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Following Kendrick Lamar’s name-dropping of Lil Wayne on GNX opener “Wacced Out Murals,” Weezy allegedly attempted to check in with Lamar and take his temperature on what he meant exactly, according to Joe Budden.
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On the latest episode of his eponymous podcast, Budden claimed on Wednesday (Nov. 27) that Wayne called Kendrick, and the Compton native didn’t respond.
“I’m hearing that somebody picked up the phone and tried to call and see what the energy was,” Budden stated. “I’m hearing that Kendrick didn’t answer. If I’m calling you rapper to rapper and you don’t answer.”
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Joe went on to say that he heard Wayne went in the booth after Kendrick allegedly deaded his olive branch, and presumably recorded something to send in the Compton rapper’s direction.
“Now I’m going in the booth,” he continued. “You have until I get in that booth to hit me back. I’m hearing that Wayne went in the booth.”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Lil Wayne and Kendrick Lamar.
Kendrick raps on the album’s opening track: “Used to bump Tha Carter III, I held my Rollie chain proud/ Irony, I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down.”
Word travels fast and Weezy got wind of Kendrick’s bars not long after GNX‘s arrival. “Man wtf I do?!” he tweeted on Saturday (Nov. 23). “I just be chillin & dey still kome 4 my head. Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg u all. No one really wants destruction,not even me but I shall destroy if disturbed. On me. Love.”
Man wtf I do?! I just be chillin & dey still kome 4 my head. Let’s not take kindness for weakness. Let this giant sleep. I beg u all. No one really wants destruction,not even me but I shall destroy if disturbed. On me. Love— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) November 23, 2024
Wayne admitted he was hurt by the NFL’s decision to have Kendrick headline the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show next year with the big game in his hometown of New Orleans, which has seemingly caused static between the two.
“That hurt. It hurt a lot. You know what I’m talking about. It hurt a whole lot,” he said at the time. “I blame myself for not being mentally prepared for a letdown. And for automatically mentally putting myself in that position like somebody told me that was my position. So I blame myself for that. But I thought that was nothing better than that spot and that stage and that platform in my city, so it hurt. It hurt a whole lot.”
Watch Joe Budden’s explanation below.
Joe Budden says Lil Wayne tried to call Kendrick Lamar about Wacced Out Murals and Kendrick didn’t pick up the phone which inspired Lil Wayne to go in the booth and make a response record to him 🧐🧐🧐🧐 pic.twitter.com/fhy14otgN9— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) November 27, 2024
The Weeknd announced Wednesday (Nov. 27) that he will perform a one-night-only show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 25, to celebrate the release of his sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, which he announced earlier will drop the day before the show via XO and Republic Records. According to the press […]
Malia Obama’s screen credits continue to grow with the release of a music video she directed for Michael Kiwanuka’s new single, “One and Only.”
The filmmaker – who is also the eldest daughter of former U.S. President Barack Obama, and works under the alias Malia Ann – received the Young Spirit award at this year’s Deauville Film Festival for her debut The Heart, which was made in collaboration with Donald Glover‘s production company Gilga. Her fledgling career has also seen her work being played at prestigious film festivals including Telluride, Toronto and Sundance, among others.
In the trippy video, a woman chases her doppelganger through an isolated wooded area, eventually catching and coming face-to-face with the alternative version of herself.
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“One and Only” marks the fourth single to be released from London-raised vocalist Kiwanuka’s fourth LP, Small Changes, which landed on Nov. 22. In the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart midweek update released on Monday (Nov. 25), the record is currently on track to reach the summit, albeit he faces stiff competition from Kendrick Lamar’s surprise GNX album.
Speaking to Billboard about Small Changes, Kiwanuka explained how working with super-producer Danger Mouse, one half of pop group Gnarls Barkley, and London-based producer Inflo, gave him a newfound confidence in his creative process. “There’s strength in your voice. People always try to tell you but you don’t hear it,” he said.
“You’re always accepting advice from other people so you always think the validation is going to come from outside, and then one day you realize it’s not,” he said. “I was always trying to sound like my favorite singers, or [thinking] that [my vocals] weren’t good enough. But now I think I just want to sound like me.”
