No I was more focused on the best of the best bit with diss tracks being an aspect of that discussion. I don't disagree that this track isn't just about an expression of who the best is in the game, there is definitely more to it. I guess I didn't express the more general meaning of my post. Not specifically Kendrick in this song, but rap in general recently. This was spurred by the intro to this song being about his greatness lol.
I'd be really interested to know when, if not from the very beginning, boasting in hip-hop became a normal thing. It just seems so natural for a hip-hop artist to do that. The reason I'm not worried about the prevalence of boasting and diss tracks is because there are so many more topics to rap about-- while it's probable that Biggie was addressing a greater variety of topics than Rae Sremmurd and Migos are now, at least Kendrick is still talking about these things. To Pimp a Butterfly was a racial endeavor. I think unmastered unitled (or whatever) was an instrumental exploration. Just saying I wouldn't cry "doom" just yet :) edit: Speaking of doom-- just look at MF DOOM! And Earl. And the fact that those "pop hip-hop" artists like Migos rely almost entirely on fire production skills which are more important to their audience than their absolutely bullshit rhymes.