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On a recent unfiltered livestream, Kanye West delivered another fiery tirade, this time targeting fellow rap heavyweights J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
Known for his unpredictable and often controversial commentary, Kanye didn’t hold back, reigniting long-standing tensions within the Hip-Hop community.
Speaking on J. Cole, Kanye bluntly stated, “When I would meet up with Drake I would ask him why are you working with J. Cole, he’s not an actual person. When people would tell me they like J. Cole I be like don’t tell me that. I hate J. Cole, it can’t even be called music.” The harsh critique left fans stunned, especially given the mutual respect often expressed among the “Big Three” rappers of this generation, Cole, Kendrick, and Drake. Kanye’s dismissal of J. Cole’s artistry seemed personal, bordering on surreal, calling into question whether there’s deeper unresolved beef behind the scenes.
Ye was far from over too. Turning his attention to Kendrick Lamar, Kanye added, “I heard Ben Affleck that Kendrick Lamar is one of his favorite rappers. I was like, bro, anybody that has Kendrick as one of their favorite rappers don’t know rap.” The jab at Kendrick, long praised for his lyricism and cultural impact, raised eyebrows and drew backlash from fans and artists alike.
Whether this was another headline-grabbing rant or a sign of deeper tensions in the Hip-Hop world, Kanye once again reminded everyone, he says what he wants, no matter the fallout.
Bayker Blankenship’s “Maxed Out” is a bankrupt ballad set in a barren landscape of dead-end towns and nearly-empty bars. The narrator drinks a few too many Jack and Cokes when he’s not spending the night in the clink: “I’m getting into fights and I’m falling hard,” Blankenship sings. “I maxed out one more credit card.”
Blankenship released the track in April 2024 through a distribution company called Foundation. “Maxed Out” performed well — so well that Blankenship graduated to Foundation’s sister operation, Santa Anna Label Group, a more high-touch distributor that’s able to put marketing muscle behind its artists.
“I appreciate their expertise on the content and digital side,” says Brian Schwartz, who manages Blankenship. When Santa Anna promotes songs, “they analyze, see what’s working and what’s not,” Schwartz continues. “And they know how to pour the fuel on what’s working.” “Maxed Out” now has more than 121 million on-demand streams in the U.S., according to Luminate.
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Foundation and Santa Anna are both under the command of Todd Moscowitz, the founder of Alamo Records. After launching Alamo in 2016 and introducing Santa Anna at the start of 2023, Moscowitz has cobbled the companies together into “a soup-to-nuts, fully integrated ecosystem where artists [have] a path to graduate to a premier frontline label,” as he puts it. This approach is becoming increasingly common, as both major labels and independents look to sign more acts and offer an array of options that allows those artists to grow over time — while also remaining attached to the company that initially offered them funding.
Foundation functions as a feeder system, signing a lot of young artists, many in hip-hop and R&B, primarily to low-money, short-term distribution deals. Santa Anna is a level up, with the capability to support labels — including OVO Sound, which scored a No. 1 album recently with the PARTYNEXTDOOR–Drake collaboration $ome $exy $ongs 4 U — as well as individual artists who have already generated some momentum. And Alamo is the more traditional frontline label: It signs a small number of artists directly and provides services to each of them.
Hybrid companies like this — offering the flexibility of a distributor but the promotional firepower of a major label — often work better in theory than in practice. Most distributors “don’t know how to take artists to the next level,” Moscowitz acknowledges. At the same time, frontline labels still “don’t have much experience in indie distribution.” Artists can get lost in the messy middle ground between the two business models.
This makes the growth of Santa Anna/Foundation all the more impressive. In 2024, Santa Anna added more than a point (1.04%) of current market share to Alamo’s 2.11% total. Many competitors would hack off an arm to add a point of current market share in a year. (Foundation’s contribution is included in that number.)
Already this year, Alamo has grown to a 2.91% current share through the first quarter — 1.83% of it from Santa Anna/Foundation — which is good for eighth among all labels in the U.S. Getting to release a Drake collaborative album was a coup for the company; $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which Santa Anna co-distributed with Republic Records, earned 246,000 equivalent album units its opening week. The radio-ready single “Nokia” has risen as high as No. 2 on the latest Billboard Hot 100, and remains in the top 10.
