‘Used To’, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015)Ĭertain rappers would call me to say, “What up, though?” I used to brag about it to my friends.
They never told me when you get the crown, it’s gon’ take some getting used to…they don’t love you like they used to, man Used to have secret handshakes to confirm my friendships, nowadays they just shakin’ my hand to hide the tension.
Until that Black Jewish Canadian guy’s singing and rapping began to really dominate hip-hop. People also wanted a Black Jewish Canadian guy to sentimentally sing and rap his way to hip-hop stardom. But he ruined that storyline in the absolute worst way: by becoming the face of the newly-settled villains of the league, the Warriors. A relocated team in a small market that could finally break-up the Western Conference oligarchy of the Spurs and Lakers. What makes the Kevin Durant story more complicated is that he was supposed to spearhead the shit-shaking movement of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like, to the point of a diss track, an official music video, and a couple of unofficial videos. And everyone’s favorite shooter won the MVP. The lovable duo won a championship in 2015. So when the affable Steph Curry and partner-in-crime Klay Thompson stepped into their own years later, people were all for it. The Warriors were rarely in any serious barbershop discussion about the NBA until the Baron Davis-led squad beat the top-seeded Mavericks in that crazy 2007 postseason. Once the need for change has been fulfilled, the new standard-bearers are not meant to be celebrated by the public. James’ move to the Heat, Drake’s increasing commercial dominance and aggressiveness). Then they made power moves which led to success (to be determined with Durant), but people despised them for it (i.e. Cavs Finals loss, Thunder Finals loss, Drake’s underwhelming Thank Me Later), but people still prayed for them to pull through. Then they failed to become everything people wanted them to be (i.e. Upon entering the public eye, they were beloved. LeBron’s saga is exceptionally complicated-which is why SportsCenter will never get tired of it-but it had many of the same pitfalls that Drake, and now Kevin Durant, are experiencing. A superhuman? A talented team-first player? Someone who spends his entire career selflessly committed to his hometown? He makes us ask so many questions about what we want in a generational icon. It’s why we ride LeBron so hard, for instance. And people rarely consider big-time celebrities outside of these extremes. This process helps us figure out what we as a culture actually want. There’s a weird dependence on extremely famous people to do things for us to react to. They also get tired of famous people very quickly. “Well if you can’t beat ’em…” “SQUAAAD.” Oklahoma City’s glimmering hope turns into yet another weapon for a history-making team people are already tired of.Īmericans expect their most famous people to represent their values for them. The criticism now louder than the praise and encouragement. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain From throwing up in the huddle to, “Run up when you see me then.” An image that went from unique vocalist who challenged gender roles to narcissistic and lowkey misogynist. These are the kinds of celebrity stories that embody Batman’s infamous quote from the last scene of The Dark Knight: Like, how can someone upset you to your core and still demand your attention? Brilliant, right? That being said, the seriousness people treat the lives of others because they are on a screen is disgusting.īut that’s what makes the stories of Drake and KD special. The mind control some people have as a result of a well-crafted image is admirable in a frustrating way. Though that line in ‘Weston Road Flows’ came before Kevin Durant’s move to the Golden State Warriors, it’s even truer now than it was when Views dropped.Ĭelebrity in the United States is extremely strange. Despite a difference in how these two gamechangers became villains in their respective games, Drake and KD both have the world fixated on their stories. People HATE seeing the shit-shakers become the standard. Drake, ‘Weston Road Flows’, Views (2016) Shout out to KD, we relate, we get the same attention