Ja Morant has been lying low since the firestorm he created last May by posting social media clips of himself holding firearms and attempting to appear menacing to a backdrop of rap music, preferably NBA YoungBoy.
Following a 25-game suspension, where he spent a cup of coffee in “therapy” and worked out his supposed demons, immaturity or social media addiction, Morant has only played nine games this season, due to a shoulder tear. The season has been an absolute disaster for the two-time All-star and his squad, who currently hold the third-worst record in the Western Conference.
At the very least, Morant has laid low and not made too much of a scene on social media. Which is a wise move, because his basketball inactivity only leaves him with idle time to slip up and social media is the only representation of himself that people see.
Morant got a little itchy with his Twitter fingers recently, when he posted a cryptic tweet quoting producer Metro Boomin on his new collaboration with rapper Future, titled “We Don’t Trust You.”
The album has created quite a stir on social media and has branched into a war between the supposed elite rappers of the generation.
The album features a verse from rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose verbal tongue-lashing toward Drake and J.Cole — rappers thought to be at or above his level as dominant MCs of this era — on the song “Like That,” heightened the authenticity of the album and announced that there is a rap clash coming with the force of a Marvel vs. DC war.
Morant, a noted hip-hop fan and supporter, often uses various artists’ quotables to relate something to his life or what he may be going through. With all of the negative media attention he’s received, it probably wasn’t wise for him to set such an album-theme-inspired tone for the 2023-24 season.
“Stay on that side,” Morant asserted.
Social media immediately took it as Morant imploring the field to maintain the same energy they have had toward him, calling him a “thug,” counting him out, supporting his suspensions, gaining amusement from his court battles and attacking his character.
They didn’t let him off the hook easily.
Most recognize Morant’s issues as self-inflicted. He had the world in the palm of his hands and was coming off a 51-31 record and a second seed in the Western Conference, but got ousted by LeBron and L.A. in the first round last year. Then he started acting stupid on social.
The latest post is not the end of the world. He wasn’t flashing iron or throwing money on strippers in a private club, but he is very tapped into pop culture and his mind state is one of “us against them.”
He appears motivated, but not exactly ready to make peace with the world, own his past mistakes and start to be the leader that his talent, salary and position in the NBA allow him to be. The light the kids need. He still has time to change his energy, but for now he needs motivation to work through his injury and regain the trust of the Grizzles fans and his teammates. So, he once again chooses violence in one form or another.
Kendrick Lamar Ignites Rap Beef With Giants Of The Game
Kendrick Lamar got the culture focused back on the music with his uncredited verse on Metro Boomin and Future’s track “Like That” from the aforementioned collaboration.
In this fiery verse, Kendrick took direct shots at both Drake and J. Cole in response to their song “First Person Shooter,” where J. Cole referred to the trio as the “big three” of rap.
Kendrick didn’t like being lumped in with those guys, especially if they were going to mention him and not invite him on the track. K.Dot made it clear that he was in a class by himself, proclaiming, “N—a, it’s just big me.”
Kendrick went as far as implying that his legacy would outlast Michael Jackson and Prince’s. The roots of this beef trace back to Drake and mega-producer Metro Boomin’s falling out, which led to speculation about bad blood between them. Future and Metro Boomin’ remain cool. This is reportedly a beef that centers on Drake and K.Dot and goes back almost a a decade.
J.Cole and Kendrick are known as supreme lyricists in the game and have been going at it indirectly and openly for years in a competitive rivalry that is turning into bad blood.
So as sides begin to form in a rap mega-war, Ja Morant uses that energy to forewarn everyone who doesn’t think his next comeback will be his best comeback. He doesn’t want no new friends.
