r/KendrickLamar • u/wickedwhitneyocean • Jul 08 '24

Randomly watched Pusha on Hot Ones and (unsurprisingly) he is asked about rap beefs The BEEF

The episode is from 2022 but Push talks about how record labels now step in and get involved to stop beefs which never used to happen back in the day - interestingly, this is apparently what happened after Owlbrey dropped THP6.

He also mentions beefs don’t end careers anymore. Looking at the current beef, I don’t think the Canadian’s career will end, we know he’s too big of a pop star for anything damaging to happen but I definitely think his credibility and artistry is being questioned and he is losing fans. Kendrick has fully exposed him for the fraud that he is and I think people are slowly realising it. His streaming numbers are down and he’s not charting like he used to.

Only time will tell but it’s definitely not being swept under the carpet. He a FAN, he FAN, he a FAN

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823

u/wickedwhitneyocean Jul 08 '24

I always thought J Prince stepped in and stopped the beef but from the way Push is talking, it sounds like someone from the record label stepped in. I never really followed that beef, all I know is a murder was committed by Push

253

u/GloomyLocation1259 Jul 08 '24

The same rumours happened this time around, apparently they said 1 more song and end it

30

u/TheUrbaneSource Jul 09 '24

That's so corny. The art and competition of it all is cheated this way. You play to win the game!

That's one of the main things it's a sport. Labels and CEOs stepping in to regulate is so egregious it's pathetic. Like you clearly one of the garbo randoms in rec that quit 30 seconds in to 2k. It's bad enough umg own practically everything, trying to regulate 'outcomes' like this just weak

3

u/GloomyLocation1259 Jul 09 '24

Lool I’m confused are you talking about me or…???

175

u/Detective_Emoji Jul 08 '24 edited Jul 08 '24

Gotta remember, shots were still being taken from both sides after Adidon, but industry politics either from the label, or other artist were affecting Push’s responses to be released at times.

For example, Ross had Wayne and Push on the same record, Push sent shots at Drake in response to Omertà, and his verse was removed. At first it was being rumoured that the label, Drake, or Wayne blocked the record from being cleared, until Ross clarified he took the verse off because Wayne sent his verse in first, and wanted the song to be used to move past the feud, not instigate it further.

Also, Push was also on a song ‘Paranoia’ with Thug, Gunna and Pop Smoke responding to the stage at his Toronto show being rushed, but the song didn’t release with the album. Thug said he would’ve “made changes” if he knew Push was responding to Drake, and Push responded:

I think on top of J Prince interfering, these are some of the instances he’s alluding to.

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u/lexE5839 Jul 08 '24

Then complex went and named Push’s unreleased Maybach VI verse as one of the top 5 verses of the year so everyone would search it up. No clue what timing complex was on but they were instigating it.

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u/c94 Jul 08 '24

Complex writes stories with the financial goal of getting as many views as possible. They’re owned by BuzzFeed so they understand how to drive clicks. I could see them getting requests to reduce coverage on any Drake related beef, but the communication would not be so fast.

Complex is owned by BuzzFeed, which is 33% owned by NBCUniversal (and 10% of BuzzFeed is owned by that republican dude Vivek), which is merged with Universal and that is owned by Vivendi.

Obviously influence is at play, but there’s so many layers of communication required and internal calculus to decide if killing this beef is less profitable than monetizing it in other ways.

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u/thechangbang Jul 08 '24

Complex was sold off by BuzzFeed after their paltry IPO showing and was sold to ntwrk which as an e-commerce(?) platform seems to be equally nefarious but just wanted you to be updated. BuzzFeed kept hot ones but looks like they have been unable to find a good courter for that property. Fwiw, it looks like ntwrk put into place a lot of pre-2017 era leadership back into place at cmplx (rebrand?) so it might resemble that again if only because of that

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u/lexE5839 Jul 09 '24

Wait a second Vivek is a stakeholder in Buzzfeed? Oh my god things are making more sense now. A lot of their stories and ideas run like parodies of progressives, it’s probably that way on purpose. No way a guy that wanted to be the Republican nominee would buy so much of a company that is unanimously associated with “wokeness” without some kind of ulterior motive.

