drake
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We think it’s safe to say that 2024 wasn’t too kind to Drake as Kendrick Lamar basically turned a good portion of the culture against the Canadian crooner/rapper, but before that Drizzy was embroiled in a heated battle with Pusha T and his former producer, Pharrell caught a wild stray as a result.
In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Pharrell was asked about a 2023 Drake “diss” when the King of The North threatened to melt down some of Skateboard P’s fancy jewelry that he purchased after Pharrell sold off more than a million dollars worth of his personal belongings. In his guest appearance on Travis Scott’s 2023 cut “MELTDOWN,” Drake threatened to, well, meltdown some of Pharrell’s signature chains and pieces saying “Man, f*ck all that spinnin’ the narrative sh*t / I melt down the chains that I bought from yo’ boss / Give a f*ck about all of that heritage sh*t.”
While we Drake ever followed through with his threat at all, Pharrell doesn’t seem to care much for what might’ve happened to his old jewelry anyway. When asked if he was phased when he found out that Drake was buying his old iced out pieces, Pharrell gave an honest answer and explanation behind it.
Per GQ:
No, because I think beyond all of the on-goings, at the heart of all of it, he’s a fan of music. He’s a fan of the history of what it is, and I happen to be a part of that, and those artifacts are a part of it.
And then when he was rapping about melting the jewelry down and saying, “Come get his legacy out my house” and all that stuff, how did that strike you?
It didn’t.
That didn’t strike you?
No.
It’s interesting that these things are weighing on you, you get rid of them, somebody else takes them on, and what they mean to him—I guess that’s for him to decide?
Or not. I guess some things are not for me to understand. When you let things go, a huge part of it is actually letting go. Not just of the physical item, but letting go of your connection to what it’s supposed to mean, or the memory. You’re literally letting them go. That was the purpose. It’s like when people sell something and they go, “I just want to make sure you take care of it because this is my baby.” And I’m like, “No, no, no.” This is not my baby. That’s why I’m letting it go.
One can only hope to touch the level of zen that Pharrell has seemingly reached. Just sayin,’
Though Drake has rocked Pharrell’s pieces as recently as his video for “Family Matters,” he could’ve melted down a piece or two since then just to make a point. Then again, why would he? Could Drizzy be that petty? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
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It seems like just yesterday Drake and former Toronto Raptors star, DeMar DeRozan were rubbing elbows and enjoying a bromance North of the border. But with DeRozan’s appearance in Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” video, Drake has soured on his one-time buddy.
According to TMZ, the unforeseen drama between the two men was put on public display this past Saturday (November 2) when Drake and his right-hand man, OVO Chubbs parked themselves on some courtside seats at the Toronto Raptors game on the night that DeMar DeRozan’s Sacramento Kings team were in town.
Attending the game on the same night as Vince Carter’s jersey retirement ceremony, Drake could be seen ice-grilling DeRozan every chance he got as the player did his best to ignore the cold stares.
Drake even went so far as to say that if the one-time Raptors star were to ever get his jersey retired he’d go up to the rafts and pull it down himself.
“If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there & pull it down myself.” -Drake speaks on DeMar Derozan
LLLMMFFAAOOOOOpic.twitter.com/4aXQ09TF9Z
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) November 3, 2024
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Drizzy is still salty that DeRozan seemingly chose a side in the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle though he has since said that he’s got love for Drake. The 6 God is, apparently, an unforgiving one.
As if that comment weren’t a statement enough, Drake was seen calling DeMar a “pu**y” while standing courtside during the game.
When asked about the comments Drake made, DeRozan kept it professional and didn’t indulge in any real back-and-forth.
Per TMZ:
During the post-game press conference, DeRozan learned about Drake’s banner remarks … and from the look on his face, he wasn’t pleased.
“He gon’ have a long way to climb to take it down,” DeRozan said. “Tell him good luck.”
Drake is being hella petty out here for no real reason, but hey, so are a lot of rappers in the Hip-Hop game. It might be time to call in Will Ferrell to help squash this beef.
What do you think about Drake’s comments toward his former homie? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Photo: Getty
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Source: Elsa / Getty / 50 Cent
50 Cent has been in his share of Hip-Hop battles, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he had some advice for Drake, but many are giving the Queen’s rapper the side eye for what he said.
In a recent interview with Billboard, 50 Cent touched on many topics, including his Las Vegas residency and his 07 sales battle with Ye, aka Kanye West, but his comments regarding Drake’s dustup with Kendrick Lamar were quite interesting.