In November 2019, the 37-year-old put out his third record, Kiwanuka, which charted at No. 2 in the U.K. and went on to win the prestigious Mercury Prize the following year. He has since gone on to tour the U.S. with Brittany Howard, alongside headline a wealth of British festivals including Bannau Brychieniog’s Green Man and Wilderness in Oxfordshire.
Watch the video for “One and Only” below:
How did Fugees member Pras Michél go from being a former member of one of the most beloved hip-hop trios of the 1990s to facing two decades in prison? Slowly, then, it seems, all at once. In a new interview with Variety magazine — his first since a jury convicted him on 10 counts last April in an illegal lobbying case — the 52-year-old MC described his entanglement in one of the world’s largest-ever financial scandals.
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“I don’t know if subconsciously it was a bit exciting for me too. I like spy movies, but I never wanted to be a spy,” said Michél about his role in an influence peddling scandal that wound up with him convicted on charges of violating campaign finance laws during President Obama’s 2012 re-election bid, as well as illegally lobbying the Trump administration in 2017; Michél is facing up to 22 years in federal prison at his January sentencing hearing.
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“I don’t think that’s sexy. But a part of it felt like that,” he said.
The article opens with a spy novel-worthy scene — based on firsthand accounts and court documents — in which the rapper is ordered to go to the front desk of the Four Seasons hotel in Manhattan and used the phrase “banana peel.” That secret message prompted a concierge to hand him an envelope with orders to circle the block twice and await further instructions.
According to the scenario laid out in court, Michél then returned and was ushered into an elevator reserved just for visiting dignitaries facing possible assassination risks on his way to a penthouse suite, where a high-ranking Chinese official booted up an email from then Attorney General Jeff Sessions about three American hostages being held in Chinese prisons. After discussing one prisoner, who was pregnant, the man made a call and moments later showed Michél the itinerary for the woman who was to be flown back to the U.S.
A week after that meeting, federal agents swooped in on Michél, claiming that he was involved in a massive financial scandal that resulted in the siphoning of $4.5 billion from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fun referred to as 1MDB, with the U.S. government tagging the rapper as a Chinese spy.
Recalling the oddity of the hotel meeting, Michél said he noticed a red flag that night in the form of the secret elevator, which, even as a celebrity used to some necessary cloak-and-dagger maneuvers, he was not familiar with.
“I’m going to tell you what was weird to me: the fact that the Four Seasons has a private elevator. I never knew that,” said Michél, who was first charged in the case in 2019. He was accused of funneling money from fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low through straw donors to Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, a well as trying to help scuttle a Justice Department investigation into an extradition case on behalf of China during Trump’s first term. “They have a private elevator for just certain people. But my life leading up to that point felt surreal, so part of that night felt natural,” he said.
Michél was convicted in April on counts including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government in the long-running investigation and trial that featured testimony for the prosecution by stars including Leonardo DiCaprio and name-drops of Kim Kardashian and Martin Scorsese during testimony. In January, Michél’s former attorney, David Kenner, plead guilty to criminal contempt charges over allegations that he leaked grand jury materials to reporters ahead of the trial.
Low, a free-spending financier who backed the 2013 Scorsese-DiCaprio movie The Wolf of Wall Street, became the toast of Hollywood for a time, with many celebrities partying on his private jet and accepting lavish gifts from the still-missing businessman whom Michél met at a 2006 party after a promoter introduced them. Prosectors said that Low later offered Obama fundraiser Michél $20 million for a photo with the President, money Michél accepted and kept most of, assuming, he said, that was how the rich go about meeting famous people.
Facing decades in federal prison, Yale-educated Michél told the magazine, “technically, I’m a foreign agent.” He said he was never friends with Low, but he connected the businessman to other VIPs and, to date, the rapper is the only in Low’s orbit who has faced serious consequences in the fall-out from the scandal. “The government needed a prize. They needed a head, and he was the low-hanging fruit,” said one of Michél’s attorneys, Robert Meloni.