“If it’s a lot harder to create superstars, it’s all about, how do you soak up more?” says a senior executive at a competing company. He calls Alamo’s integration with Santa Anna and Foundation “brilliant — and potentially an indicator of where things are going in the future.”
Moscowitz was experimenting with hybrid models inside the major-label system long before it was fashionable. He worked at Def Jam during its 1990s heyday and then moved to Warner Music Group (WMG) in 2004, initially as president of Asylum Records. There, he designed “a fluid system in terms of the deals, because when you’re dealing with entrepreneurs, you must be flexible,” as he put it in 2022. When WMG launched its Independent Label Group in 2006, Moscowitz was named president of the new outfit.
He later co-founded the indie 300 Entertainment, which launched in 2014, before jumping ship to get Alamo off the ground two years later. Alamo, which now functions as a frontline label under the Sony Music umbrella, signed chart-topping rappers like Rod Wave and Lil Durk, who have combined to earn 11 top five Billboard 200 albums for the label, including four No. 1s.
Even as Alamo enjoyed that traditional label success, however, Moscowitz couldn’t help but notice that “distribution [was] becoming an ever more important entry point into the business for artists.” Major labels have launched their own distribution wings one after another in recent years, whether that’s REPUBLIC (Imperial), 300 (Sparta), or more recently, Warner Records (Revolution). To compete in this landscape “with a credible, recognized offering,” Moscowitz invested in Foundation at the end of 2022 and launched Santa Anna shortly after.
In hip-hop, Foundation “was first with this very small advance, very early outreach, blanket approach,” the senior executive says. Another executive familiar with the company says they can easily send out hundreds of deals in a year. Five separate Foundation contracts viewed by Billboard show that in the past, the company often offered artists advances between $20,000 and $30,000 with few guaranteed services. In exchange, the artist has to fork over a set number of songs — maybe two dozen new tracks, or some already-released music along with a smaller number of future records.
Foundation takes a cut of royalties, usually between 20 percent and 30 percent, which attorneys say is in line with industry norms for these sorts of agreements. (Though more competitors are offering similar contracts recently, according to music lawyers, causing advances to rise.) Foundation keeps earning until it recoups its expenses; after that, the company typically gets two or three additional years to collect on the music (known as the “retention period”) before rights revert to the artist. The contracts seen by Billboard auto-renew after recoupment unless artists give the company 30 days’ notice that they want to end the relationship.
Moscowitz is adamant that Foundation’s purpose “is not to have a thousand artists doing 100,000 streams a week and make some distribution revenue.” “Most of our artists’ streams go up dramatically after signing with us,” he says. “Some go up so much that it makes sense to engage the entire company and spend substantial money and effort marketing them.”
That’s where Santa Anna comes into play. While many new distributors have entered the industry in the last decade, “a lot of them don’t do anything,” says Conor Ambrose, founder of the label Listen to the Kids. He partnered with Santa Anna in 2023 due to their ability to help his acts. “Their marketing people are talking to our artists; their playlisting team is talking to our artists,” he says. “Everybody’s actually on the phone every week.”
“Every time we’ve asked Todd for something,” Schwartz adds, “he’s showed up.”
Another difference between Santa Anna and its competitors, according to Moscowitz, is that his operation “will not offer marketing on any artist unless we have a path to long-term rights.” In other words, he doesn’t want to help blow up an artist, only to have that act split to another record company.
“Many of these sorts of deals come with upstream clauses, meaning the major-affiliated distributor — in this case, Santa Anna — may have the right to trade the artist up to a frontline label,” says Loren Wells, a music lawyer familiar with Santa Anna. “The terms of the upstream will be much less favorable than the initial deal. But many young artists may see that outcome as unlikely, or simply think, ‘If the worst case scenario is getting signed to a major label with a decent advance, that’s not really a worst case scenario.’” And in genres like country that still favor old-school record deals, Wells continues, the upstream terms may still seem more appealing than other labels’ traditional offers.
Moscowitz says Santa Anna is able to secure future long-term rights because artists “value what we bring to the table” in terms of marketing and promotion. “If we don’t value ourselves, then no one will ever value us,” the Alamo founder adds.
He is pleased with the results so far. “We have eight or 10 artists like Chuckyy, Raq baby, and Bayker Blankenship who are breaking and will be the future stars of our company,” Moscowitz says. “Santa Anna is functioning exactly the way we want.”
