Its impact for Educators

I am glad that Drake won this Drake Meek Mill beef thing. And it is not because I am from the same city as him. It is because of the message that a “singing ni**a” bodying a thug sends to young black boys. Drake prevailing in this instance shows youth that black identity is indeed complex and one doesn’t need to give more fuel to the fallible argument that rap demonstrates black cultural dysfunction. Meek Mill, and rappers like him, make it easy for naysayers of hip-hop to avoid the argument that behavioral responses are the result of racially sanctioned structural conditions. Meek Mill, and thuggy rappers like him, fictitiously tell stories that lead to self-generating cultural patterns. Rappers, like Meek Mill, appropriate our culture for their own financial gain without any thought about the repercussions their words have on young impressionable minds. So, I am glad Drake won.

I am not saying that Drake is perfect. He often raps bars that promote the image of the hyper-masculine black male who debases women and prioritizes material accumulation. But that is not the basis of Drake’s raps or his persona. That is not how he makes his money. Ironically enough, Drake is loved by hip hop fans because of his ability to be authentic about everyday realities that many urban people experience. He is just able to do it in an exuberant and catchy way. That is why he is celebrated. That is why educators should celebrate him if they are going to celebrate any hip hop artist. He, right now, is the epitome of the complexity of black male identity. One foot in the system, one foot out of the system, all the while being himself. What is wrong with that?

When I get back into my classroom, I am going to have a discussion about the Drake and Meek Mill saga and most likely design a few English lessons around it. I am going to use this situation to talk about plagiarism, authenticity, collaboration, creativity and excellence. I may use this beef to teach point of view in writing as well as the use of persuasion when crafting your communication. There are a lot of things we, as educators, can extrapolate from this instance. And there are a lot of things that our students can learn and engage with from this moment in hip hop culture.

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This is obviously vital to education as well. Plagiarism is the cardinal sin in academics and rightly so. We want our students to be unique, creative and we want them to be themselves. We (try to) teach students how to think critically and more importantly, how to think for themselves. So when Drake is accused of using a “ghost writer” educators can use this instance as a teaching point to discuss what plagiarism is exactly. We often assume that students are clear cut on what plagiarism is and thus fail to show them the grey zones of the issue. I once heard an undergraduate professor say, “Everything that has been thought about has already been said, so you need to first make sure you cite your sources when you write and second you should try to say it in a different way.” And this was instruction from a university professor. So imagine what type of swirling ideas around plagiarism high school and elementary students have.

The fact that Drake survived the allegations and ultimately won this rap beef generates insights that can also be translated into a classroom. People didn’t care that he has others helping him write songs. This would not have been the case on the rap scene in 1997. But it is a reality now. So, what does this teach us? It demonstrates that our mentality has slightly shifted from an attitude that places the individual above all else to one that prioritizes contribution and creativity. The most impactful corporations, like Google and Apple, remain on the cutting edge because they foster an environment of collaboration. Schools need to move away from the notion of everything being based on individual excellence by fostering ways that validate and spotlight collaboration and community.

So Drake doesn’t write some of his raps, yet he still came out on top of this beef with Meek Mill. Just because Drake won doesn’t mean that society no longer values authenticity. Him winning means society values the complexity of the black male identity. Drake raps about his emotions, his situation, and of course the hyper-masculine identity of the black male at times. But Drake does not appropriate the stereotype of the black thug and the idea of black dysfunctional culture for his financial benefit. Meek Mill does. We don’t need rappers to communicate long standing stereotypes of the black male as a thug, gangster and pimp. We don’t need more songs about Rolex watches and selling drugs. Drake winning this beef can teach students that black male identity is indeed complex and that you don’t have to fit into a prearranged box in order to succeed. This is a lesson that is missing for black males in education. This is a lesson that Drake winning this beef can teach our future.

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