Speaking with Billboard’s Michael Saponara, the Queens rapper uttered Drake’s name numerous times, likening the Canadian rapper’s current stance with Hip-Hop fans to when he dropped his album, Curtis.
“Drake is in that position right now,” 50 Cent said, noting that he is a fan of Kendrick Lamar but also doesn’t feel that any music put out by Drake during the beef “was wack at any point.”
Saponara asked 50 Cent if he had any advice for the 6 God, and he pretty much coddled Drake, telling him he didn’t lose anything in his lyrical battle with K.Dot.
“On some real shit, I said, ‘They said you lost, okay. Well, what did you lose?’” 50 said. “What exactly did he lose, if he got $300 something million on his last tour? You didn’t lose a motherfucking thing, man. If that’s the moment, you keep your creative energy in the right place, and keep creating.”
Social Media Does Not Agree With 50 Cent
50 Cent might feel that way, but many others don’t.
“If you fight somebody, and afterwards your dawg tells you “it don’t matter cuz you got more bitches than him” or “you got more money than that nigga”………he is confirming that you indeed lost that fight,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
True.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
2. A clear sign you lost
4. Howling
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Source: Cole Burston / Getty / Drake
Drake is still very much going through some thangs following his battle with Kendrick Lamar.
Drizzy’s style has changed many times throughout his career, but recently, many people have wondered if the Canadian-born musician is having a mid-life crisis.
The “God’s Plan” crafter has been getting trolled on X, formerly Twitter, after sharing another duck lip face selfie to his Instagram Story Tuesday night.
The Six God tried to take a page from West Coast legend Snoop Dogg’s book by rocking sleek pigtails with baby blue bubble barrettes and his hair parted down the middle.
The fit wasn’t any better, with Drake wearing a baggy-ass Canadian tuxedo (all denim for those who don’t know), an oversized leather bomber jacket that would make the Dipset proud, and white-on-white Air Force 1s.
Unfortunately for Drake, he didn’t look as cool as Uncle Snoop, and X didn’t hold back on the jokes.
Another user on X wrote, “Drake going thru [sic] his mid life crisis..what the hell possessed him to go put his hair in pigtails and pose with duck lips lol..just give us the slaps my boy.”
Speaking about the hair, another user on X wrote, “Drake with those f–king pigtails, EIGHT DAYS away from being THIRTY EIGHT years old is pissing me off so bad.”
Bruh.
We are sure Drake could care less about what people think about his style or infamous duck lip selfies; in fact, we think he’s doing this to keep his “haters” talking.
Well, if he thinks he looks cool, that’s on him.
But one thing is sure: he will keep getting these jokes after dropping these photos.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. H O W L I N G
5. Accurate
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J. Cole inserted himself in the middle of Drake and Kendrick Lamar‘s feud with “7 Minute Drill” from his Might Delete Later project, a song he actually did delete later. J. Cole, who caught plenty of ire over walking back the diss, addresses Kendrick Lamar on the new “Port Antonio” track and X has thoughts as expected.
After an active 2024 with several features alongside the likes of Tee Grizzley, Tems, and A$AP Rocky, J. Cole dropped “Port Antonio” via his YouTube channel. The track, reportedly produced by DZL, Dreamville artist Omen, and Cole himself, has a sound somewhat reminiscent of Jay-Z’s ” Dead Presidents II” while also sampling Cleo Soul’s live version of “Know That You Are Loved.”
The verse is a return of the ultra-confident emcee, but with the added nuggets of wisdom that the North Carolina star often adds to his lyrics. However, the second verse is where he gets into his connection to the Drake and Kendrick Lamar feud and shouts the Canadian superstar out by name while also giving him advice.
From “Port Antonio”:
They instigate the f*ckery because it’s profitableBut singin’ “stop the violence” tunes when dudes in hospitalsI pulled the plug because I’ve seen where that was ’bout to goThey wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets growThey see this fire in my pen and think I’m dodgin’ smokeI wouldn’t have lost a battle, dawg, I woulda lost a broI woulda gained a foe, and all for what? Just to attain some mo’Props from strangers that don’t got a clue what I been aimin’ for?Since the age of fourteen, Jermaine is no kingIf that means I gotta dig up dirt and pay the whole teamOf algorithm-bot n*ggas just to sway the whole thingOn social media, competin’ for your favorable meansTo be considered best of live and rest, the weight of both thingsI understand the thirst of being first that made ’em both swingProtecting legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettablyMy friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me
Later in the verse, J. Cole speaks directly to Drake saying, “Drake, you’ll always be my n*gga/I ain’t ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my n*gga/F*ck all the narratives, tappin’ back into your magic pen is what’s imperative.”