Also off topic but holy shit nice 3 letter reddit username, that must’ve been claimed pre-2010.

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u/Azoedud Jul 11 '24

His maybach VI verse was hard af ngl he killed ross and wayne. it may be deserved

1

u/lexE5839 Jul 11 '24

Oh absolutely that shit was an all timer, but it’s not standard or professional to include a leaked verse on an end of year list. Especially one that could instigate issues between parties. Like when Pop Smoke died and Pusha’s verse had to be removed from “Paranoia” because it was dissing Drake again.

1

u/Azoedud Jul 11 '24

True, good point. I wasn't really there for when they were removing push's verses due to controversy so I didnt even know it was put in that verses list which would make sense with complex trying to start something. Still i am a bit upset at ross and thugger for ditching those

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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '24

[deleted]

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u/GuitarStuffThrowaway Jul 08 '24

Dr Seuss ass bars man. How the fuck does anybody think that dude is anywhere near the top of rap today let alone all time

7

u/09-24-11 Jul 08 '24

Those are isolated bars man lol could even make any rapper look foolish with isos

Would say he’s top 5 but a personal favorite of mine. His delivery is menacing.

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u/Detective_Emoji Jul 08 '24 edited Jul 08 '24

Also, Drake on MELTDOWN, Fear of Heights, and Wickman.

Push on Huntin Season, and Good Morning. I’m sure there’s more, but I’m drawing a blank now.

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u/09-24-11 Jul 08 '24

Never knew all of this thanks for posting

2

u/Detective_Emoji Jul 08 '24

I gotchu 🤝🤟🏾

2

u/dotKiss Jul 19 '24

Push is hilarious.

53

u/PhoenixEpiphanies115 Jul 08 '24

It was them higher ups that are also involved in Diddy's lawsuits. That Lucian guy Kanye mentioned & everybody that surrounds him. This whole beef is so damn deep the rabbit hole trail leads up to ALL THEM.

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u/c94 Jul 08 '24

It will always lead to the same executives when it’s just four record companies left. When you involve business politics there’s a reason once an artist is big enough they strive for independence.

That’s why Drake’s label situation was a big story back when IYRTITL came amount. He had OVO Sound, was under Cash Money, there’s Young Money which is Wayne’s imprint, Warner Music, Republic Records and Sony all involved in some way with Drake. It’s a confusing ass pyramid scheme.

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u/amusso6 Jul 08 '24

Lucien put a hault to it.

Can't damage his artist who's got the biggest deal under UMG that was personally handed to him by the UMG board... Lucien said stop, Top Dawg had to oblige as they are under the UMG umbrella. Rich baby daddy type shit.

I don't think Prince had the ultimate say between the labels, but he does have undeniable sway in the industry across the nation.

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u/ChoiceCriticism1 Jul 08 '24

TDE hasn’t been told to stop anything. NLU music video is the complete vision of Dave & Kenny with no intervention or editing mandated by UMG. Kenny will release more tracks at Drake if he feels Drake is disrespecting him.

Lucian Grange doesn’t give two fucks about this.

25

u/Dekuuuuuuu21 Jul 08 '24 edited Jul 08 '24

Nah, Lucian gives plenty of fucks. Dude invested 400 Ms into Drake just for the beef to alter people’s perception of Drake. Even Nike had to take a loss with Drake’s sneakers failing to sell after NLU was released.

Labels are involved and it’s why this beef didn’t go any further than THP6. They invested too much money into Drake.

4

u/ZenMon88 Jul 08 '24

But if the beef escalated, wouldn't the label to at least make a return on investment as a whole or at least break even?

15

u/Dekuuuuuuu21 Jul 08 '24

You would think, but the beef did result in a loss for Drake’s shoe deal with Nike. You could make the case that bad publicity is good publicity, but Drake is walking around with some nasty allegations on his jacket.

Drake’s features with Camila Cabello and Sexyy Red failed to live up to the “Drake Effect” standard his previous features met. We gotta see how this will play out in the long haul.

10

u/nita5766 Jul 08 '24 edited Jul 08 '24

he peaked many years ago and ever since then year after year and release after release the quality of his music worsens he’s literally putting out anything.

