The beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake that took place earlier this year captivated rap fans in a way no other story has in a long time. Fans and members of the rap media are very much still unpacking the fallout from it. One of the most fascinating back-and-forth moments of their conflict was when Kendrick seemed to imply there was a snitch in Drake’s camp. Since then there’s been tons of discussion on just who could have been sharing information. Rap journalist and current HipHopDX editor Elliott Wilson is now insisting he wasn’t involved in the leaks following speculation sparked from a prior interview.
Wilson told a story recently during a recent appearance on the Joe Budden Podcast where he revealed that Drake sent him a rat emoji during the beef. That got fans curious as to whether he was the one sharing info from Drizzy’s camp after all. But during a recent appearance on HipHopDX‘s The Bigger Picture he shut the rumors down. It began with the aftermath of Kendrick’s “6:16 In LA.” “There was a lot of industry rumors that Drake was gonna respond that night. It wasn’t some big secret,” Wilson began. “I hit him like, ‘Yo, you dropping a joint tonight?’ I’m just sniffing around. He’s like, ‘Yeah, something, lol.’ And I saw the things where he was kinda letting Akademiks know something’s coming, ‘Get it in your stream.’ Letting Kai know something’s coming, ‘Get it in your stream,” Wilson continued. Check out his full comments below.
From there Wilson continues. “So he teases [a response track], and then out of nowhere, he sent me a rat emoji!. I’ve never had a grown man ever send me a disrespectful emoji of any sort. I’m a grown ass man. I’m fuming.” Listen to his entire discussion on the beef in the podcast episode above.
What do you think of Elliott Wilson shutting down the rumors that he may have leaked information from Drake’s camp during the Kendrick beef? How do you think Kendrick seemingly got information about Drake’s moves before they happened? Let us know in the comment section below.
Drake’s terrible, no-good 2024 continues. The beleaguered rapper, who already saw his reputation take several hits from his ill-advised war of words with Kendrick Lamar, is now being sued for copyright infringement by clothing brand Members Only. According to Billboard, the point of contention is a T-shirt Drake sold during his It’s All a Blur Tour emblazoned with the established brand’s name. The T-shirt referred to the title of a song on Drake’s latest album, For All The Dogs, which, in turn, was most likely inspired by the brand itself.
And while Drake can easily title a song “Members Only,” putting those words on a piece of clothing — the Members Only brand’s domain — he exposed himself to legal action. As the lawsuit states, “The fact that ‘Members Only’ is a song on Drake’s album ‘For All the Dogs’ does not obviate the likelihood of confusion or give [him] a license to use our client’s ‘Members Only’ marks in such a confusing manner, particularly on or in connection with apparel items.”
The fact that Drake’s tour production company, Away From Home Touring Inc., sold shirts bearing the words “Members Only” could have confused fans into thinking the brand Members Only was involved, according to the suit (just typing that out made me a little dizzy). “Away From Home sold … goods bearing the mark ‘Members Only’ that are identical, overlapping, and/or highly similar to the goods that JR Apparel sells bearing its MEMBERS ONLY Marks,” it alleges. Which means that Drake only has one more headache to deal with, when he’s supposed to be off somewhere licking his wounds.
Drake is touring his new ranch-style home in Texas. He purchased the $15 million home in Washington County in May and is now showing fans the new digs on Instagram.
What is a sporting event without a Drake bet? Ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Drake hit Instagram and revealed a massive bet on the Dallas Mavericks to win the series. Now that Game 3 is over and the Mavs are in a 0-3 hole it looks like Drake has lost some money
Drake dropped $500,000 on the Mavs as the series winner; the payout would be nearly $1.4 million. The Edmonton Oilers also got a bet for Canada in the Stanley Cup Finals, with another $500,000 paying out just over $1,000,000.
“Dallas cause I’m a Texan,” Drake wrote. “Oilers are self explanatory.”
We are getting some insider information on Kendrick Lamar’s reaction to “Family Matters.” Problem, also known legally as Jason Martin, gave Bootleg Kev the details.
When Drake dropped “Family Matters,” Kendrick immediately stepped on the release with “Meet the Grahams.” Problem now details what led up to that drop.
“I’ma give you some real insight. You hearing this first,” Problem said. “He dropped ‘Family Matters’ and I text like, ‘This ain’t it. Man, it’s time to step on his head.’ He was like, ‘Say less.’
“I’m thinking it ain’t nothing deep like that. I go to the bathroom. I come back. The muthafucking song [‘Meet the Grahams’] is uploaded! I said ‘Wait, wait, wait!’”
Problem added that Kendrick said, “I’ve been waiting for this n—a to drop something.”
