The Los Angeles Public Library seems to have chosen a side in the monthslong beef between rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
The library’s TikTok account posted a playful video that appears to demonstrate its allegiance to Lamar, a Los Angeles County resident.
Last week, Lamar released a music video for his diss track against Drake “Not Like Us.” The video features several owl references, which fans believe is a nod to the owl mascot representing Drake’s label, October’s Very Own, or OVO.
Over the weekend, the library’s social media accounts posted a video featuring a puppet version of the bird.
“Do we need to retire our owl puppet?” the library wrote in the text that appeared on the video, which was posted on TikTok and Instagram over the weekend.
The video, which had gotten nearly 1 million likes on TikTok as of Monday, shows a raccoon puppet putting the owl puppet into a storage box. Viewers found it comical that the library was weighing in on the rap beef.
The library is not the first brand on social media to weigh in on the rappers’ back-and-forth.
Duolingo’s owl mascot, who has become a viral TikTok celebrity in recent years, posted a video back in May of Duo (the owl’s name) fighting with a bear mascot. “kendrick opened the flood gates #bbldrizzy,” the caption read.
Following Lamar’s Juneteenth concert and the release of the “Not Like Us” music video, the song become a West Coast anthem for many fans.
Lamar said his Juneteenth concert, dubbed “The Pop Out,” had nothing to do with any specific song or “back-and-forth records.”
He ended the concert with a message about bringing Los Angeles, and the entire West Coast, together in a show of unity.
“Let the world see this,” he said during the concert. “You ain’t seen this many sections on one stage keeping it together and having peace.”
