Drake issued a statement regarding the diss track that Kendrick Lamar performed in front of millions at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Once close collaborators, Lamar and Drake’s relationship has deteriorated in recent years, culminating in one of the most intense rap feuds in history.
The conflict was ignited when Lamar took aim at Drake and J. Cole in a verse on Future’s Like That, dismissing the idea that they formed a “Big 3” alongside him.
What followed was a series of increasingly personal diss tracks, with Drake accusing Lamar of covering up domestic abuse allegations and Lamar retaliating with Meet the Grahams, in which he addressed Drake’s parents and child, declaring the rapper “should die.”
The feud reached its peak with Not Like Us, where Lamar delivered the line: “Certified Loverboy, Certified ‘p***ophile’… trying to strike a chord and it’s probably a Minor.”
The song helped Lamar secure five Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year, and became a focal point of his Super Bowl performance.
Despite speculation about whether he would include the track, Lamar doubled down, staring into the camera as he rapped: “say Drake I hear you like ’em young.”
Ahead of Lamar’s performance, Drake spoke out via his legal team, condemning UMG’s actions: “UMG is masquerading as a champion of artistic freedom by calling its actions merely ‘entertainment,’ but there is nothing entertaining about pedophilia or child abuse in the real world.
“We are confident that the evidence we will ultimately present at trial – including information we’ve already learned and continue to receive since filing the lawsuit – will expose UMG’s gross prioritization of its own corporate profits and executive bonuses over its exclusively signed artists’ well-being and the truth,” cited by Billboard.
UMG, which represents both artists, has denied Drake’s allegations. In a statement, the label asserted: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist – let alone Drake – is illogical.
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“We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.
“Throughout his career, Drake has intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth ‘rap battles’ to express his feelings about other artists.
“He now seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist’s creative expression and to seek damages from [Universal] for distributing that artist’s music.”
Lamar also brought out Serena Williams – a figure long rumored to have been romantically linked to Drake.
It feels like we haven’t heard the last of this…