For his part, Michél — who reportedly had nearly $80 million seized by the U.S. government as part of their sanctions, with prosecutors claiming he pulled in more than $100 million from his dealings with Low — told Variety that he’s going to fight and appeal his sentence, but realizes he might end up behind bars either way. “There’s a possibility that I’m going in while I’m fighting,” he said. “It’s just the reality.” He added that as he awaits his fate, “every aspect of my life has been disrupted. I can’t bank anywhere, been kicked out of 13 banks… Without getting too philosophical about it, it was about me being at the right place at the wrong time. Or the wrong place at the right time.”
Given the cinematic scope of the story, Variety reported that there are at least three books on the subject in the works, with Idris Elba in talks with Michél’s reps about acquiring his life rights and an upcoming documentary about the rapper’s part in the scandal. Director Ben Patterson showed some footage from the in-process doc during a secret screening at the Toronto Film Festival in September, reportedly to stunned silence from the audience. Some of the footage was reportedly shot by Michél, who kept his camera rolling during a meeting with Chinese Communist Party official Lijun Sun — who was sentenced to death in 2022 for taking bribes — during that fateful hotel room meeting.
In the end, Michél said he’s been abandoned by publicists, friends and, without naming names, seemingly his former Fugees bandmates LaurynHill and Wyclef Jean. “I’m done with that. They’re going to Europe [to tour]. I can’t go,” he said of the bail conditions that prevent him from leaving the U.S.
“It’s what it is. You can’t give people that kind of energy. So you could be frustrated, you could be disappointed, but I really believe in my path and in my journey, and I believe what’s mine, no one’s going to be able to take it away from me,” he said. “So it’s better that you have a small group of people who really believe in you and believe in what you’re doing than to have 100 people around you, and the minute something happens — boom. People just disappear.”
In the meantime, Michél filed a strongly worded lawsuit against Hill in October, claiming she defrauded him over proceeds from the group’s foreshortened 2023 reunion tour and that her “gross mismanagement” led to the abrupt cancellation of their planned follow-up 2024 tour; Hill responded, calling the lawsuit “baseless” and “full of false claims and unwarranted attacks.”
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated Dec. 7, 2024, we look at whether a major surprise drop is going to halt Shaboozey’s historic run atop the chart.
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Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (American Dogwood/EMPIRE/Magnolia Music): The biggest country crossover hit of 2024 is now officially also the longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 of all-time – though it still has to share the status, at least for now, with Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road.” Both songs have now spent 19 weeks atop the Hot 100, with “Bar Song” holding off Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” this frame to tie the historic mark – helped by the added exposure from an eventful night at the CMA Awards, albeit one marked by more controversy than likely expected.
And it’s good for Shabozoey that he got his 19th week — because not only is the gap between “A Bar Song” and “Die With a Smile” continuing to shrink, but it’s also about to get very crowded at the top of the Hot 100.
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Kendrick Lamar, “Squabble Up” (pgLang/Interscope/ICLG): Kendrick Lamar shocked the world on Friday (Nov. 22) by surprise-releasing his new album GNX at noon, with no previous indicators that an album (or really new music in general) was particularly imminent. The 12-track set follows his major moment in the spotlight earlier this year with his exceedingly high-profile Drake feud, which was essentially bookended by a pair of Hot 100-toppers: “Like That,” for which he appeared as a guest rapper on Future and Metro Boomin’s We Still Don’t Trust You album, and his own “Not Like Us,” an immediate hip-hop all-timer.
He may now get his third chart-topper of the year. Unsurprisingly, GNX has taken over on streaming services the past week – five days after its release, the album’s 12 tracks still hold all of the top 12 spots on Apple Music’s real time chart, and as of Tuesday, the album held the entire top eight on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA listing. The latter tally is led by “Squabble Up,” the album’s second track and presumptive lead single, which samples Debbie Deb’s 1984 freestyle classic “When I Hear Music” and also now has its own music video, released Monday.
“Squabble Up” is expected to lead the way for Kendrick’s new set on the chart next week – and with its robust streaming numbers, it should have a good chance at capturing the top spot – though it may have some competition from one of its album mates. “TV Off,” featuring Gunplay, has also emerged as a fan favorite from the LP, helped by its highly “Not Like Us”-reminiscent beat and viral-friendly “MUSTAAAARRRRRRD!” mid-song howl namechecking the song’s star producer. It’s taken over from “Squabble Up” atop Apple Music and sits just below it on Spotify – so if it keeps growing, it may be a real challenger to “Squabble” as soon as next week.
Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile” (Streamline/Interscope/Atlantic/ICLG): “Die With a Smile” has gotten within striking distance of the Hot 100’s No. 1 spot a couple times now, but has still yet to get over the hump to become Bruno Mars’ ninth No. 1 and Lady Gaga’s sixth on the chart. Unfortunately for the superstar duo, it’s only likely to get more difficult for “Smile” in the weeks to come, as even if it finally manages to close the gap for good with “A Bar Song,” it now has a glut of Kendrick Lamar songs and an avalanche of holiday songs looking to pass it on the chart. The song’s airplay is still slowly climbing, though – so if Bruno and Gaga have one more card up to play for the song, that top spot will likely be within reach for a little while still. (They should maybe wait until 2025 to use it at this point, though.)
Mariah Carey, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Legacy): The Queen of Christmas is officially out of hibernation. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” re-enters the Hot 100 at No. 16 this week, and with Thanksgiving now right around the corner, the run-up to holiday season is soon to be in full bore. The preponderance of expected high debuts from Lamar’s GNX – it could launch half its tracklist in the top 10, possibly even more — might keep it on the edge of the top 10 for next week, but it’s only a matter of time before “All I Want” (which has led for 14 weeks since 2019) is challenging for the Hot 100 title in earnest.
After a seven-week reign for Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps” on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart, there’s a new No. 1, as GloRilla and Sexyy Red’s “Whatchu Kno About Me” vaults to the top of the Nov. 30-dated list.
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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity from Nov. 18-24. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“Whatchu Kno About Me” leads a slew of songs new to the top 10 of the TikTok Billboard Top 50, some of which are chart debuts. The GloRilla and Sexyy Red collaboration has a lengthier history on the tally, ruling in its sixth week after debuting at No. 39 on the Oct. 26 ranking. It had never even been in the top 20 before the latest chart, with its best having been No. 24 on the survey dated Nov. 23.
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So, why now? Though “Whatchu Kno About Me” initially benefited from uploads by high-profile stars such as Taylor Swift, the song’s rapid ascent is thanks to a trend highlighting GloRilla’s “B—h, I’m from Memphis, what you know about me/ Big G-L-O in that GLE” lyric, usually set to lip synchs.
GloRilla earns her first No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, which began in September 2023; among eight appearances, her previous best had been a No. 17 peak with “Hollon” earlier this month. Sexyy Red, meanwhile, has her second ruler, as “SkeeYee” was the ranking’s inaugural No. 1 (though she had found success since, paced by the No. 2 peak of “U My Everything,” with Drake, in June.
Concurrently, “Whatchu Kno About Me” jumps 27% in official U.S. streams to 15.3 million in the week ending Nov. 21, according to Luminate. It leaps 26-17 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, its first time in the chart’s top 20.
Stepz’s “Rock” makes an even more sizable jump on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, vaulting 43-2 after previously enjoying a best of No. 29 on the Nov. 9 list. “Rock,” which represents Danish rapper Stepz’s first appearance on a U.S.-based Billboard chart, has had a dance challenge attached to it since October (the month it was released).
Though it’s yet to make a chart outside of the TikTok Billboard Top 50, “Rock” has been a steady climber as of late; in the week ending Nov. 21, it earned 1.1 million official U.S. streams, up 4%.
A pair of debuts round out the top four: Gia Margaret’s “Hinoki Wood” enters at No. 3 as her first TikTok Billboard Top 50 appearance, while Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” bows at No. 4.
“Hinoki Wood,” released by singer/pianist Margaret in 2023, is the soundtrack to the “chill guy” trend, with a filter that asks if the creator is a chill guy and asks them to choose between a series of prompts (relationship vs. no relationship, walk vs. run, etc.) before providing its determination. Other times, the “chill guy dog” in question is superimposed into creators’ photos to show how laid back they are.
