Never has a rap battle been saddled with so many conspiracy theories. Drake and Kendrick Lamar have not only had to contend with fake songs, but they've spread information about the other person without providing concrete evidence. The misinformation spree continued on May 7. Drake's record label, UMG, was accused of stepping in and putting an end to the battle because the rapper was apparently "losing." A document surfaced online with a list of steps UMG has taken to resolve the matter.
The document in question claimed that UMG asked The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar to end their battle with Drake. It detailed Zoom meetings with the artists' respective labels, and claims that UMG was losing money over Drake's pedophile allegations. "Drake is losing the beef in UMG's eyes," the document read. "So from UMG's perspective, the sooner than this beef ends the better." It didn't take long for real UMG reps to speak out and state that none of these actions have been taken.
UMG Has No Plans To Interfere With Drake And Kendrick Lamar
UMG, which is short for Universal Music Group, issued a denial to TMZ. The label has never considered getting involved in the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle. "Kendrick and Drake's beef is between them and completely separate from the business side of things," TMZ reported. "And UMG just doesn't think it's their place to step in either way." It's easy to see why UMG is staying clear. The label is reaping the benefits from the battle in the form of historic streaming numbers.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar will draw over 250 million streams in the United States this week. This means that the handful of releases between them will make up a staggering 20% of all streams on the Billboard Hot 100. Drake, UMG's artist, managed to land a top 20 single with "Push Ups." The music video for his follow-up diss, "Family Matters," trended number one on YouTube. It's since racked up an impressive 17 million views. If anything, UMG would benefit from the battle continuing to unfold. Drake had another diss prepped to drop on May 7, according to DJ Akademiks, but a shooting outside of his home led to a delay.
[via]
