A feud not worth the fuss

The “showdown” between Kanye West and 50 Cent, whose new albums both come out Tuesday, has played out -- it was ridiculous before it began and blatantly illustrated the music-loving public’s eagerness to participate in media events even when they have no larger relevance or even basis in reality.

Of course West’s album is artistically richer than 50’s -- that’s like saying the White Stripes outrank Chris Daughtry, a comparison no one would take seriously, probably because those artists are white and thus not lumped together in one ill-defined category, the way beats-focused African American artists tend to be.

West himself has said the only reason he’s participated in the faux feud is because excitement about hip-hop in general is at an all-time low, and because he and 50 are facing off, “people will care about this release date.” But with only the aforementioned Daughtry achieving impressive sales in any genre this year, a commercial victory for either rapper is bound to be pyrrhic.

The real winner in the rap race this year remains Lil Wayne, whose middling appearance on “Barry Bonds,” one of the less notable cuts on West’s “Graduation,” belies the excitement regularly generated by the myriad tracks he releases online. Bypassing the costly, clunky album form altogether, Lil Wayne is already living in a future where the feuds move as fast as cyberspace.

-- Ann Powers