The Lawsuit & The Super Bowl …What Now?

In this episode of Rap Latte, we sit down with Marc Lamont Hill to dive into some of the hottest topics in hip-hop right now. Can Drake’s lawsuit against UMG change the music industry for good? Will Kendrick Lamar’s rumored Super Bowl performance shake up the culture, or will Drake block it with “Not Like Us”? We also explore Trump’s surprising impact on hip-hop and how politics have created a deep divide in the rap game. Tune in for a conversation that connects the beats, the bars, and the bigger picture.
#RapLatte #Drake #KendrickLamar #MarcLamontHill #HipHopPolitics #TrumpEffect #UMG #SuperBowl2025 #RapCulture #HipHopDiscussion #MusicIndustry #BarsAndBeats

[@RapLatte]

ITS RAP LATTE ☕️ Appreciate all y’all Comments.

[@Sunshine-8229]

I appreciated this conversation. However, I found myself increasingly frustrated. When are people going to STOP coddling Drake? He is the biggest bully and instigator in hip-hop, aside from maybe 50 Cent. He has hurt so many people with his antics, especially women and people STILL coddle him. Why? He started this beef and degraded Whitney Alford in three of the four diss tracks, and STILL people coddle him. So tired of it. Second, Kendrick is not an idiot. He has performed songs many times, knowing when to censor himself and demonstrates impeccable timing. These discussions really annoy me because folk act they got to consult with him on what to do and what to say and not to do or say. I’m pretty sure he knows how to censor himself just fine. On the other hand, at this point, I personally don’t want him to perform NLU because I don’t want this entire performance to be marred by this dumb Drake battle. Finally, regarding the lawsuit: let’s be very clear. Drake does not believe he was harmed. This is all about him losing a battle to a far superior lyricist and artist that HE (not Kendrick, not anyone else) instigated. He lost to Pusha T and people falling for the J. Prince nonsense. He lost to Kendrick and people falling for his victimhood persona. When are we as a culture going to stop giving Drake a pass?

[@nothobbesmufc949]

Not Like Us didn't harm Drake. Drake harmed Drake. He filed petitions, he was sending out cease & desists, he was bitching about LeBron & DeRozen dancing to Not Like Us. He was sending Hells Angels after Rick Ross. His certified glazer Akademiks went on a HUGE anti-lebron rant implying Drake is a sex trafficker and then he filed the lawsuit. And now he's calling the song anti-Semitic to try and say UMG is selling hate speech. This is all Drake's doing. Kendrick hasn't had to say a word nor has UMG.

[@TheGreatestJediOfAllTime]

I don’t think Drake is a generational talent AT ALL. If he actually WROTE those Quentin Miller songs, or the ones the weekend did, I’d probably agree. After learning about the OVO sweatshop I think that’s wild to say. He’s a great business man because he knows how to use and abuse talent around him.

[@TheGreatestJediOfAllTime]

I do think he has talent. But a generational talent is like Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Prince. And the man he lost to, KENDRICK.

[@eyanandaahmed308]

He doesn’t produce or write his biggest hits. But the people he’s constantly compared to, their original IP is shown in the most notable moments of their career, unlike Drake.

[@MSGODDESSCHAR]

The lines will be forever blurred when it comes to Drake not everyone knows how deep it goes. You can’t listen to a couple of Kendrick bars and fully understand how this man literally raped and pillaged every artist that he came into contact with.

[@Laidback_616]

I haven't been a fan of his since nothing was the same, meaning I don't have any of his music on my phone. How much he actually writes his stuff is up for debate. Still in terms of only success, he is a generational talent. I'm willing to guess only Em and Ye have sold more albums. I'm also betting Drake's streaming numbers doubles if not triples theirs. Commercially speaking, it's hard to say he's not the most successful rapper in last 25 years. Generational talent? No imo. General atrist or act yes.

[@RAWTALENTATHLETICSCANADA]

Canadian artists have been misrepresented. We are not all like this

[@progressiveGal73]

08:46 Toure~the look on your face while Marc is talking about what he understands about Drake’s feels is priceless 😂

[@funkyfreshkid08]

The "Not being able to release music" narrative has to die. Owlboy put out nearly 15 tracks over the summer. The problem is none of them gained traction.

[@eyanandaahmed308]

If his fan base is as strong as Marc makes it sound, then his records during the summer SHOULDVE gained traction regardless. Which it did! So I don’t understand how they “suppressed” Drake songs when they did well enough on the charts, they just didn’t chart like how Drake is used to.

[@funkyfreshkid08]

@eyanandaahmed308 alot of the talking heads attribute his status from 10 years ago to today and he's far removed from that even before the battle. Scorpion was his peak and he's been downhill ever since.

