Drake Questioned For His Proximity To Model While She Was Underage, Fans Debate Veracity

BYGabriel Bras Nevares12.4K Views
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Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 9: Rapper Drake performs onstage during "Lil Baby & Friends Birthday Celebration Concert" at State Farm Arena on December 9, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage/Getty Images)
Are these debunked claims? If they are, is their suggestive nature too much to stomach regardless?

The predator and sex trafficking claims against Drake, now ignited by Kendrick Lamar's diss tracks, are all unverified and speculative at this point. With little response to this on Drizzy's part and some social media sleuthing, though, many fans are concluding (again, speculatively) that this is all at least not a very good look. Moreover, one of the reasons why is the Toronto icon's alleged relationship with model Bella Harris, whom he met when she was 16 and bought out an entire restaurant for dinner for when she was 18. The TikTok clip below details these allegations a bit more specifically, and as you might see in the post's comments section, you will see that this isn't the only accusation of this in his life and career.

However, in that comments section, you will also find many pointing out that Harris already reportedly denied that she and Drake ever dated. Other folks claimed that she had more pictures with him that she deleted, and some think that this is all too creepy and suggestive regardless of whether those heftier claims are true. No matter whose side you're on, as DJ Akademiks and Joe Budden recently proved, everyone acknowledges that there's an immense amount of pressure on the 6ix God. The same is true for Kendrick Lamar, whom Drizzy hit with domestic violence claims, but he seems to be keeping the pressure on his opponent before hopefully addressing that.

Drake's Past Grooming (And Possibly Debunked) Claims Resurfacing Amid Kendrick Lamar Beef

Overall, this whole beef got really nasty when "Family Matters" and "meet the grahams" dropped... all for us to learn with "Not Like Us" that that it's all part of the narrative. That's not to diminish either artist: it's to suggest that what we thought were nuclear bombs might have just been artillery fire, at least in Kendrick Lamar's case. We still don't know whether Drake has pushed or will push a red button. But once this rap beef goes away, all the allegations remain if there isn't anything significant to debunk them.

Meanwhile, even Metro Boomin is getting in on the success of "Not Like Us" (albeit in a sidelined homophobic manner), dropping a new "diss beat" for folks to rap over. Drake and Kendrick Lamar have been playing dirty this week, but the culture and community at large hasn't lost sight of the "rap beef' element of this. Is that a valid angle to assume amid these claims? Again, rap beef is one thing, but they both have a lot to lose if either's dirt on the other is even close to what they allege.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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