As a lover of old-school hip-hop, I love a good debate.
Back in the days when rappers had more backup dancers than guns (shout out to Scoob and Scrap Lover), radio stations, television outlets and nightclubs often hosted public debates. While there was very little fact-checking, it was up to the individual voter to decide which candidate was better at rapping. Whether it was the Juice Crew vs. BDP, Lyte vs. Latifah or Silkk the Shocker vs the beat, these talking contests had one general rule that was specifically for “the culture.”
Keep it on wax.
As hip-hop became more mainstream, these debates became more polarized. Instead of certifying a rapper’s skills, they determined who was richer, more popular or more gangster. Sometimes, they had nothing to do with actual rap; they were about geography. (East Coast vs. West Coast), sexuality (Boosie vs. Lil Nas X) and race (Kid Rock vs. Black people). In fact, one could argue that the misogyny, criminality, drugs and violence that plague the world’s most popular music genre has nothing to do with the artists, the music or the culture. Hip-hop is not dead …
It is just more American.
This is partly why hip-hop aficionados loved the Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake debates. Whether you support the cat-eating migrant worker who crossed the border to build a better life or the guy who boasted about being a real American with superior family values, it is hard to argue with their motivation. Although the two candidates for mic commander-in-chief clearly hated each other, there was very little chance of bloodshed. The “beef” between Drizzy and K-Dot, was essentially a debate over which rapper was better at rapping. It was a fight over respect and skill. It was an old-school talking contest. A musical poetry slam. They kept it on wax.
For the culture.
On Tuesday, millions of Americans witnessed an old-school battle between two competitors at the top of their game. Moderated by CBS’s Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan, the vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wasn’t as interesting or contentious as the debate between mumble rapper Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the white supreme emcee. The entire hour-and-a-half debate didn’t contain a single bar as memorable as the Harris-Trump beef. It was unremarkably boring. It was a throwback.
It was for the culture.
Ever since Donald Trump drifted down a golden escalator and declared his intention to become the greatest president alive, America’s political discourse has devolved into a partisan rap beef. Not only did Trump make presidential politics less presidential and less political, but he also managed to change the entire political culture. Right-wing voters no longer care about skills, credibility or the ability to form coherent sentences. Trump’s MAGA fan base only cares that their GOAT is the richest, most gangster racist to ever hold a microphone.
That’s why Tuesday’s debate was so refreshing. I didn’t even mind the lack of fact-checking. Then again, It wasn’t until the Fresh Prince of Fake Hair began inundating the public with off-the-dome freestyles about stolen elections and Haitians eating pets that the idea of live fact-checking became necessary.
Sure, JD Vance lied about never supporting a nationwide abortion ban. When asked about his claim that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Tim Walz couldn’t quite explain himself. But those were debate lies. The people who complained when CBS announced that the moderators would not be responsible for fact-checking sounded like the new breed of rap fans who tried to corroborate the allegations about Drake’s secret daughter or Kendrick’s domestic abuse. There is no fact-checking in rap beefs!
Just as we understood that rappers lie, those familiar with pre-Trump politics usually assumed that politicians lied during the debate. I am quite aware that JD Vance cares as much about reproductive rights as Kendrick cares about Drake’s kids. I believed Vance’s claim that Trump saved Obamacare as much as I believed Drake’s claim that he was responsible for Kendrick’s career. We know Drake is not a gangster and JD Vance is not a good-old country boy with Christian values. Still, as one great political orator explained: “Sometimes, you gotta pop out and show MAGAs.”
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the vice presidential debate is that these beefs don’t really change most people’s minds. According to Politico, the vast majority of Democrats say Walz won and most Republicans think Vance won. Interestingly enough, independents who watched the talking match thought Walz bested Vance. However, at this point of the election season, there are probably more undecided voters than rap fans who have never heard of Drake or Kendrick Lamar. Plus, when it comes to Drake fans and Trump’s MAGA minion, there is nothing you, I, Kendrick Lamar or Tim Walz can say that could convince them that their hero lost a battle.
But if there was one highlight of the evening, it came at the end of the evenly matched political face-off, when Walz confronted Vance about whether he believes Trump lost the 2020 election. Not only would Vance not admit that his side lost, he refused to answer the question. If there was a viral moment from the debate, that was it. To be clear, one viral moment doesn’t win a debate nor did it sway Trump voters. After all that back-and-forth, Walz only made one real point:
They not like us.
Michael Harriot is an economist, cultural critic and championship-level Spades player. His New York Times bestseller Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America is available everywhere books are sold.