Meanwhile, “Anaconda,” from Minaj’s 2014 album The Pinkprint, rises concurrent with a 10th-anniversary reissue of the full-length that was released Nov. 22. But its TikTok surge is via the #womeninmalefields trend in which women ask what would happen if they did the same thing a man often does to them in a relationship.
“Hinoki Wood” sports an 82% jump in streams to 310,000 in the week ending Nov. 21, while “Anaconda” is up 16% to 818,000.
Two other songs hit the top 10 for the first time. First there’s The Marias, whose “No One Noticed” soars to No. 6 in its ninth week on the ranking, following a previous peak of No. 28. It benefits from a newly released extended version, with the Spanish-language edition scoring the lion’s share of the engagement.
“No One Noticed,” which is up 111% to 15.5 million official U.S. streams toward the Billboard charts thanks in part to the extended version’s release (including a 68-22 leap on the Hot 100), is mostly used in uploads discussing relationships past and present, more often than not the former.
Then comes NLE Choppa’s “Gang Baby,” which debuts at No. 9 two months after the song’s premiere as part of the rapper’s Slut Szn album in September. Its initial gains on the platform were via a dance challenge that NLE Choppa himself promoted, though a more choreographed dance has taken over in recent weeks.
“Gang Baby” jumps 39% in streams to 4 million in the week ending Nov. 21 and concurrently debuts at No. 42 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
11/27/2024
Fight the food coma and go on the hunt for treasures from Rage Against the Machine, Olivia Rodrigo and more!
11/27/2024
In a year of some of the brightest African music stars dropping some of the best work of their careers, this month saw Nigerian superstar Wizkid throw his hat into the ring.
“Mama call me, ‘Ayo Balogun, they can never find another you,’” Wizkid sings on the heartfelt closing track “Pray” from his sixth studio album Morayo, which translates to “I see joy” in Yoruba and is dedicated to and named after his late mother. The 16-track project finds the Starboy balancing that joy and grief over impeccable genre-hopping production. And following his 2021 debut album Sounds of My World, Juls, a key hitmaker behind Afrobeats heavyweights like Wiz, Burna Boy and Mr. Eazi, draws inspiration from his travels around the world to unify the Black diaspora through his expert fusion of South Africa’s amapiano, Ghanaian highlife, Jamaica’s dancehall, U.K. rap and more on his sophomore album Peace and Love.
But that’s not all. There have been plenty of great tracks released this month, and several that mix and match genre, instrumentation and tradition in ways that bring out new and innovative sounds, really emphasizing the fusion element of the burgeoning Afrofusion movement — new songs from Fave, Nasty C and Lekaa Beats, King Promise and E’Major all fit the bill in different ways.
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We’ve highlighted 10 of our favorite new songs by African acts that have come out roughly within the last month. Check out our latest Fresh Picks, and kick off Thanksgiving break with our Spotify playlist below.
Fave, “Lose My Mind”
The rising Afrofusion star (real name Godsfavour) remains anchored in her faith on “Lose My Mind” from her second EP Dutty Love. The gospel-tinged record is powered by producer Hylander’s skittering drums and Fave’s unshakable conviction that God will keep her sane and on a steady path. “‘Lose My Mind’ is really just one of my many odes to God. He’s such a wonder,” she told Wonderland.
JayO, “High Heels”
JayO adds extra pep to your long-legged step in “High Heels” from the British Nigerian singer-songwriter’s debut EP WHOSDAT. “The way you look in them high heels/ It’s keeping me on my toes,” he cleverly croons about a woman whose spellbinding composure makes JayO struggle to keep his. Ideally, you would strut to JayO and RZ’s scintillating syncopated beats while wearing your favorite stilettos.
Wizkid, “Bend”
Wizkid reflects on love, the loss of his mother and his musical legacy on his new album Morayo. On the highlight track “Bend,” Wiz taps into a nostalgic flow and commands us to dance with his enticing “Bend your body, kọ jó” hook on the Afrobeats club banger. Helmed by Made in Lagos executive producer P2J (who also produced the majority of Morayo) and Gaetan Judd, “Bend” invites you to get lost in its carefree rhythm characterized by bustling percussion.
