing contest.  Rap beef causes an artist to dig deep and to showcase their best. They have to prove that they are better than the person who is calling them out. It's an art form in itself; only the strongest survive!

The best rap beef are those that require lyrical skills; those that set a rapper apart from a lyricist; those that set a rapper apart from an MC. Think Jay-Z vs. Nas, LL Cool J vs. Kool Moe Dee, Tupac vs. Biggie, KRS-One vs. Nelly (alright, that last one doesn't count because Nelly is no competition).  These are some of the greatest rap beefs of ALL TIME! All of these guys are students of the game, they were raised on classic Hip Hop...you know, they were around before Hip Hop was even a genre of music!  Common is in this category as well.

I'm a huge fan of Drake!!! He's been THAT GUY for a good three years now; he cannot do wrong in my eyes.  I love how he's versatile with rapping and singing, he blends the two well. (One of my personal favorites: The Deuces Remix, it makes my heart tingle! And let’s not forget to mention the entire Take Care album).  He's been in the game for less than five years, and yet he has had a couple of rappers come at him besides Common.  Remember, the beef with Pusha T  and the beef with every rapper from Toronto that has been ignored.

This Common beef is different.  Right now, even though Drake is great at what he does, he is just a trend.  Longevity speaks volumes versus a guy that has gotten a lucky start.  Common has endured all of the style changes in Hip Hop and he is still here; that says something.  His body of work over the years speaks for himself.  However, while he is calling Drake out on "Sweet" and "Stay Schemin Remix" he should remember that there was a time when people were saying the same thing about him.  Nevertheless, Rounds 1 and 3 go to Common.  Common gets extra points for calling Drake out directly with his latest diss.  Round 2 goes to Drake just because his verse on the original "Stay Schemin" goes hard. However, if there is a Round 4, will Drake address Common directly? (This will be a first for Drake because he is known for saying things subliminally). I guess we will have to wait and see....either way I'm #TeamCommon all the way! (Follow me @eyediditmyway)