Kendrick Lamar and Drake have seen a resurgence of content creators reacting to his latest releases and has paid it forward with latest business move.

THE ART FORM OF REACTION VIDEOS

Music reaction videos are a popular genre on platforms like YouTube where content creators film themselves reacting to music videos, songs, or live performances. Typically, the creator listens to the music or watches the video for the first time and provides real-time commentary, sharing their thoughts, emotions, and sometimes even analyzing the composition, lyrics, or production quality.

These videos often aim to capture the genuine reactions of the creators, ranging from excitement and awe to criticism or disappointment. Viewers enjoy these videos for various reasons, including discovering new music, seeing others’ perspectives on familiar songs, or simply for entertainment.

The rap war between Drake and Kendrick Lamar is the biggest talk in the hip hop world in years in terms of beef. Unlike the eras of Tupac vs. Biggie, Jay-Z vs. Nas, or 50 Cent vs Ja Rule, the online presence of reaction videos makes an impact on the hip hop narrative like no other time before.

In an unprecedented move, Kendrick Lamar has removed all copyright claims from content creators that react to his music. This could be seen as a business move to expand his listeners as he gains traction being in a rivalry with one of the most popular rappers of all time in Drake.

A content creator on X announced that Kendrick Lamar’s label removed a copyright claim unprovoked and it is something that record companies don’t really do when it comes to viral music.

As Drake and Kendrick Lamar traded blows over the weekend with back and forth taunts on record, Drake followed suit by allowing his music to be reacted to without any copyright claim. OVO has done this in response to this announcement, but others dispute that the label is not allowing demonetization.

Whatever the situation, it appears content creators are now able to make money from reaction videos from these top rap stars.