Drake is really entering a new phase of his life. His battle with Kendrick Lamar is over, as far as we can tell, and he’s dedicated himself to “summer vibes.” He’s dropped a baffling cover of “Hey There Delilah” and a Sexyy Red duet. Drake’s latest decision, however, may be his most significant. The Toronto rapper has decided to purchase a sprawling, $15 million ranch in Washington County, Texas. He announced the purchase in May, but he finally unveiled the ranch on his Instagram on June 12.
Drake’s photoshoot is moody as one would expect from the king of captions. There’s photos of him outside the ranch, which is called the Inn at Dos Brisas, and photos of him inside. Fans get a peek at Drake’s horses, as well as the stables in which they’re kept. They also get to see him look forlorn and contemplative inside his vehicle. The caption simply reads: “wick ’em.” It’s unclear what this means in the context of the Inn at Dos Brisas. It does, however, harken back to Drake’s 2023 song “Wick Man,” which throws subs at several other rappers. The song also sees the 6 God make reference to several international locations.
Drake has been hyping up his Texas purchase for months. In September 2023, the rapper posted a video in which he announced his plans to buy property. He even adopted a Texas accent for the bit. “Me and my partna’, we done gone country on y’all,” he told fans. “We said we was gonna do it for a lot of years and we’re doing it today. The sale is made. We gotta drop a new one for this. If you see your girl at the ‘Lover Boy Lane,’ it’s over.” ‘Lover Boy Lane’ is, of course, a reference to Drizzy’s album Certified Lover Boy. Fittingly, the album contains the song “TSU,” which is an abbreviation for Texas State University.
Drake has always had a soft spot for Texas. One of his breakout songs mentions Houston in its title, “Houstatlantavegas.” The rapper has paid tribute to H-Town on “November 18th” by sampling a DJ Screw record and shouting out regional legends. There’s also the iconic “9AM In Dallas,” the planned opener for his debut album. It kickstarted the timestamp series that Drake is still riding out to this day.
We are just weeks away from Camila Cabello‘s fourth album, C,XOXO. Ahead of the album, Cabello has teased a new sound. She has released the Playboi Carti collab “I Luv It,” as well as the Lil Nas X-assisted “He Knows.” As the tracks indicate, Cabello is playing with more rhythmic, electronic, and dance-ready sounds.
C,XOXO is probably her most collab-heavy album, as revealed by the tracklist, which Cabello shared to social media today (June 12). In addition to the previously released Carti and Lil Nas X collabs, Drake will feature on the song “Hot Uptown” and the follow-up interlude, “Uuugly.” Fellow Miami natives JT and Yung Miami will also appear on the album, in the song “Dade County Dreaming.” It is worth noting that the once City Girls are listed simply as JT and Yung Miami on the tracklist, indicating that this could possibly be their last feature as a duo.
You can see the full tracklist below.
1. “I Luv It” feat. Playboi Carti
2. “Chanel No. 5”
3. “Pink XOXO”
4. “He Knows” Feat. Lil Nas X
5. “Twentysomethings”
6. “Dade County Dreaming” Feat. JT and Yung Miami
7. “Koshi XOXO”
8. “Hot Uptown” Feat. Drake
9. “Uuugly” Feat. Drake
10. “Dream-Girls”
11. “305TilIDie”
12. “B.O.A.T”
13. “Pretty When I Cry”
14. “June Gloom”
C,XOXO is out 6/28 via Interscope. Find more information here.
If you really study the 6ix God, it’s clear Drake isn’t just a rapper, he’s a full-blown business mogul. And like any serious entrepreneur, Drake protects his assets and investments by strategically forming multiple companies. Over the years, he has been incorporating new businesses left and right, with CBC Canada reports showing he’s racked up over 50 different companies and LLCs to his name. It’s undoubtedly a head-spinning amount of corporate entities for one guy, and this has brought backlash his way. After all, for Drake, these companies are all part of the meticulous strategy to grow and maintain his empire.
See, an LLC (limited liability company) is a type of business structure that protects an owner’s personal wealth from the potential risks of any single business failing or facing lawsuits. By separating different ventures into their own LLCs, Drake ringfences each project. Therefore, if one goes belly-up, it can’t threaten to bankrupt his whole operation. It’s genius asset protection 101 for ballers of his net worth, which Forbes estimates around $250 million. So what are some of Drake’s key companies and LLCs? Let’s break it down.
This is Drake’s record label, co-founded in 2012 with Noah “40” Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib. Previously a subsidiary of Warner Records, OVO Sound became an independent label in 2022. It has since launched the careers of artists like PartyNextDoor, Majid Jordan, and Drake’s longtime collaborator, dvsn. Today, OVO Sound is a household name within the music industry.
Another one of Drake’s most popular companies is OVO Clothing. This is his signature streetwear line featuring that iconic owl logo you’ve probably seen a couple of times. OVO apparel quickly became a fashion statement, collaborating with heavy hitters like Canada Goose on premium outerwear pieces. Drizzy even has an entire sub-label with Nike called Nocta. With separate LLCs for OVO Clothing, Nocta, and likely other OVO brand extensions, Drake maximizes that hot branding across product lines and companies.
