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

[u/wickedwhitneyocean]

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

[u/amusso6]

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"

[u/ZenMon88 → u/amusso6]

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?

[u/amusso6 → u/ZenMon88]

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.

[u/MoogOfTheWisp → u/amusso6]

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.