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In a recent appearance on Nick Cannon’s podcast, Birdman revealed that Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, often referred to as his “Big 3,” have collectively generated over $2 billion for Cash Money Records.
Birdman emphasized the massive cultural and financial impact these artists have had on the label and the music industry as a whole. He credited Wayne as the catalyst, not only for his own groundbreaking success, but for discovering and mentoring both Drake and Nicki Minaj, who each went on to become global superstars in their own right.
Baby also highlighted his broader influence in the rap game, naming artists like Future, Young Thug, and NBA YoungBoy as talents he supported early in their careers. He sees his role not just as a label executive, but as a builder of legacies, someone who has helped shape the sound and direction of Hip-Hop over the last two decades.
Cash Money Records, founded in 1991 by brothers Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams in New Orleans, quickly rose to prominence in the late ’90s with acts like Juvenile, B.G., and the Hot Boys, which included a young Lil Wayne.
The label became known for its Southern bounce sound and aggressive business strategy. After partnering with Universal Music Group, Cash Money solidified itself as a powerhouse. With Wayne, Drake, and Nicki leading the charge in the 2000s and 2010s, Cash Money transformed from a regional label into a global brand with a lasting legacy in Hip-Hop.
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Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Euphoria” was already heavy, but according to TDE president Terrence “Punch” Henderson, it could’ve been way more lethal.
In a raw convo with Curtiss King, Punch confirmed there was a longer version of the track that had extra bars aimed at Drake, but some of the more savage shots got cut before the public ever heard it.
When asked about rumors of a 20-minute version, Punch didn’t confirm the exact length, but he kept it real, saying, “There was definitely a version that was longer than what the world got. There was a lot of stuff that didn’t make it on there.” He explained that certain lines just weren’t worth the long-term smoke, so he stepped in. “There was just some things in there that I didn’t think would have been beneficial in the long run, so I gave him my input, and he took some of those things out.”
Even with the edits, “Euphoria” still hit hard and had the rap game buzzing. But Kendrick wasn’t done. He followed up with “Not Like Us,” a track that felt like the final blow, making the culture crown him as the clear winner in the beef. The fact that there was an even more aggressive version of “Euphoria” locked away in the vault just adds to the legend. Kendrick showed he could still cut deep without letting it get too messy, and that’s a different level of control.
Check out the full conversation below:
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The lawsuit filed by Drake against Universal Music Group was amended Wednesday (April 16) to include a new complaint, specifically that the music label used Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy wins and his Super Bowl halftime show performance of “Not Like Us” to promote the single and damage his reputation further. The new addition makes the suit 107 pages in total to account for new allegations.The new complaint states that the halftime performance by Kendrick Lamar, which was seen by 133 million people “including millions of children,” who had “never before heard the song or any of the songs that preceded it. It was the first, and will hopefully be the last, Super Bowl halftime show orchestrated to assassinate the character of another artist.” It goes on to allege that Kendrick Lamar purposefully excluded the word “pedophile” from the song, stating that “on information and belief” that he wouldn’t have been able to perform without that exclusion. The suit also claims that UMG caused intentional harm by negotiating the performance and promoting it afterward, as well as citing that the use of a photo of his Toronto home led to a shooting incident days after the release.The legal team for Drake also claimed that UMG CEO Lucian Grainge hugged and gave a high-five to Dr. Dre as “Not Like Us” played at the Grammy Awards (a YouTube clip of the interaction that was posted doesn’t have the song in the background, however) and that the crowd was singing along to “Not Like Us,” which would win Song and Record of the Year. Another allegation that remains is that bots were used by UMG to push the song on streaming platforms like Spotify. The claim was initially floated by an undisclosed person who appeared on DJ Akademiks’ show to claim he was paid to push the songs by Interscope.UMG issued a lengthy and bruising response to the amended complaint shortly after, writing in part: “Two weeks ago, his representatives celebrated a ‘win’: the granting of a routine discovery motion. That ‘win’ will become a loss if this frivolous and reckless lawsuit is not dropped in its entirety because Drake will personally be subject to discovery as well. As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for.’”
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Source: Kick / Adin Ross / Drake
Drake has another album on the way, and according to the Canadian musician, it’s got some bops on it, but fans are asking him to take a break.
Hopping on Adin Ross’ Kick stream Sunday night, Drake announced to the MAGA-loving streamer’s Kick audience that he has another solo album on the way.
