As both artists became more popular they had to deal with an ever-growing number of people trying to use Kendrick or Kanye’s fame as a springboard for their own. And while each artist has come out against these leeches, the reception of their attacks has been drastically different. Kanye’s “Famous” is more infamous at this point, and Kendrick’s “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” has lead good kid, m.A.A.d city to certified Platinum.

The first verse of “Famous” begins with the notorious Taylor Swift line, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.” This turned the world against Kanye West as both entertainment and “real” news stations picked up the story and flayed West for his lies and for continuously attacking poor Taylor Swift (frequently referencing the 2012 VMA debacle). Plot twist: Taylor actually was using the media’s desire to believe her and paint Kanye as a villain to play things up and increase her own popularity. It later came out that Swift knew full well about the line and also backed out of an agreement to reveal the elaborate joke so that people would continue to buy her albums as a protest to Kanye. In other words, she’s a snake and the media believed her.

Kendrick’s calling out of people was less direct, and, rather than causing a media firestorm, caused him to skyrocket up the charts. “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” was one of Kendrick’s first huge hits which included the line “I can feel the new people ‘round me just want to be famous,” among others that signal the song’s core message. Unfortunately, this message was not readily picked up by the radio DJs and Rap Genius scholars that paraded this and “Swimming Pools” as party songs throughout 2013. While the lyrics are a pointed attack on people who try to cut him down or take advantage of his success, the general public has viewed the title and chorus as a party song, screaming “Bitch, don’t kill my vibe” when someone tries to pry a Four Loko out of their hands at 4 AM.

Beyond talking about their experiences and telling off people who are trying to take advantage of them, K-Dot and Kanye are both deeply connected with their cultural backgrounds. In each of their songs, references to black culture, music, and history are everywhere. Two of the most referenced people in their music and in modern black history as a whole, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, are a strong parallel for the way these two have been portrayed by the music industry and media in general.