Juls feat. Nkosazana Daughter, “Muntuwam”
The British Ghanaian hitmaker celebrates his 10-year musical career with a sonic odyssey across the Black Atlantic on his latest album Peace and Love. Crashing waves and chirping seagulls bookend its closing track “Muntuwam,” where Juls dips his toes in private school piano, a soulful amapiano subgenre that accentuates the South African sound’s jazz roots, and enlists popular South African singer-songwriter Nkosazana Daughter’s to add an authentic, breezy flare. “The meaning of the song is ‘the love is right in front of you, I’m here when you need me,’” he told Wonderland.
Nasty C & Lekaa Beats feat. Tiwa Savage, “One Time”
One month after dropping their genre-bending joint EP Confuse the Enemy, Nasty C and Lekaa Beats ran it back in the studio for the Reloaded version. Tiwa Savage blesses us on the smooth track “One Time,” where the South African MC has Hennessy to thank for an unforgettable night that the Afrobeats queen promises will not happen again, with the sweeping violins in Lekaa’s production heightening the drama.
Lil Kesh feat. Fireboy DML & Ayo Maff, “Vex for You”
Lil Kesh has made a name for himself with a series of brash, high-energy songs, particularly in the past few years, so this one is a change of pace for him: more contemplative, laid back and emotional, with an introspective and almost desperately romantic hook. Ayo Maff and Fireboy both slide in easily with the vibe — thematically, it’s right in Fireboy’s wheelhouse, for one — and help round out Kesh’s latest.
King Promise, “Keep It Sexy”
King Promise has a knack for picking the right beats that both provide a high level of musicality and help support and accent his great vocals, and this latest single is no exception. Produced by Killbeatz, the all-Ghanaian collaboration blends in local highlife and hiplife sounds but has broader aspirations, and Promise’s melodies once again help set him apart from his peers. A fun Western-themed music video adds a different element, too, but it’s really the production that helps make this song stand out.
Wizkid feat. Asake, “Bad Girl”
Following on the heels of their latest link up — “MMS,” off Asake’s latest album Lungu Boy, which was just nominated for a Grammy for best African music performance — two of the leading lights of Nigerian music come back together for another joint track that brings out the best of both of them, with Asake and Wiz doubling each other’s lines on the hook. The two vibe so well together that they trade off effortlessly, which helps make this one feel like a true collaboration rather than two stars sending each other verses. From Wizkid’s latest album, this is a standout on an album that is full of them.
E’Major, “All the Love”
E’Major’s brand is truly fusion in every way: the mix of styles, instrumentation, percussion, flows, harmonies and melodies that he employs varies wildly from song to song, giving him a malleable quality, able to pull off anything he puts his mind to. His latest, “All the Love,” fits right into that canon, and lyrically serves as a love letter, with his vocals at times slipping into near-falsetto and back, bringing a joy into the song that also runs through his catalog.
Kizz Daniel & Adekunle Gold, “Pano Tona”
Another big star collaboration in a year that has been full of them, the song is largely helmed by Kizz Daniel, with a verse that emphasizes his individuality, before Adekunle Gold comes through with one that drips with braggadocio. There’s a magnetism to this song that demands repeated listens — one of the reasons this has taken off since it dropped just a few weeks ago.
Quavo has some more heat on the way, and he announced a star-studded collaboration paying homage to his home state of Georgia alongside fellow Peach State natives Teddy Swims and Luke Bryan. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Huncho teased “Georgia Ways” on Tuesday (Nov. 26), and the […]
On last year’s For All The Dogs, Drake took to “8 AM in Charlotte” to savor his decade-and-half-long tyranny over the rap game, acknowledging his brute strength and chart supremacy: “Things get kinky after fifteen years of dominance,” he proclaimed. A year later, scarred by defeat against Kendrick Lamar, a beaten and battered Drake isn’t the scary king who once struck fear in the hearts of his opponents. This week, Drake filed two legal actions against UMG for allegedly spiking Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” streams during their lyrical squabble. Though seemingly against UMG, these legal actions have been perceived by The Culture as a desperate attempt to maintain his dominance, which for the first time is now being questioned.
