Drake had already been criticized for his handling of the Kendrick Lamar battle. It was widely assumed that the Toronto superstar lost the battle, despite turning in some impressive diss records. The decision he made on Monday, November 25, however, soured this silver lining. Drake filed a legal petition against his own record label, UMG, and accused them of serious wrongdoing in the Lamar battle. These claims have shocked and disappointed fans. Some, however, have noted that Kanye West alluded to tension between Drizzy and UMG months ago.
Kanye West gave a lengthy interview on The Download Podcast at the peak of the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle in April. He previewed a remix of the Dot-featuring single "Like That," in which he called out UMG CEO Lucian Grainge by name. "Where's Lucian? Serve your master, n**ga," he rapped. "You caught a little bag for your masters, didn't ya?. Lifetime deal, I feel bad for n**gas." West provided context for the bars during the interview. He claimed that Grainge is Drake's "rich baby daddy," alluding to Drake's song of the same name.
Kanye West Called Grainge Drake's "Rich Baby Daddy"
"Drake has a rich baby daddy named Lucian and Universal," Kanye West alleged. "He's like, 'man, my daddy got it. My daddy control the spins. My daddy got the DSPs. Drake has a rich baby daddy." Kanye West claimed that Drake's music has become so commodified and controlled by the so called "machine" that it no longer connects with listeners. This is especially the case, he felt, with regard to Lamar disses. "Drop and give me 50, ain't nobody gonna drop and do sh*t," West said. "Your raps don't mean sh*t."
Kanye West has made lots of inflammatory statements during his career. At this point, he's better known for saying controversial things than he is making great music. That said, Drake's decision to file a lawsuit against UMG and Spotify has fans second guessing West's allegations on The Download. The response to Drake's lawsuit has not been positive, with many feeling the 6 God is reacting extremely poorly to his loss in the Kendrick Lamar battle. Perhaps West will get his wish of seeing Drake "eliminated" after all.