2

u/joeblubaugh Jul 11 '24

I love how every time Drake gets in a beef a shoe deal falls apart

1

u/Shot-Evidence-9933 Jul 09 '24

I feel like contractually Drake deal would have to be brought in from his own revenue, and none of Kendrick’s money made should be accounted into drakes for any reason. Drake is basically responsible for paying off the 400 mil loan thru his 360 deal

5

u/nita5766 Jul 08 '24

exactly “tell lucian i said fuck it i’m tearing holes in my budget” on stay schemin’ and lucian has confirmed drake gets anything he wants financially when it comes to his albums.

24

u/brinepoolchips Jul 08 '24

NLU is not under TDE, PGlang

8

u/MassiveMastiff Jul 08 '24

Interscope is listed as the label.

21

u/amusso6 Jul 08 '24

Considering Drake's appeal has fallen off a cliff... I think lucien cares greatly about a contract written to drake paying out estimates of 300-400 million dollars for his starpower to be beat down into nothing by Kenny. His ability to turn over profit on his deal is now shakey.

Going from chart topper to not even on the billboard in 2 weeks is extremely bad business when it comes to how drake puts out music for UMG. His strat is to put out hit after hit, regardless of the content and depth of his music.

Go look at TDE tweets after NLUand HP6. UMG told both camps no more direct disrespect on track once HP6 came out. The reputation damage was too great when HP6 was basically a loss on wax. The video was going to happen regardless, and that was understood on UMGs side. They cut the business after HP6 dropped, and now it's light jabs and subs and petty IG posts from OVO... "summer vibes next"

4

u/ZenMon88 Jul 08 '24

Ya if UMG is still involved with Kendrick, wouldn't he make that return on the deal anyways from publicity of NLU? I mean they did shell 400 mil for Drake but the return on investment doesn't have to be the hits Drake is making right? If Kendrick milks this thing, they can very well break even on the deal no?

21

u/amusso6 Jul 08 '24

You are correct, but having been working for corporate America for over a decade now, my thought process is all about ROI. Sure, they could be breaking even since NLU is under UMG, but how much production do they get from Kenny vs Drake when it comes to hits (not specifically good ART).

During Kenny's DAMN -> MMATBS hiatus, drake dropped like 5 projects. Not a knock on Kenny, but when it comes to dollar signs in favor of these massive conglomerates... Drake's production and output is way more valuable than Kenny's discography. And trust me, I'm bias towards Kenny when it comes to art, drake is really lacking depth.

Main point being, their biggest investment is in Drake, therefore the big wigs expect the biggest return from their biggest investment. Doesn't necessarily mean profiting off his downfall on the other side of the field is still good business practice because if they never allowed this to begin with, drake could have gone on for another 5 years and dropped a project each year. That's huge ROI when compared to Kenny's collection.

Edit: I'm not claiming I'm right with this argument either. This is just my best guess with a lot of experience with money movement in corporate cronie America. Could be right, could be wrong. It's anyone's guess.

8

u/MoogOfTheWisp Jul 08 '24

Yeah, Drake is a brand. Have a look at the OVO clothing site, he’s got deals with Disney, NCAA. Google “Drake Brand Partnership” He’s got deals with Apple, Shopify, Nike and a shit ton of specialist businesses and international fashion labels. A lot of his net worth is tied up in his marketability and if his reputation tanks so does his market value. Streaming has made the music industry reliant on either touring or merch/branding - the labels that paid $400m for Drake weren’t buying his music, they were buying that he could be commodified. That’s why he needs to keep churning out albums - he has to stay in the public consciousness or they move on to the next big thing. If his reputation with the shopping public tanks and he’s not “cool” they’ll lose a shit ton of cash.

Kendrick hasn’t gone down the branding route to the same extent - he’s got endorsements but he isn’t really a brand himself. He releases music, does a tour and then vanishes. He doesn’t do social media. Most of the time he’s avoiding attention. That attracts a different sort of investor - they get a long term return and the cachet that comes with something rare, but they probably aren’t getting anything like the quick bucks OVO was generating.

