Stanisland Magazine

Joyner bites with false teeth — and ironically, just like Skepta’s diss track, no one cares

Joyner Lucas has responded to Skepta‘s diss track with, Nobody Cares—to which the British rapper replied with a photo from the studio, signalling he is ready to fire back.

Do we really need this? Sure, there’s a boatload of people eager to hear more, but there are ten Titanics’ worth of listeners rolling their eyes. The stakes are low; there’s no reason for this at all.

The UK VS US Rap Debate

Lucas’ reply was far more gracious than the spectatorship of his compatriots, who—strangely—appear to have taken this personally. But don’t worry, this episode is surface-level at best. The problem with this so-called beef is that the artists mentioned by Skepta are far from being equivalent. Eminem vs Ghetts, Chip vs Kendrick Lamar, Dave vs Lil Wayne? It reads more as a who’s who of best-selling acts than truly competitive rappers.

READ MORE: Skepta Disses Joyner Lucas on Gigantic New track ‘Friendly Fire’

Though Eminem can hold his own, both he—and others named-dropped on this list—are likely wondering (if at all) why more talented rappers aren’t being mentioned. No disrespect to Dave, Chip, and the others, but there’s a long line of UK lyricists who’ve been pacing the scene for years: Jehst, Melanin 9, Klashnekoff, Confucius MC, and more.

Nobody Cares is a Tame Response

Lucas brought the heat — though it was more gas than fire. It didn’t reach the incendiary levels we were expecting. But given neither artist is a pure battle rapper, what did we expect?

“I wanna know what drugs you taking and what do you take me for?
Maybe you mad ’cause you ain’t got buzz up in the UK no more” – Joyner Lucas on Nobody Cares

The production supports Joyner’s flow, accentuating it through echoing snares and punishing bass. Helping to platform his vocals, its minimalist composition draws the listener in to absorb each bar — it’s easily the standout fragment of the release. It’s a pure hip-hop drop, though ultimately—as a battle track —lacklustre in lyrical execution.

The Verdict

Like Skepta’s effort, there’s nothing to dwell on here — the impact of this beef is forgettable. If you can’t destroy Lucas (this generation’s Will Smith) on your first try, then it’s probably time to put the microphone down.

READ MORE: Big Zuu Drops Poor Eminem Diss with Bizarre ‘Bun ‘Em’

In all honesty, the culture will quickly move on. Joyner responds as if he’s surprised, but he was the first to bite — likely because he has an album due for release. And his manager? Is British.

Reaction

The most exciting part of this escapade has been fan reactions, with one commenter on YouTube responding: “Skepta’s thinking ‘Joyner Lucas you B**t**d,” followed by a laughing emoji, while another said: “This was light work for Joyner.”

Others were more positive about the clash, saying: “This is how rap competition and disses should be. No nasty allegations, no hatred. Just lyricism and stone cold bars.” In response, one user replied: “Ok, but Lucas said some fake information about Skepta not getting paid, etc. Skepta was doing the biggest music festival in the world, Glastonbury other day and Wireless Festival a few days ago, so lol.”