On X, folks are taking shots at the Dreamville honcho for mentioning the beef and propping up Drake, although some applauded the maturity of J. Cole. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
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Lately, it seems like Drake has been doing a fair amount of sub-posting and speaking on things just vaguely enough that people think they know who he’s talking to and what he’s trying to say about them—but also, maybe not.
Recently, the “Hotlight Bling” rapper posted to his Instagram story the infamous photo of R&B singer Solange after she put hands on Jay-Z in an elevator in 2014. Folks on social media are wondering if the post had anything to do with Kendrick Lamar headlining next year’s Super Bowl halftime show, which a lot of people have speculated was a decision made unilaterally by Jay-Z. (It wasn’t, but there tends to be no point in introducing facts into discussions like these.)
Drake real petty for posting these pictures of Solange after the elevator incident😂 n just to follow it up with a pic of Aaliyah, what’s going on in Babylon pic.twitter.com/V3shydUKW2
— RICH VENDETTA 🎭 (@richvendetta8) October 7, 2024
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In fact, it doesn’t appear that Champagne Papi can do much of anything without people drawing connections back to his internet-exploding beef with K-Dot, and the Toronto artist isn’t dissuading the rumor mill from running wild by being the opposite of candid when he speaks on whatever it is he’s going through as of late.
From Hot New Hip-Hop:
Still, Drake’s message here is pretty vague and mysteriously unclear, especially after his recent rant about fake friends. “One things about nostalgia, this party here?” he said at Toronto’s Nostalgia party. “My real friends are definitely in the building. But I’m going to tell you. You’re going to come to a point in life where people you thought were friends or people you thought were close to you, they might switch up. They might try to move funny with you. They might stab you in the back, they might do a lot of things to you. You’ll come to that realization, wherever you’re at in life. You’ve probably been there and you’ll be there again, that’s how life is. But look, sometimes, it’s you and you alone by yourself. Sometimes it’s you alone with your thoughts.”
Again, fans across social media speculated that Drake was speaking about “friends” who turned on him once it became overwhelmingly clear that Kendrick won the beef that exploded between the two emcees over the summer.
But who knows? Maybe Drake is just badly in need of a journal. Maybe the Solange incident just crossed his mind and he reflexively posted it on IG. Maybe he just knows how people get to talking and he needs a little attention. It might not have anything to do with Kendrick Lamar or Jay-Z at all.
Maybe we’ll never know.
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It is getting lonelier and lonelier at the top for Drake. The 6 God recently cautioned his fans about fake friends and folks switching up.
As reported by Rap-Up Magazine Champagne Papi is letting the world know that he too knows the pain of betrayal. On Saturday, Oct. 5 he appeared at a Toronto performance hall for Canadian personality, Tyrone Edwards’ Nostalgia Party event. “My real friends, are definitely in the building,” Drake told attendees in the crowd before warning them about snakes in the grass. “But I’m going to tell you, you’re going to come to a point in life where people you thought were your friends or people you thought were close to you, they might switch up.”
From there Drake gave specific examples of the treachery. “They might try to move funny with you. They might stab you in the back. They might do a lot of things to you,” he added. “You’ll come to that realization, wherever you’re at in life. You’ve probably been there and you’ll be there again. That’s how life is. Sometimes it’s you and you alone by yourself.” He went on to double down on his statement by playing 50 Cent’s “Many Men (Wish Death)”.
While he did not call out specific names during the rant, many think this was related to the “God’s Plan” rapper recently unfollowing LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan on social media. It is assumed this was a direct response to both of them attending Kendrick Lamar’s Juneteenth concert.
You can see Drake discuss the traitors below.
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Source: Twitter / Fashion Nova
It’s about to get real spooky out there. Fashion Nova has released a BBL Drizzy inspired Halloween costume.
As spotted on XXL Magazine the popular fashion brand is getting messy at Drake’s expense. This week they announced their BBL Booty Butt Pad Costume. While the item is just an accessory that adds an obvious padding to your backside, the model is dressed similar to Drake in the “8AM In Charlotte” video. The look-alike is spotted wearing a black hooded sweatshirt that says “Papi” across the chest. Additionally, he has mock grills in his mouth, his braids are out and are styled with colorful hair clips.
