As Vulture rightfully points out, R&B beef just doesn’t hit the same as rap beef. For those that need some catching up, in a new interview with Variety, the Weeknd recalled one of the first moments he felt his music’s impact on the genre, throwing some shade in the process. “House of Balloons literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes,” he said. “I heard ‘Climax,’ that [2012] Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f—, that’s a Weeknd song.’ It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry.”
And that was all it took for fans to go off to the races, stanning their respective artists on either side and the media ate it up as the two artists beefing. In reality, it was a mostly innocuous comment and Usher’s only retort was singing “Climax” a cappella on his Instagram story last night.
Still, Weeknd ended up trending on Twitter. And today, Diplo is trending along with him because, surprise, he worked on “Climax” with Usher.
“The production on Climax lends itself to House of Balloons era @theweeknd,” he tweeted. “When I heard those early records they blew my mind – soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet. the idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher.”
the production on Climax lends itself to House of Balloons era @theweeknd. when I heard those early records they blew my mind – soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet. the idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher
— Thomas Wesley (@diplo) April 9, 2020
The Weeknd returned to put what should have been the nail in the coffin, lamenting the media that “blows things out of proportion and takes things out of context.” He offered some warm words on Usher’s behalf and that should have been it.
Of course media blows things out of proportion and takes things out of context. Usher is a King and always an inspiration so it was flattering to hear what him and Diplo did on climax. XO https://t.co/GdLX4xD58a
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) April 9, 2020
And yet, one of the cowriters on the track, Ariel Rechtshaid, claimed that the song was “inspired in the room without any subconscious or conscious outside influence,” which is… pretty much impossible to claim that you’re not subconsciously inspired by anything. It’s subconscious. You’re literally not conscious of it.
i tweet this with the utmost respect to all parties involved. climax was inspired in the room without any subconscious or conscious outside influence.
— Ariel RechtshAid (@arielrechtshaid) April 9, 2020
Hopefully this is the end of the whole ordeal and we can all go on with our lives.
Photo courtesy of Coachella