Drake’s multi-faceted production company was co-founded with Future the Prince in 2017. DreamCrew has scored major hits producing shows like Netflix’s Top Boy and HBO’s teen drama Euphoria. His commitment to entertainment at large has made Drake a lowkey, yet successful producer.
Within Drake’s array of companies are dozens of individual LLCs covering various aspects of his business interests. These include: at least 9 LLCs with the “DreamCrew” name for his production ventures, and 18 LLCs starting with his initials “ADG” (Aubrey Drake Graham). Moreover, there are other LLCs like “Owl Creative Holdings” tied to his OVO brand. Finally, there are cryptic names like “Silence Policy LLC,” and “Strix S-Corp.”
The LLC corporate structure allows Drake to separate different assets and business activities in his companies. As a result, any risks related to that project are isolated to that particular project and the assets of that particular entity. Moreover, in addition to his core businesses, Drake has used LLCs to make strategic investments across other sectors. These include:
The plant-based food company Daring Foods
The Crypto payment platform MoonPay
Italian soccer club AC Milan (partnering with LeBron James)
Esports/lifestyle brand 100 Thieves
Real estate holdings like his $100 million Toronto mansion
Conclusion
Evidently, Drake is a man who is playing multi-dimensional business chess with these companies. For a business mogul of his stature, forming new companies regularly is just smart asset management. Altogether, Drake is playing the business game at an elite level. He is using the same tactics as billionaires like Donald Trump to amass a fortune. Just as he’s rapped, Drake indeed aims to “turn into Jay” by building an empire that goes far beyond his musical artistry. His multitude of LLCs are the behind-the-scenes legal entities that will help grow and protect that empire for years to come.
Tinashe is having a moment. A decade after her breakout single, “2 On,” the singer has broken through with the viral smash “Nasty.” It’s absolutely blown up on TikTok, and the popularity of the earworm song has carried over to the Billboard charts. “Nasty” debuted at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first time in Tinashe’s career in which she cracked the pop charts as a solo artist. This is extremely impressive given how long the singer has been at it.
Tinashe dropped her first mixtape, In Case We Die, in 2012. She had her aforementioned breakthrough with “2 On,” which peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains the singer’s biggest hit to date. The song did feature a verse from ScHoolboy Q, however, and was later remixed by Drake. “2 On” was eventually certified platinum, but it didn’t pave the way for much more radio success. Tinashe failed to have any of her singles chart over the next ten years. This, despite releasing well-received albums like Joyride (2018) and Songs for You (2019).
The singer is keenly aware of the rarity of scoring a hit a decade into a career. She told TIME Magazine that the success of “Nasty” has been rewarding, given how hard she’s worked on her craft. “This is what you wait and hope for,” she explained. “I’ve been grinding in the music industry for 10 years at this point. I’ve come to the place where I’ve accepted my path and I don’t really need more validation.” Despite the surprise success of the sing, Tinashe remains committed to her core fans. “I am super thankful for my core fanbase because they’ve been there from the jump,” she explained. “It’s exciting to see how it’s affecting the numbers of all my other songs too.”
The thing that separates the success of “Nasty” from “2 On,” however, is the fact that the latter is an independent release. Tinashe was signed to RCA when the first hit dropped, but now she’s releasing everything through Tinashe Music. “It’s amazing, it really validates all of my hard work,” she told the outlet. “Also taking that risk to go independent, it felt a little bit scary. I think staying true to myself and being able to make music that I love… has just propelled me to be a different human being that is much more confident. I’m so much more sure of myself and my path.”
Just when we thought the battle was over. Rick Ross was a minor player in the Drake vs. everybody narrative, but he still left an impression. Ross and Drake do, after all, have a stellar track record of hits together, and Ross’ social media trolling did gets laughs from Drake haters. Rozay’s diss, on the other hand, “Champagne Moments,” was met with muted response. Fans thought it was pretty lightweight in terms of content, but that didn’t stop the rapper for tweaking its cover art on streaming.
The cover art swap occurred on June 11. It was notable because, well, the original cover art was one of the most notable things about the original rollout. “Champagne Moments” was originally released with a viral image dating back to 2022. A user on the website 9gag found a photo in their grandma’s yearbook and posted it because they claimed it looked like “white Drake.” The photon gained traction, despite the true identity of the man never being divulged. Rick Ross’ decision to use the photo as his artwork revived the meme and brought it to the attention of those who missed it the first time around.
The new artwork for “Champagne Moments” has a less thrilling backstory. It’s unclear if the change was made to avoid legal complications, but it features a drawing of Drake looking nerdy. The rapper is made to have glasses and a bowtie, as well as blond, floppy hair. It’s insulting, albeit not as memorable a cover as the original. The timing of the artwork change is also odd. “Champagne Moments” dropped way back in April, and every other artist has moved on from the battle. Some have gone out of their way to remove evidence of the battle on social media.
