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Source: Mark Blinch/@smiley61st / Getty
Drake is back at it again, handing out what fans jokingly call another “stimulus package,” this time to his OVO Sound signee, Smiley.
Their new collaboration, “2 Mazza,” appears on Smiley’s latest project “Don’t Box Me In“. The track marks another co-sign from “The Boy,” continuing the partnership that began in 2021 with their viral hit “Over The Top.” That song had the internet going crazy, not just for Drake’s verse, but for Smiley’s distinct delivery and the now-infamous line, “Prada and Gucci don’t go together.”
But this time, the reception hasn’t been as warm. While Drake’s presence usually guarantees a flood of attention, fans have been more muted, and at times critical, about “2 Mazza.” Some listeners feel the energy is off, and even loyal OVO fans are questioning whether this collab meets the high bar set by their first joint effort. Smiley’s unique cadence continues to split opinion, and though Drake’s verse brings his usual confidence, it hasn’t sparked the same level of excitement as in past features.
Smiley, who signed to Drake’s OVO Sound imprint under Warner Records in 2021, continues to build his presence with Don’t Box Me In, which also features appearances from IceWear Vezzo and fellow OVO affiliate Baka Not Nice. Despite mixed reactions, the project reflects Smiley’s refusal to fit into a conventional mold, hence the title.
Whether “2 Mazza” grows on fans or fades out quietly, it’s clear that Drake is still betting on Smiley. Check out some of the early online reactions to this new collaboration below, and decide for yourself if the OVO duo still has that viral magic.
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DJ Akademiks recently shared a story about something that happened at Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “The Pop Out Ken & Friends” concert in Detroit.
According to Akademiks, he ran into Dave Free, who’s a close friend and business partner of Kendrick Lamar. During their brief conversation, Dave Free allegedly asked him, “What are you getting from this? Is Drake paying you?”
Ak says he was shocked and offended by the question. He’s been very outspoken during the recent rap battle between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, often showing strong support for Drake. However, he calls cap and made it clear that no one is paying him to express his opinions, and that all his views are his own. “That was the most insulting thing,” Akademiks said after the event, explaining how upset he was by the idea that he could be on Drake’s payroll.
The drama between Kendrick and Drake was intense, and it’s brought a lot of personal stuff into the spotlight. In one of Drake’s diss tracks, “Family Matters,” he even mentioned Dave Free by name, claiming that one of Kendrick’s kids might actually be Dave Free’s. That bar caused a lot of talk online and probably added to the tension between Dave Free and Akademiks.
Even though Akademiks is known for being involved in Hip-Hop drama, this situation shows how serious things have gotten during this battle. It’s not just about music anymore, it’s about real-life relationships and reputations. Whether Dave Free was joking or being serious, Akademiks made it known that he doesn’t take kindly to anyone questioning his honesty. He wants people to understand that his support for Drake isn’t because of money, but because that’s what he truly thinks.
This moment is just another example of how intense and personal the Kendrick vs. Drake feud has become, extending beyond the music and drawing other prominent names in Hip-Hop into the mix.
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JPEGMAFIA is a difficult artist to explain to casual Hip-Hop listeners, and that’s exactly how he seems to prefer to be perceived by fans. In a new interview, JPEGMAFIA had choice words for Drake, The Alchemist, and Earl Sweatshirt while sharing his aims in becoming a major star in music.
JPEGMAFIA, who previously worked with Ye Ye, spoke with Billboard backstage ahead of his Governors Ball Music Festival set last weekend, and his candid discussion with the outlet was just as outsized as the music he creates. Of course, the portion of the interview that snagged headlines was his barbs aimed at Drake.
From Billboard:
People yearn for something new, especially in rap. We’re yearning, we’re tired. We don’t wanna hear Drake complain about b—hes anymore. We don’t f—king care, he’s 40. We need something different. I’m here to try to provide and cultivate that as much as I can because rap fans are f—king bored.
In another portion of the interview, JPEGMAFIA was asked about fusing the sounds of hardcore, a scene where the Baltimore native cut his teeth, with Hip-Hop.
“Alchemist, Earl and them? They’ve been making the same f—king song for the last twenty f—king years. Nobody gives a s—t. I’m not them,” JPEGMAFIA said.
Check out the full interview here.
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Photo: Frank Hoensch / Getty
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Drake is making his long-awaited return to the UK and Europe this summer with the $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK EU tour, and it’s about to be a movie.
Produced by Live Nation, the arena run kicks off July 20 in Birmingham at Utilita Arena, right after he headlines all three nights of Wireless Festival (July 11–13) at Finsbury Park, London. Each night comes with a different setlist and surprise guests, and fans clearly weren’t playing around. The festival sold out in minutes, breaking records as the fastest sell-out in its 20-year history.
