It would take one hell of a story to top the news of the success of King Of The Dot's "Blackout 5," and the almost-battle between Murda Mook and Drake (who helped fund and promote the Toronto event) nearly did. The last-minute match-up was apparently vetoed by Drake’s management, but it's huge for the culture that the battle was on the cusp of happening. So huge, that the implications are worth examining.
How concrete this arrangement was is irrelevant. Exposure-wise, it’s the biggest propulsion the culture would have ever received. The Cassidys and Canibuses (Canibi?) of the rap scene stepping in to battle is one thing, but Drake is another beast entirely. This would have been a global superstar putting everything on the line — which is, in some ways, the pinnacle of what battling is all about. Your legacy and the crowd’s respect for it is hanging in the balance each time you enter the ring.
It’s clear that Drake would take the context seriously — his absence from the 2015 Grammys (even with four nominations to his name) to attend a KOTD event is a testament to that. Even stylistically, his new album, "If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late," shows that he can switch on the antagonism when he wants. Just look at his "You need to act your age and not your girl’s age" shot at Tyga on 6PM In New York. His affiliation with battle culture and his music are bleeding into one another.
Drake’s smooth-guy persona and his Canadian teen-TV past don’t exactly lend themselves to the surge of testosterone that accompanies the battle format, but his calm braggadocio and crisp turns of phrase could actually be effective when breaking down an opponent. If he had a throwback to his days as an actor and came out bellowing, firing imaginary pistols in all directions, he would look absolutely ridiculous. But if he stayed true to his style he could make a pretty successful transition. Probably not seamless, but he would likely come out with some memorable highlight reel material.
It’s not that Drake would be guaranteed to lose against Murda Mook. It’s that when Murda Mook wins, which he most likely would because he’s Murda Mook, his opponents don’t really ever come back. His humiliation of Iron Solomon is one of the more memorable bodybags since battles hit a big stage, and no one has seen that guy since. Mook has battled Loaded Lux twice: the first was a closely contested classic from the early days of the culture and the second was a landslide victory at "Total Slaughter." Lux's shine hasn't been the same since. Put it this way: Mook has only battled twice in as long as anyone can remember and was still considered by Drake as a worthy opponent.
Mook is one of those rare beasts that lays dormant almost all of the time and still has a presence and a legacy, and still absolutely dominates when he does step in. He’s a perfect example of whatever the opposite of ring rust is. Some might argue that his infrequent appearances don’t allow him to keep his tools sharpened, or that he still uses a relatively retro style. But that’s only a valid counterpoint if he were facing an established battler. Drake doesn’t have any experience. Drake doesn’t even really have a battle style.
If Drake made a smooth transition (and I believe he is capable of it) he’d still have a real situation on his hands. And while the gesture of stepping in is a noble one, ultimately commercial artists mostly gain from a battle if it serves as enticing promotional material. If he lost, the defeat wouldn’t just be shared on battle forums, or as a runaway viral video that was just as quickly forgotten. This would be online — forever — and would become the most viewed battle in the world. When you're at Drake's level, you just can’t afford to lose.
So, call me a killjoy, but I actually think the savviest move Drake made in all of this was listening to his manager and backing down. He’s still inextricably linked to, supports, and gleefully puts his name to battle culture because he loves it and that alone is still incredibly helpful. The collateral successes from a globally viewed clash would not be worth the amount of damage Mook could do to him, even though I think we would all tip our hats to him for even attempting the medium.
Do you think it will ever happen? Who else on the same level do you think could carry a battle with Mook? Let us know in the comments below.
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