Drake caught a lot of flack for deleting his diss songs from Instagram on June 5. He wiped all the disses from the platform, including “Push Ups” and “Family Matters.” Both songs were mainly aimed at Kendrick Lamar, but contained disses for Rick Ross as well. In the case of the former, Drake pointed out that all of Ross’ biggest hits came from their collabs. The MMG boss seemed unbothered, however. He recently partnered with Julien’s Auctions to auction off an exclusive collection of street and contemporary art. Some of the most notable pieces included a Michael Jackson glove and several Air Jordan pairs.
Drake is known for his chart-topping hits and distinctive musical style. The Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter has shown his ability to blend introspective lyrics with catchy melodies, making him a sought-after collaborator in the music industry. However, his talent transcends his own performances; Drake is also a prolific songwriter, and has song credits on several other artists’ work. Despite rumors and accusations that Drake hires ghostwriters, the rapper has proven himself by crafting songs for a variety of other artists. Most recently, his reference track for Lil Wayne’s 2010 track “I’m Single” surfaced online. Here are seven songs that Drake wrote for other artists.
Released in 2009, “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)” is one of Alicia Keys’ most soulful ballads. The song delves into themes of love and vulnerability, and Drake has credits on the song as one of its co-writers. Upon release, fans immediately believed the song was about Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz’s relationship. The track also became a hit, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning widespread acclaim.
A year after its release, Nicki Minaj dropped the bomb that the song was written about her. About two weeks later, Drake also confirmed it. Speaking to BET, he confessed that he had written it based on a conversation he had with Nicki. He stated: “It is [about Minaj], I’m not gonna lie. The concept came from a conversation that we had, or conversations we have. I wrote it based off two things: number one, based off that, and then two, based on Alicia and Swizz and their situation and it just seemed fitting. It was like the perfect concept.”
6. “I Been That Girl” – Melanie Fiona (2012)
Long before the fame and fortune, Drake was still killing it in the songwriting game. While he was still in Toronto, he was a part of a group called The Renaissance. After the group disbanded, Drake co-wrote “I Been That Girl” for his former Renaissance bandmate, Melanie Fiona. While the song was never released as a single, it was included on Fiona’s second album The MF Life, which also featured collaborations with T-Pain, John Legend, Nas, and J. Cole.
5. “Fall For Your Type” – Jamie Foxx Ft. Drake (2010)
“Fall For Your Type” is a heartfelt R&B track performed by Jamie Foxx, released in 2010. While the track was originally intended for Drake’s debut album Thank Me Later, it did not make it on the album. Upon hearing the song for the first time, Jamie Foxx reportedly fell in love with it and subsequently decided to re-record it. Moreover, he ultimately included it on his fourth studio album, Best Night Of My Life. Beyond song credits, Drake also appears as a featured artist. “Fall For Your Type” became quite popular, even reaching number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart.
Rita Ora’s “R.I.P.,” from her 2012 album Ora was a hit, and Drake shares song credits on the track. “R.I.P.”’s success helped Rita Ora establish herself as a rising star in the music industry, peaking at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Furthermore, the song blends elements from Drake’s “I’m Ready For You,” and the Chase & Status remix of Nneka’s “Heartbreak.” Drake had originally written “I’m Ready For You” for Rihanna, but the singer passed on it.
3. “I’m Single” – Lil Wayne (2009)
Drake has a long-standing collaborative relationship with Lil Wayne, and “I’m Single” is evidently a prime example of their synergy. Co-written by Drake, the track was featured on Lil Wayne’s 2009 mixtape No Ceilings. Although the remix featuring Drake was set to be on Wayne’s album I Am Not a Human Being, it was later re-released. Several years later, on June 6, 2024, a reference track for “I’m Single” was released.
2. “Mine” – Beyoncé Ft. Drake (2013)
“Mine,” a track from Beyoncé’s acclaimed self-titled 2013 album, showcases a fusion of R&B and Hip Hop. Both Drake and Beyoncé share song credits, and the former is also a featured artist. “Mine” was a standout track on the album, addressing themes of motherhood and marriage with poignant clarity. The song also featured Drake’s distinct lyrical style, blending it with Beyoncé’s powerful voice.
Despite their rocky relationship, Drake and Ye are longtime collaborators, and have song credits on multiple joints together. Evidently, their musical chemistry is undeniably strong. Drake co-wrote two songs “30 Hours” and “Facts” on Ye’s seventh album Life of Pablo. “30 Hours” features samples from Arthur Russell’s 1986 track “Answers Me,” and the drumbeat from Isaac Hayes’ 1973 single “Joy,” both of which are also credited on the track.
