Dealing with dissing

It was supposed to be Drake’s year.

Following his 2011 blockbuster second album, “Take Care,” the Canadian rapper seemed poised to conquer the rap world faster than any rapper before him.

Last year, Drake broke records, climbing to highest-charting rap artist in history with the most No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Although Drake didn’t release an album in 2012, he was easily one of the most talked about rappers.

So many hit collaborations and guest verses were released that Drake himself said the radio sounded like “Drake featuring Drake.”

That is, until Kendrick Lamar arrived.

Kendrick’s instant-classic debut album, “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” took the hip-hop world by storm with critical acclaim and massive popularity.

Kendrick was quickly everywhere, and Drake’s onslaught of guest features dwindled down as Kendrick began to hop on track after track.

In retrospect, it’s only natural two of hip-hops most promising acts wouldn’t get along.

The catalyst for the duo’s current beef began as a warning shot.

Kendrick’s now infamous “Control” verse was released about a month before Drake’s third album, “Nothing Was the Same,” stealing the spotlight from Drake.

If you still haven’t heard it, Kendrick calls out several of rap’s rising stars by name — including Drake — essentially telling them to step up their game.

Though some rappers praised Kendrick’s verse, Drake was apathetic.

During his press junket to promote “Nothing Was the Same,” Drake dismissed the verse as nothing more than a “fleeting Twitter frenzy,” arguing it didn’t contain the lasting power of his own work.

One week ago, Kendrick released a more pointed attack at Drake at the BET Music Awards.

Though he never said Drake’s name, Kendrick’s aggressive performance was clearly taking shots, referring to Drake as a “sensitive rapper” and saying “nothing was the same since (I) dropped ‘Control.’”

Drake has not responded to Kendrick’s latest remarks.

What happens from here remains a mystery.

On paper, it would appear Drake has still had an excellent year.

His album had the second highest first-week sales of any artist in 2013, and he’s had three Top 20 hits on the Billboard chart.

He is poised to embark on a massive North American tour this winter.

Still, it hardly feels as if Drake is in a winning position at the moment.

Though Drake has never pretended to be tough in the same vein as someone like 50 Cent, his raps contain plenty of masculine chest-thumping and self-aware brags.

Will Drake simply ignore Kendrick’s repeated shots at him?

From a lyrical standpoint, Kendrick is superior to Drake, and embarking on a full-scale beef with the genre’s newest icon may not be a wise move for Drake.

However, ignoring Kendrick’s slights would be an even worse decision for Drake’s career.

It was only a year ago Drake felt comfortable enough in his success to diss Common on “Stay Schemin.”

If Drake is willing to beef with a 40-year-old hip-hop legend, but not Kendrick, it speaks volumes.

Drake may have massive popularity now, but success in hip-hop is always fleeting.

No artist is ever untouchable and safe.

Just think how few rappers have remained relevant for longer than 10 years.

Kendrick’s verbal jabs may not be hurting Drake’s popularity at the moment, but how he chooses to deal with Kendrick could have a lasting impact on his legacy. I guess we’ll see who’s relevant a decade from now, eh, Drake?