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“Dot said squabble up, not lawyer up,” wrote Charlamagne Tha God on social media. Rapsody echoed those sentiments and tweeted the following on X: “Legal action over losing a rap beef. My my my. Not like us at all. #CultureOverEverything.” “You can’t be a bully, swing on someone, they swing back harder. You attempt to shoot, the guns jam, you prosecute for assault,” added DJ Hed on X, slaying Drake with barbs of his own.
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Business tactics aside, crying foul in a rap beef after you attempted to pin Kendrick’s children onto another man — his business partner and childhood friend, at that — and label him a woman-beater is ludicrous. Drake, a proven mastermind in rap beef, has tangoed with Meek Mill, Pusha T and Kanye and said disparaging things. With him now taking this approach, even if his issues are actually with UMG, is why rap fans are starting to really call it quits with Drake.
From Serena Williams crip-walking at the ESPYs to “Not Like Us” to NBA star DeMar DeRozan jumping on stage during Kendrick’s Pop Out concert and then publicly chewing Drake following a game against his Toronto Raptors, Drizzy’s legacy over the last six months has been riddled with body blows. Though Drake was always at the end of dastardly jokes throughout his storied run, at least he had the charts behind him. After Pusha T nearly decapitated his career with “The Story of Adidion” in 2018, Drake managed to cut through the noise with undeniable hits. His Scorpion era, where he rattled off three Hot 100 No. 1 records — “God’s Plan,” “Nice for What,” and “In My Feelings” — kept his indomitable run intact and, if anything, made him seem like Teflon, even after staring in the eyes of defeat during his tussle with Pusha.
Six years later, things have drastically changed. After “The Heart Pt. 6,” where Drake seemingly denounced the feud with Kendrick, he looked to rebound and operate in a space of normalcy. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked in his favor: Despite handing off features for Camilla Cabello and Gordo, the once highly sought-after Drake Stimulus Package returned with paltry results, with none of the songs reaching the top 40 of the Hot 100.
In hopes of reclaiming the summer, Drake followed with the release of 100 GIGS. The self-release was nostalgic, peeling back the layers on some of Drake’s most treasured moments, including studio sessions from his golden era. Though Drake’s decision to leak his records seemed genuine, a power play was at work, as he was testing the waters, showing UMG that he could be just as formidable on his own, distributing the music on his website and faux Instagram page, Plottttwisttttt.
The three-pack, which included “It’s Up” featuring 21 Savage and Young Thug and the Latto-assisted “Housekeeping Knows,” packed a punch but failed to do damage culturally. Ultimately, UMG grabbed his freebies and released them on streaming services, hoping to salvage whatever streams they could after his move of defiance. Like his features on Cabello and Gordo’s records, none of the songs earned a top 20 slot, with “It’s Up” peaking at No. 24.
Despite the setbacks, Drake seems eager to rally on. He has an album with PARTYNEXTDOOR slated to drop, which he claimed during a Kick stream with Canadian streamer qXc is 75% done. This album, which is highly anticipated by his fans, could be a turning point in his career, as his popularity and power as a rap Goliath are beginning to wane.
Also, if Drake wins any lawsuit against UMG and proves that the streams on “Not Like Us” are illegal, he may change the streaming game forever. For years, it was a running joke that labels paid for streams and that everything was doctored to benefit their pockets. Though Drake may have been the biggest benefactor in this all, with his endless wins on the board, his decision to set his sights on UMG’s practices may reinforce the need to monitor streams even more closely.
Aside from that, Drake will embark on an Australian tour next year, kicking things off the same day Kendrick performs at the Super Bowl. And while Kendrick is enjoying arguably the best year of his career to date, securing seven Grammy nominations, a Super Bowl slot, and most likely another No. 1 album next week with GNX, he has the support of the people behind him. The people made “Not Like Us” a cultural phenomenon, the same way they championed Drake in 2018 with his trio of hits. Fifteen years of dominance isn’t achieved by luck; you need greatness and the people’s faith baked into it. It’s not impossible yet for The Boy to recapture his top spot, but he’ll need God’s plan — or at least another “God’s Plan” — to finish the job.