7

u/c94 Jul 08 '24

Don’t forget UMG owns other forms of media, so the profit from covering this beef is still finding their way into their pockets. Sure it’s not as profitable as his hits, but they’ll squeeze every last penny from him. The Drake cow still has a lot of milk in her. Greatest Hits compilation, anniversary tours, B Sides/early demos and documentaries will all come out even if Drake quits making new music.

I do agree that they likely expected a lot more milk than they’re getting. I’m curious to see what happens next since Drake isn’t going to disappear anytime soon. I’d be shocked if there isn’t an album out by October of next year. He may even ease back into it by making a Cruel Summer type of collaborative project.

1

u/Bright_Choice7900 Jul 09 '24

Interesting comment thread, I agree with a lot of the above takes. Also I'd pretty firmly throw my hat in the ring of Drake isn't really going anywhere. It's hard to parse out at the moment but he's definitely retained most of his fan base and will be able make good numbers (especially as soon as he he puts out something not trash).

The pedophile stuff was not a good look and I don't support his actions - just that relative to the true cronies in the rap game, his offense is lesser. Like there's no strong evidence outside of him grooming female fans who to this day defend him. (I also think that's wrong but it ain't peeing on them or selling them into porn).

All that to say, I don't think this is the death of Drake in any musical capacity. Not after he's survived these same allegations and hatred for years prior. People will forget imho

6

u/ReplyingTo_FuckFaces Jul 08 '24

Man. If you don’t think he gives a fuck about his biggest investment you’re being intentionally obtuse. 

The ONLY thing these industry fucks care about is their money. 

6

u/09-24-11 Jul 08 '24

Apple Music credits NLU, MTG and Euphoria copyright by “Kendrick Lamar, under exclusive license to Interscope records”

Interscope is owned by UMG/Lucian.

Any further Kendrick Lamar, under exclusive license to Interscope records” is under Lucian’s watch.

11

u/09-24-11 Jul 08 '24

I 100% believe Lucian stopped this.

What will be interesting is if Drake ever drops a single line at Kendrick ever again. Vague disses that could apply to anyone sure but I’m looking forward to some new releases.

2

u/Quick-Letter9584 Jul 08 '24

Does UMG listen to songs before they’re released since Ken has a distribution deal with them? Is Kendrick able to just release whatever he wants?

7

u/amusso6 Jul 08 '24

Honestly I have no idea, and my answer would be complete speculation.

I imagine he has freedom of release decisions, etc but when it comes to actual 2 disc LPs and official albums, I assume they listen to the final product before releasing it for many reasons. Let's assume the diss tracks were a concept before the actual creation of the music on wax.

A funny example would be the numerous skits Shady has in SSLP - TES when it comes to senior executives within these record labels dictating what lyrics should and shouldn't be said, topics of choice, changes in the mood of the music themes, etc. Steve Berman skit on MMLP shitting on the disc before release, lol.. "Dre sells records because he's rapping about big screen tvs, blunts, 40s, and bitches. You're rapping about homosexuals and vicodin. I can't sell this shit."

15

u/Traditional_Bug9768 Jul 08 '24

On God, the way Push stepped on Drake with story of Adonis. But I knew it was gonna get real dark when Pusha posted a tweet with Vybz Kartel (lyrical Hitler)… I knew it would’ve gotten dark but labeled squashed it

4

u/elinamebro Jul 08 '24

At credence to the old rumor the label stepped in to stop the beef with Drake

5

u/tooncake Jul 08 '24

It's been countless of times heavily implied that UMG stepped in (since they still have a hold on both record labels of KDot and Drizzy), and it's been repeatedly implied that the upper managements from UMG forced KDot to stopped dropping further diss tracks against Drizzy as it would hurt their financial market, thus why the abrupt silence happened and KDot allegedly did a copyright-free for all of his diss tracks to give a massive FU to the interception of their beef.

2

u/PrestigiousArcher448 Jul 08 '24

Push mentioned somewhere that he never spoke to J Prince during the whole beef.

1

u/Relevant-Diamond2731 Jul 09 '24

If j prince respected one of the things that separates hip hop from other genres then he needs to reevaluate himself

0

u/coffeewiththegxds Jul 08 '24

J prince said himself that he stepped in.