Rolling with him for the full tour is none other than PARTYNEXTDOOR, his longtime collaborator and fellow OVO signee. After Birmingham, Drake hits Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, and more, before wrapping up September 23 in Hamburg, Germany at Barclays Arena.
This marks “The Boy’s” first time back in Europe since his 2019 Assassination Vacation Tour, which saw him bring some dope performances and surprise guests to packed-out arenas across the continent. That tour followed the release of “Scorpion” and showed why Drizzy continues to dominate global stages.
The momentum hasn’t stopped. Earlier this year, the OVO top dog tore through Australia with the “Anita Max Win Tour”, and before that, he ran the “It’s All A Blur Tour” across North America, 80 sold-out dates featuring 21 Savage and J. Cole, bringing deep cuts, massive hits, and unforgettable visuals.
Now, the 6 God is setting his sights on Europe once again. Whether you’re a day-one fan or just catching on, one thing’s clear, when Drake hits the stage, it’s more than a concert. It’s a cultural event.
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Source: Prince Williams/Wireimage / Prince Williams/Wireimage
Drake set a wild new record, he’s now the only artist with 10 diamond-certified tracks under his belt.
The RIAA confirmed that both “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and his breakout banger “Best I Ever Had” have officially gone diamond, meaning each has moved over 10 million units. That puts him at the top, passing every other artist in the game when it comes to diamond hits. Once the news hit Instagram, the reactions were all over the place.
Some fans gave him his flowers, with one person writing, “You can’t hate on this… greatness right here.” But the Kendrick vs. Drake debate popped right back up. A Kendrick fan jumped in saying, “Nobody said Drake didn’t have hits, we just saying Dot raps better. The machine behind Drake been running strong for years.”
While everyone’s talking numbers, Drake’s already back in the lab. He told Adin Ross during a stream on Kick that he’s cooking up something new, calling the next project a “slap.” His post on IG with the caption “Iceman” had fans guessing that it might be tied to the name or vibe of his next drop. If true, it’ll be his first solo album since For All the Dogs in 2023.
On top of that, he’s linking up with Kai Cenat for a new music video for “SOMEBODY LOVES ME.” They’re running a contest where fans can submit their ideas for a chance to win $15K and get featured in the final cut. Drake even popped up at Cenat’s “Streamer University” event last weekend, keeping his finger on the pulse of what’s hot online.
At this point, Drake isn’t just breaking records, he’s rewriting the rules.
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It’s no secret that Drake needs a win (bad), as the past year has been tough on the Canadian rap crooner’s career thanks to a certified Boogeyman who resides out in Los Angeles.
Though the embattled artist has been keeping a somewhat low profile as of late as he regroups and plans his next moves, Drake did make some noise this past weekend when he announced that OVO Fest would be returning after a hiatus for the last few years and that Central Cee will indeed be taking part in the upcoming festivities. Popping up at Central Cee’s concert in Toronto this past weekend, Drizzy informed the crowd that OVO Fest will be making a comeback this summer, telling his adoring home crowd “OVO Fest back this year,” and letting Central Cee know “So we’ll need you there for that, but you already know what it is.”
Though Drizzy has yet to make an official announcement, it seems like he’s ready to get back in the spotlight this summer and is planning on recruiting some of his Hip-Hop peers to get it popping at his next OVO Fest.
With the last OVO Fest having taken place in 2022 (when Drake was on top of the world) and including the likes of Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Nelly Furtado, it will be interesting to see who Drake can get to pull up to his upcoming festivities as some artists are still wary of being associated with the “0 To 100” rapper due to the hate that he’s still getting from many in the culture thanks to his beef with Kendrick Lamar.
Still, we’re sure he’ll have enough pull with certain artists (such as Central Cee apparently) that should OVO Fest 2025 actually happen, it will be quite the spectacle for music fans to enjoy and bring some much needed positive vibes to the King of the North, who’s been scowling on his throne for quite some time now.
What do y’all think about Drake bringing back OVO Fest this summer? Who would you like to see pop up at the event? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Source: Getty Images / Drake / Tory Lanez
You can add Drake to the list of people who just can’t accept that Tory Lanez shot Megan Thee Stallion.
Drake shared a link to a petition calling for Governor Gavin Newsom to pardon Canadian Yosemite Sam, aka Tory Lanez, after he was stabbed 14 times in prison.
On Friday, Drake posted via his Instagram Stories, “@torylanez come home soon” along with the link to a Change.org petition “Pardon Tory Lanez: Urge Governor Newsom to Correct a Deep Injustice,” which now has over 236,000 signatures.
