Chart Review: 10th May 2024

Making sense of a nation’s musical tastes.

Of the five new entries to the Top 40, four of them relate to the biggest story in music thus far this year, and must be talked about together. To that end, let’s get Dua Lipa’s “These Walls” (40) out of the way fairly quickly. 

That’s a little unfair, as I actually quite like this one. Lipa’s third album has received a bit of a kicking in the press, with the consensus as I see it being that it’s a serious step down from her last two LPs, and is almost parodically unrevealing of her as a person. I’ve also seen at least two write-ups taking her to task for failing to deliver on the Britpop-influenced gear she’d promised. I think it’s pretty decent on the whole, though definitely her worst work to date. This is a breezy bit of pure pop, with a lovely slide guitar part and an instantly catchy chorus. Thematically it’s hardly thrilling, but a break up song is more interesting than her succession of “you’re not good enough for me” tunes that she led the album off with. I think the whole point of Lipa is that she’s super polished and slick; it’s basic to a degree but there are plenty of artists providing drama or revealing songs if that’s what you’re after.

Talking of drama, the rest of the new stuff in this week’s chart comes directly from the Kendrick/Drake beef. “Meet The Grahams” (28), “Family Matters” (17), “Euphoria” (11), and “Not Like Us” (10)” all enter the Top 40 for the first time, with “Euphoria” having leapt up from (50). The Kendrick-featuring “Like That” which sort of kick started all this nonsense has also jumped up to (20), though Drake’s first attack, “Push Ups”, is down six to (30), so that’s that taken care of. 

The take-o-meter has swung hither and yon in the approx. month since this really kicked into gear (we’ll call the start point the release of “Push Ups”, given J Cole’s laudable decision to just step away from the whole palaver). It’s gone from I wonder who’ll win to I wonder what secrets will be spilled next to stop, Kendrick, he’s already dead to actually this whole thing is a shame and you should feel bad for enjoying it. The whole thing has been discoursed to death, every YouTuber has had their say, it’s not all that deep and there’s not a lot to add. Drake showed up but Kendrick went nuclear (and had a genius, quickfire market strangling release strategy). Hopefully it’s about done without anything truly regrettable happening. 

We can, however, still discuss the songs a bit. “Euphoria” seemed to receive a somewhat lukewarm reception on release. People were itching to see Drake cooked as badly as he was in his Pusha T beef, but Kendrick’s first cut wasn’t quite it. It was as expected, with Lamar showing off his vocal versatility and hitting Drake from obvious angles - he’s a weird bloke, he chases clout through his features, he’s not authentic etc. 

Drake’s “Family Matters” rebuttal may have won him most feuds. His aim is clearly to prove that he can really rap, and he goes all out, spitting at pace over the first five minutes of a pretty anonymous beat. In between the usual short jokes, he takes a few pops at Lamar’s family, and in the most notable bar accuses him of domestic abuse. This seems to have been brushed under the carpet for reasons that will become obvious. I’m not sure Lamar’s even addressed the accusation - everyone, including me, seems to simply be hoping that it isn’t true. 

“Meet The Grahams” is easily my favourite tune in this beef, and a strong contender for track of the year, even though it’s quite remarkably unpleasant. Props go first of all to The Alchemist for the beat (not prepared specifically for the feud, I don’t think). It’s a creeping, piano-led tune that does so much to generate the sinister atmosphere. The rest is down to Kendrick. The structure is superb, with each verse directed (by name) to a member of Drake’s family, and finally the man himself. It really kicks into gear when Lamar addresses Drake’s parents - he takes a breath, and his calm voice suddenly turns forceful and angry as he wishes death on his enemy, while he levies myriad accusations of paedophilia, coercion, et al. You can’t exactly say it’s healthy for this to be part of the culture, but boy is it a riveting track. 

I’m not quite as into “Not Like Us”, but it serves as a victory lap for Lamar, who has by now absolutely won the war. The beat by Mustard is a master stroke, bouncy and bassy, Kendrick and his crew partying on Drake’s grave. While “Meet The Grahams” was terrifying, this one’s gleeful. The bars are less complex, more direct (“Certified Loverboy / certified pedophile” - amazing) and jokey. On its own I think this would have fallen a little flat, but as a one-two punch this is a great way to cap a feud (Drake did respond in due time but I haven’t bothered with that one). Folk are already dubbing this the song of the summer, and it’s amazing to imagine parties going off to a song accusing one of the biggest names in music of noncing. Funny old world.

Sabrina Carpenter’s at (1) again with “Espresso”. It’s still a great song, and you can listen to it without feeling as though you’re wallowing in something truly grim, which always helps. 

Pick of the week: Kendrick Lamar - “Meet The Grahams”