A Diss Track, a Spiritual Pivot, and the Problem of Hypocrisy in Hip-Hop’s Woke Culture
Well, beef is back on the Hip-Hop menu again. Two artists collide, lyrically speaking, entering the arena just as the Kendrick vs. Drake diss session ends.
NLE Choppa released “K.O.” on October 30, 2025. The music reflects NLE’s current aversion to the devil and all things devil-adjacent. He addresses NBA YoungBoy with the lyrics, “You just a pawn on the Devil chessboard, you done.”
The synchronicity of the song/video is remarkable, especially after writing about Mase recently regarding his leaving rap to become a pastor and then returning to it. Currently, NLE Choppa’s diss record toward NBA YoungBoy spins us into a recurring season: spirituality in Hip-Hop via a diss track. How bizarre?
There’s a lot to unpack.
NLE’s Spiritual Journey and the Public Eye
Let’s begin with NLE’s viral moments on Kirk Franklin’s roundtable with other Black, male celebrities. NLE shared many things about his life and perspective about God, expounding on his personal journey. He says he spent months communing with nature and God, claiming that God fed him information which he wrote in notebooks. I’m never upset about a young Black man taking a sabbatical to commune with God. Still, the general public doesn’t know the full extent of NLE’s spiritual journey. We only see a change through his music and personal aesthetic.
Hypocritical Type-Ish
What I am upset about is hypocrisy. I don’t put any value on judging another person, but I’m big on accountability.
A standout moment in the discussion with Kirk Franklin’s show is when comedian Kevon shared his dilemma of loss of faith after his brother died. NLE shared his own story of loss and how he believes that people don’t ever really die—their energy lives forever. Remember that NLE is sitting with some religious Black men.
The conversation went off the rails when Ray J confronted NLE, saying that he wasn’t really listening to the older men at the table. In a Ray J-esque moment, Ray left the table, visibly irritated with NLE’s perceived disrespect for the other men.
Fast forward, NLE drops a diss track against NBA YoungBoy almost three weeks after the Kirk Franklin discussion. The main seasoning on the song is the salt he pours on NBA for being culturally toxic to the youth. This diss comes off super suspect for a man who has said very wild things about violence and sex. It comes full circle to the same criticism people have about Mase becoming a pastor but still rapping about material riches.
Understanding the Hotep Movement
The Hotep movement started back in the 1930s with the Nation of Islam. It was a cultural wave of Black consciousness that uplifted Black people to step away from traditional Christianity. The movement took on an Egyptian curve as Black people started recognizing each other as Kings and Queens. The strict rules of the Islam faith reached the farthest regions of the streets.
It evolved into a mixture of African spirituality, new age philosophy, and Christian ties. Hoteps are not monoliths. It evolved as a way for Black people to grasp a spirituality connected to the wisdom of Islam and/or rebel against the form of Christianity that excludes Black excellence. It shape-shifted into “woke” culture, which is a hybrid of Hotep and an awakening experience.
The challenge is balance.
I am hyper-critical of Christians because I grew up in a church where rules were vitally important to salvation, but the same Christians I worshiped with became the biggest abusers. The church convinced members to fully reject anyone outside the faith. I am increasingly hyper-critical of Hotep/Woke culture because of its similarity to Christianity, which often looks like hypocrisy.
The Culture of Beef and Consequence
Social Media always heightens criticism. We individually have our spirituality/religion/dogma. Then we have a collective experience in Hip-Hop culture in traditions. The ritual is making beef fly—something we can all participate in, either as a cultural discussion or a moment to reflect. It’s a moment for debate and consideration.
I can’t judge a person’s relationship with their higher authority. I can evaluate what the cultural impact of their music is. Kendrick and Drake exposed art designed to entertain versus art designed to uplift or inspire:
“I make music that electrify ’em, you make music that pacify ’em” – Kendrick
NLE is saying that NBA is harming us with his choice of making music:
“You poison the youth, nothin’ positive you do” – NLE
The question is, can we support the message when it comes from a messenger who previously said the opposite with his own mouth?
I vividly remember when I first started hearing the word “Hotep.” It interested me because I was searching for something other than Christianity to fulfill me. I eventually noticed that the Hotep wave also “other’d” people who didn’t fit their narrative. They were hostile to lesbians like me, or anyone who didn’t strictly adhere to their purposed knowledge. It’s very easy to hate people deemed “not like us” (pun intended).
I researched NBA YoungBoy’s life story. He came from the streets and went through many challenges, just like NLE. He came to rap from being incarcerated. He says that he uses music as therapy.
Beyond the Bars
As I reflect on both NLE and NBA YoungBoy’s journeys, I realize that these rap beefs are more than just competition—they’re a mirror for the deeper struggles each artist faces within themselves and with the culture. The excitement of lyrical battles gives us a space to debate, but it also invites us to consider the roots of their messages.
At the intersection of Hip-Hop and spirituality, these conflicts challenge us to listen beyond the bars: to ask what values we embrace, what cycles we repeat, and how we might grow. Ultimately, the energy of the music, and of the beefs themselves, can either divide or uplift us, depending on how we choose to engage with the spirit behind the art.
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