Source: Instagram / Drake
The petition first sprouted up on Tory Lanez’s social media accounts in the wake of a non-profit organization called Unite the People claiming that it has testimony from a bodyguard that would absolve Lanez of the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion.
Walter Roberts, who is the “lead consultant” of the group, claimed a man named Bradley James, who said he was the bodyguard of Megan Thee Stallion’s former best friend, Kelsey Harris, approached him claiming to be a witness to Harris admitting to shooting Megan Thee Stallion.
Megan Thee Stallion’s attorney, Alex Spiro, issued a statement on his client’s behalf: “Tory Lanez was tried and convicted by a jury of his peers, and his case was properly adjudicated through the court system. This is not a political matter — this is a case of a violent assault that was resolved in a court of law.”
Thee Stallion is also unbothered as she just recently announced her swimwear line.
Drake Is Getting Dragged On X
She doesn’t have to address the situation because social media has been dragging Drake and Chris Brown for yelling Free Tory. Brown was recently locked up abroad for an incident a year ago and denied bail on the matter.
“Drake was quiet for Kendrick, but real loud for Megan, a woman! #SIMP,” one post on X, formerly Twitter, read.
Welp.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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Source: Mike Marsland/Variety / Mike Marsland/Variety
Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin have been hit with a lawsuit over their chart-topping track “Like That,” stemming from alleged unpaid royalties related to a sample.
Veteran rapper Rodney O claims that the song uses elements from his classic track “Everlasting Bass” without proper compensation or credit. The legal action also targets the estate of Barry White, whose music appears on the Kanye West remix of the song. Rodney O argues that he never received full payment or acknowledgment for the use of his work, especially when the song was submitted for Grammy consideration without his name in the songwriting credits.
He also says he was not given the version of the track that features Kendrick Lamar’s headline-making verse dissing Drake, which has become one of the most talked-about moments in recent rap history. A spokesperson for Metro Boomin countered the claims, stating that they did secure rights to the sample and paid Rodney O $50,000. They also pointed to the Barry White estate as a possible reason for delayed royalty distribution, citing its ties to Epic Records as a potential complication.
The Barry White estate has yet to issue a statement regarding the lawsuit. As “Like That” continues to dominate the conversation in hip-hop, the legal dispute adds another layer of controversy—highlighting ongoing issues around sample clearances, fair compensation, and proper credit in the music industry.
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Source: Mike Marsland/Variety / Mike Marsland/Variety
Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin have been hit with a lawsuit over their chart-topping track “Like That,” stemming from alleged unpaid royalties related to a sample.
Veteran rapper Rodney O claims that the song uses elements from his classic track “Everlasting Bass” without proper compensation or credit. The legal action also targets the estate of Barry White, whose music appears on the Kanye West remix of the song. Rodney O argues that he never received full payment or acknowledgment for the use of his work, especially when the song was submitted for Grammy consideration without his name in the songwriting credits.
He also says he was not given the version of the track that features Kendrick Lamar’s headline-making verse dissing Drake, which has become one of the most talked-about moments in recent rap history. A spokesperson for Metro Boomin countered the claims, stating that they did secure rights to the sample and paid Rodney O $50,000. They also pointed to the Barry White estate as a possible reason for delayed royalty distribution, citing its ties to Epic Records as a potential complication.
The Barry White estate has yet to issue a statement regarding the lawsuit. As “Like That” continues to dominate the conversation in hip-hop, the legal dispute adds another layer of controversy—highlighting ongoing issues around sample clearances, fair compensation, and proper credit in the music industry.
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Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
Rick Ross has revealed he’s open to ending his long-standing beef with Drake, hinting at the possibility of reconciliation between the two Hip-Hop heavyweights.
During a recent interview with Bootleg Kev, the Maybach Music Group boss spoke candidly about the tension between him and his former collaborator. “Real n****s stay real,” Ross said. “Was it something really deep? Nah. F**k that, though. But if it’s real, it’s real and that’s what it is.” His words suggest that the fallout wasn’t as personal as fans might have thought, leaving the door open for future peace.
Rozay even joked about the price of a potential truce, saying, “You never know, if a n***a send me a bottle of Luc Belaire, especially the white one. Send me a white Belaire and I’ll take a picture with you.” Known for his sense of humor and love for the finer things, Ross’ comment lightened the mood but also hinted at real willingness to bury the hatchet.
Ross and Drake have a proven track record of delivering iconic tracks like “Stay Schemin’,” “Lord Knows,” and “Aston Martin Music.” Their chemistry in the studio has consistently produced timeless hits, making them one of hip-hop’s most powerful duos. Fans have long hoped to see them reunite, and with Ross expressing openness to squash the beef, that dream might not be far off. A reconciliation could mark the return of greatness — something the culture would no doubt celebrate.