Surprised at the revelation, Ross further expounded by asking Drizzy if it was a solo album, and Kendrick Lamar’s favorite punching bag responded yes.
Drake added that the forthcoming project has “slaps” while thanking fans for support for his latest music, which is more than likely his latest song, “Nokia,” which is currently racing up the charts.
The visual for the record, which some believe was Drake’s way of trolling Kendrick Lamar, was the greatest gainer on Urban and Rhythmic radio this past week.
While Drake is excited to flood streaming services and airwaves with more music, folks on X want Drizzy to take some time and chill because they are tired of hearing from the artist.
“Keep it bro no one will be listening,” one person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote.
Another user wrote, “Another 19 track snooze fest to keep inflating streaming numbers.”
“I hope it’s better this last weak album he did with PND. That was trash,” another post read.
Well damn.
Also, during the stream, Ross asked Drake if he would ever get in the boxing ring with the rapper responding “No” but asking the streamer, “Who do you want me to— I don’t even have to ask.”
We all know Ross was asking about Kendrick Lamar without having to guess. Drake did say he would rather fight someone behind closed doors at a gym or something close to that.
Welp.
You can see more reactions to Drake being on Adin Ross’ stream below.
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Baka Not Nice, the rapper and close Drake affiliate, recently spoke out about his name being dropped in Kendrick Lamar’s explosive diss track “Not Like Us.”
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At one point in the “Not Like Us” diss track, Kendrick says, “Baka has a weird case. Why is he around?”. According to Yahoo, Baka was allegedly accused in 2014 of forcing a 22-year-old woman into prostitution. In 2015, he ended up pleading guilty to assaulting her and violating rules related to some separate gun charges, as reported by The Toronto Sun.
The song shook the entire Hip-Hop world and went viral, even getting a performance at the Super Bowl halftime show. For Baka, though, the track wasn’t just some rap beef, it was a personal attack that had him heated.
Baka kept it 100 about his initial reaction: “At first, the instinct was to respond quick. Where I’m from, that sh*t don’t happen. You can’t just call out a man with no receipts. That’s wild,” he said. The way people ate up the diss, treating it like fact, only added to the frustration. “Everybody has to understand, I got a kid, Drake got a kid. Making accusations like that is crazy,” he added, letting it be known that this wasn’t just rap talk, it hit home.
It wasn’t long before Baka got a message from “The Boy” aka Drake, that helped him chill. “Yo, I know how you feel, I know how you get down. Don’t let the noise get to you, it’s just noise. All those people talkin’ ain’t even real. They’re bots,” Drake told him. That advice helped Baka fall back and avoid doing or saying something he’d regret.
Drake’s homie Baka made it clear: once people start doing their research and realize Kendrick just made up a whole story, they should be looking at Kendrick funny, not him or Drake. It’s a reminder that Hip-Hop narratives are powerful, but they’re also easily twisted. Facts always come out, and when they do, the truth will speak louder than the lies.
Check out the clip below:
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Kevin Mazur/BBMA2017 / Getty
A bizarre and unsettling video surfaced last month showing two unidentified men dropping off a coffin outside DJ Khaled’s Miami home.
The casket was marked with the words “R.I.P Drake,” instantly sparking speculation about its meaning and intent. The footage, captured by security cameras, shows the men engaging in a strange ritual after leaving the coffin. They kneel beside it, seemingly praying or possibly casting a hex, while making cryptic hand gestures toward the sky. The security guard on duty appears visibly confused, unsure of how to respond to the eerie scene.
When Kendrick Lamar dropped “Not Like Us,” a lot of fans started rocking with him over Drake, and that’s when the “Drake hate” really kicked off.
Strangely, DJ Khaled wasn’t the only one to receive such a chilling delivery. Just two days earlier, rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine had a nearly identical experience at his Florida home. In his case, the coffin was labeled “R.I.P King Von,” referencing the late Chicago rapper who was fatally shot in 2020. The eerie coincidences have fueled numerous conspiracy theories, with some suggesting the acts were meant as intimidation tactics or a form of ritualistic symbolism.