The term BBL Drizzy is a product of the 2024 Rap war that originated with some back and forth disses between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. In the song “Push Ups” Champagne Papi also made reference to Rick Ross which prompted Rozay to respond with “Champagne Moments”. In a follow up Instagram Live he infers Drake had plastic surgery and referred to his former collaborator as “BBL Drizzy”. From there the term gained even more popularity when producer Metro Boomin released a “BBL Drizzy” instrumental and offered a $10,000 prize to the performer who recorded the best song.
Fashion Nova has since removed the Drake look-alike from the costume listing. You can shop the butt pads here.
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The Drake and Kendrick Lamar storyline refuses to die down. Champagne Papi’s camp has denied trying to block K Dot from performing “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl.
Last week, music executive Wack 100 made a wild claim that Drake was attempting to limit what songs the Compton, California, rapper could perform during his halftime set. “He’s trying to get the NFL to restrict Kendrick,” Wack explained. When pressed further on whether he thinks the request would be honored by the league he replied, “No, if Jay-Z got something to do with it, it ain’t.” As with most of his claims Wack’s statement soon went viral. Page Six has now exclusively reported that Drake’s camp has refuted the rumor with one of his representatives simply saying it’s “not true.” Another unnamed source tells the celebrity gossip site “There was never any intention or plan to send a cease and desist to anyone.”
Last month, the National Football League revealed Kendrick Lamar as the Super Bowl LIX halftime show performer. Given the game is taking place in New Orleans the announcement was met with a lot criticism, with many crying foul that Lil Wayne should have been given that slot. Since then, show producer Jesse Collins confirmed that Jay-Z chooses the headliner, which further added to the speculation that there was a conspiracy against Weezy. Days later, Lil Wayne revealed that he was hurt by the snub but was humbled by all the support he received from his fans and peers.
Super Bowl LIX takes place on Feb., 9 2025 at Caesars Superdome. You hear Wack 100 discuss Drake and the Super Bowl below.
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When it was announced that Kendrick Lamar would be headlining the next Super Bowl Halftime show in New Orleans, much of the Hip-Hop community was up in arms over the snub of Lil Wayne as many felt that the rap icon deserved to provide the entertainment segment of the big game in his hometown.
Interestingly enough, many of those screaming bloody murder turned out to be Drake fans who were still salty that the 6 Gawd took the massive L in his classic rap battle with Kung Fu Kenny and felt that Jay-Z was hating on Young Money artists in general with his choice. As it turns out it seems like Drake was actually given the opportunity to perform at a couple of Super Bowls over the years but turned the offer down each time.
In a recent interview on The Pivot Podcast, Steve Stoute touched on the topic of the artists chosen to perform at the Super Bowl during Jay-Z’s tenure with the NFL and revealed that though Hova and Drizzy have a small rivalry going on, Jay did offer the King of the North the opportunity to headline the big game not once, but twice, but Drake didn’t have any interest in taking on the task.
“I will confirm Drake was offered the Super Bowl twice. Drake did turn down the Super Bowl twice. And I’m sure if Drake would have said yes, he would have brought Lil Wayne out at some point,” Stoute said. “He probably would have brought out Nicki. Which is probably why she’s upset ’cause she’s not onstage. But Drake turned it down twice… He turned it down twice, which is fine. He didn’t want to do it. But nobody’s going to say, ‘Damn, why’d you turn it down? You could’ve got Lil Wayne on.’ Nobody’s going to connect that dot.”
Well, so much for that.
Drake headlining the Super Bowl would’ve been huge especially before the entire Kendrick Lamar rap battle that left him licking his wounds North of the border. Still, we’re sure he had his reasons as to why he didn’t want to accept the gig, and that’s his business.
As for people trying to slander Jay-Z for the acts he’s chosen over the years such as Rihanna and Usher, Steve Stoute isn’t here for the criticism Jay has to put up with as he feels that the rap legend is doing what someone in his position is supposed to do when having that much say-so in a board room.
“As far as I’m concerned, these artists are getting their flowers, and are getting their chance to perform on this stage — these Black artists, Hip-Hop and R&B artists — if it wasn’t for [Jay-Z], this wouldn’t be happening. So how could you come down and criticize this man like that?”
In the age of social media, nothing is ever good enough for everyone anymore. Just sayin’.
Check out Steve Stoute talk about the Super Bowl situation below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.