2024 was an eventful year in pop culture; the rap battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar kicked off with the two rappers constantly dropping music. Then, there was the 2024 Olympics, which were held in Paris. Overall, the USA did extraordinarily well; however, some specific athletes stood out not only to me but also to the internet. Lastly, 2024 wrapped up with the hit musical Wicked coming to theaters. The entire movie was a success, especially the song Defying Gravity, which touched the hearts and minds of people all over the world. 

Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar: The Battle of The Rappers

Two of the most famous rappers of the 21st century are now in the midst of a battle. However, they were not always at war with each other. In 2011, they were friends. Lamar was even featured on Drake’s album Take Care.

Years later, the two rappers grew a deep hatred for each other. Although this dispute started before 2024, this year was the most impactful. In response to Drake’s song First Person Shooter, which was released on Drake’s 2023 album called For All The Dogs, Kendrick released Like That in March of 2024 which featured Future and Metro Boomin. In this song, Kendrick said, “F the big three, it’s just big me,” indicating that he was better than his competitors, Drake and J. Cole.

Shortly after, Drake releases his song Push Ups in response to Like That. In his song, Drake dethrones Kendrick from “the big three,” stating that “SZA got you wiped down, Travis got you wiped down, Savage got you wiped down.” However, Like That managed to gain more popularity, being No. 1 on the billboard charts for three weeks straight. Overall, although both songs were good, it made sense why Like That reached the charts. Push Ups had a catchy beat, but Kendrick’s lyrics beat Drake’s by far.

In April, Kendrick released euphoria, a six minute diss that dismisses Drake’s song Push Ups. Once again, Kendrick uses his brilliant lyrics to take down Drake. A month later, Kendrick released Not Like Us, where he labeled Drake a pedophile. This song rose to immense popularity and was one of the most played songs throughout the summer of 2024.

After no new music from either artist for months, Kendrick drops a surprise album called Wacced Out Murals. On the first song of the album, he says, “Before I take a truce, I’ll take ’em to hell with me,” indicating that he does not intend on forgiving Drake any time soon. The battle is far from over, but it seems Kendrick is in the lead.

Olympics 2024: The Gain To Fame

In 2024, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, the Dodgers won the World Series, and the Celtics won NBA finals. However, none of those events matched the excitement and energy of the 2024 summer Olympics, which were held in Paris, France. 

Two very impressive athletes gained their fame this Olympic season. Ilona Maher, a player on the USA Women’s National Rugby team received her fame after leading her team to the Bronze medal. However, she also went viral on social media for promoting body positivity. She stated that BMI (body mass index) does not matter, and that it does not determine whether a person is healthy or not. After going viral, she used her platform to show that women’s bodies are all different, and that no two people look the same.

The other gain to fame was Stephen Nedorosick, also knows as “Pommel Horse Guy.” He became famous for his outstanding performance on the pommel horse. He won the bronze medal for doing a routine even more difficult than the gold medalist. However, he was also known for his likable personality and TV appearance. 

Both Ilona and Stephen were on the TV show Dancing With The Stars, which gave people a greater insight into who they as people instead of athletes. 

These two renowned athletes continue to shine both in their sports and on social media. Ilona Maher still continues to use her platform to spread body positivity towards women around the world. On the other hand, Stephen Nedorosick uses his platform to post his training, and time with family. Overall, these are the two most inspirational and iconic athletes in the 2024 Olympics, and definitely deserved their gain to fame.

Wicked’s Defying Gravity: The Most Iconic Scene of 2024

To wrap up 2024, the hit broadway musical Wicked turned into a movie featuring Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba). Wicked is the powerful story of the villain in the Wizard of Oz, The Wicked Witch of The West. This movie shows how people will be so quick to judge a person based on their appearance, emphasizing the importance of not being so abrupt to make assumptions about a person’s personality and their life. 

In the last scene of the movie, Cynthia Erivo performs Defying Gravity, where she belts out insanely high notes while doing crazy stunts. Directors were amazed by how she was able to do both at the same time. 

Shortly after the movie came out, the internet went wild. Tiktok took over the audio, creating new memes and trends such as people attempting to sing the famous riff and others pretending to fly on a broom while singing the song. However, the movie also sparked a discussion about racism and antisemitism and how people are still battling this today.

 Defying Gravity was arguably the perfect ending to the movie. I left the theater with a tear down my cheek and a curiosity for what is to come next.