Nobody knows who’s behind these creepy acts, and no one’s explained why they’re happening. Some people think it might just be a weird publicity stunt, while others are worried it could mean something darker. The authorities haven’t said anything yet, leaving fans and the hip-hop community wondering who’s doing this and what message they’re trying to send.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Daniel Torok / Getty
It’s not a secret that Michael Jordan is an avid gambler, even if there’s been a scarcity of detailed stories revealed. But Drake unveiled a battle that he had with the NBA legend in an interview for Stake, the online casino and sports betting company. Drake has a longstanding endorsement deal with Stake. The Honestly, Nevermind artist shared how he wound up in a tight battle over ping-pong with Jordan in the video, which was posted via Instagram last Thursday (March 20).
“He’ll gamble on anything. I think it was All-Star Weekend in Toronto and he had an event to be at, and I beat him at ping pong a couple of times,” he recalled. Drake referred to the former Chicago Bulls guard as his “gambling G.O.A.T.” before adding: “He just wouldn’t leave the ping pong table. He just kept betting bands. Like, 10 bands, 20 bands. He kept betting ’cause he just couldn’t stomach the loss. He’s definitely not a quitter. I respect him deeply for his gambling nature.”
The interview initially began with Drake being asked about the biggest win he ever had in gambling. The first question simply asked the Canadian superstar what his biggest win was. “Fuck… tax questions,” he responded while laughing. “The biggest win I ever had, I was actually in Dave & Busters — and this is [a] testament to playing in a brick-and-mortar casino versus playing on Stake. I was getting this random girl to call roulette numbers and I hit, like, eight out of 10 numbers. I think by the end of the night, we had won like $38 million, $40 million. Yeah, $40 million.” Drake continued, “It was crazy. The craziest night ever gambling, for sure. January of 2024 was crazy. There’s not even a word for it.”
Drake’s gambling adventures have become a much-discussed topic among Hip-Hop fans, particularly his losses. He lost $355,000 betting on Mike Tyson to beat influencer-turned-brawler Jake Paul. Paul won the fight by unanimous decision, thwarting a potential million-dollar payday. Drake also lost a reported $2 million by betting on Israel Adesanya to defeat eventual victor Alex Perreira in their UFC bout in 2022.
https://x.com/2Cool2Blog/status/1902952874604134669
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Cole Burston / Getty / Drake
Drake is once again the butt of jokes on social media, and it’s not because Kendrick Lamar dropped another diss record but because his own label had bars for him.
Spotted on Variety, Universal Music Group let the chopper spray on Drizzy in a motion to dismiss the Canadian’s lawsuit against the music label accusing them of pushing Lamar’s epic diss record, “Not Like Us.”
In the dismissal, UMG claims that Drake is in his feelings and suing because he “lost a rap battle” and his decision to sue was only to “salve his wounds.”
Damn.
Per Variety:
The motion, filed earlier today and reviewed by Variety, took a cutting approach to making the case for dismissal, claiming that Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated. Instead of accepting the loss like the unbothered rap artist he often claims to be, he has sued his own record label in a misguided attempt to salve his wounds. Plaintiff’s Complaint is utterly without merit and should be dismissed with prejudice.”
The filing also calls the rapper who claimed to “study rap battles for a living” a hypocrite, noting that less than three years ago, he signed a public petition criticizing “the trend of prosecutors using artists’ creative expression against them” and stating their lyrics as fact. “Drake was right then and is wrong now.”
The motion continues, “Complaint’s unjustified claims against UMG are no more than Drake’s attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar.”
Drizzy’s Attorney Responds To UMG’s Filing
Drake did respond, well his attorney, Michael J. Gottlieb, did in a statement shared with Variety.
“UMG wants to pretend that this is about a rap battle in order to distract its shareholders, artists and the public from a simple truth: a greedy company is finally being held responsible for profiting from dangerous misinformation that has already resulted in multiple acts of violence. This motion is a desperate ploy by UMG to avoid accountability, but we have every confidence that this case will proceed and continue to uncover UMG’s long history of endangering, abusing and taking advantage of its artists.”
Social Media Is Clowning Drake
Drake’s attempt to sue UMG was already frowned upon by music and Hip-Hop fans alike, and now he catching more strays after getting clowned by his own label.
“UMG literally hit Drake with a Reverse uno,” one post on X, formerly Twitter, read.
Another post read, “all that talk of kendrick being a hypocrite drummed up by that fanbase only for UMG to point out how drake is also one……”
Welp.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.