[@PharaohDom]

Thank. You! Niggas stay rewriting history. We were all there and watched it live in 4K! It was less than 365 days ago. Smh

[@PharaohDom]

​@eyanandaahmed308 almost as if years of mediocre and uninspired music stopped connecting with the masses. Naaaaaahhh, couldn't be. Conspiracy!

[@sK0pe-d9b]

Those trash records got way more spins than they deserve.

[@AnaAcuraErica]

A minor is a musical term for musicians. I don’t see the problem 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@Cyrusislikeawsome]

Certified lover boy, certified PDF file 😅

[@zps503]

“He took his thumb off the scale for Drake” ….so they forced him to play fair in the battle he instigated. He lost.

[@WildRaven11]

💯

[@CJ-zc4gd]

Marc Lamont hill is unserious these days… like GTFAH with your JBP fence sittin Ish takes. You sound stupid

[@1dk_0bi]

No one in this convo is saying Drake didn't lose. Your fighting ghosts, Marc is simply saying that even if Drake's case isn't the most likely or believable outlook from what happened, there's still a course of logic to be followed from it.

[@marysmith5003]

Had not like us been dropped in isolation say like a month after or two months after Drake's last drop, would it have done as well? The diss battle built up such a head of steam for both of these performers and everyone was listening for what would come next. More than the tactics of UMG in manipulating a record's success, it was the unpredictability of a moment that had caught the world's attention. Meet the Grahams was chilling and right on its heels came Not Like Us. The heart part 6 by Drake landed after with a whimper because it did not tell as interesting and as compelling a story. So, Kendrick is short, big deal! And he might have some sad domestic problems. That's just not as interesting as an aging rapper living a party life, allegedly taking advantage of the people who work directly for him, and creating his success by stealing from other artists, and sleeping with other men's girlfriends. Now there's some gossip! Just because it was more interesting to hear does not make it any more unjust then the charges Drake leveled at Kendrick. It was not about being gassed up by UMG's tactics that engineered success. It was the momentum that had been built up by this diss battle that Kendrick used to tell a better story while Drake just piffulled out.

[@Devonm251]

Meet the grahams was out less than half an hour after Family Matters dropped

[@user-zu9cw2xq7f]

Set ‘em straight Toure! 💯✊🏾

[@miynu16]

My dislike of Drake is not irrational, damn Marc 😂

[@blaquebeauty6339]

🎯THIS!!!

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

Marc was not saying a word. He was saying that to give Drake kudos 😒

[@nettricegaskins1871]

Drake didn't think K-Dot could beat him. He underestimated Kendrick and believed in his own hype. Kendrick KNEW this and warned him. Drake is the Elon Musk of hip-hop.

[@tim.noonan]

Drake couldn’t buy a president. His soft power has all but evaporated. But he was also trying to win over a much more discerning audience than the American electorate, before the lawsuit at least.

[@mellemellbc]

The ego is a dangerous drug! Had he thought rationally he woulda known he didn’t stand a chance…

[@PatienceLove]

Drake knew Kendrick could beat him, he just banked on UMG suppressing Kendrick’s music for him, like they did other artists. That’s why he’s suing UMG! They’ve been siding with him every time, they literally had Story of Adidon pulled, and suppressed plenty of other songs/verses against Drake. UMG stayed neutral, and he’s mad.

[@sK0pe-d9b]

Yep he's definitely heil Hitler energy.

[@Sunshine-8229]

No he is not. Drake isn’t that smart. He’s Trump through and through, who is known for being a perpetual victim who weaponizes the legal system for his own ends!

[@Xynxyl]

Y’all are missing the bigger point. Will SZA look like a giant bug during the Super Bowl ?

[@WildRaven11]

I really hope so 😂

[@a1ntcry1noveru]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@PharaohDom]

The real discourse the people need!

[@vandymar]

Drake KNEW HE HAD TO RENEGOTIATE his contract BEFORE he started talking shit to KENDRICK. None of this happens if he didn't ask for it. Kenny warned him.

[@gummibearvodka]

I think he didn't expect to lose like this. He thought he would win, the Internet would side with him, and the probably use that win as leverage to get more money from UMG. Sucks for him, he lost. And keeps losing. He entered this beef with eyes wide open. He instigated it. No sympathy from me.

[@Sunshine-8229]

@@gummibearvodkaExactly! The narrative that Kendrick was favored from the very beginning is a false one, and one that annoys me. Before “Euphoria,” everyone counted Kendrick out: he took too long to drop a diss track; Drake was winning because “Push Ups” was great and Kendrick hadn’t dropped. Drake was everywhere! He had support from the industry. I traveled to New York, Atlanta, Chicago and saw Drake billboards everywhere I went! Drake was being promoted on the streams. He was being promoted by Ak, Mal, Vlad Adam and many in hip-hop media and entertainment. To assert that Drake was the underdog is quite frankly a lie out of the pit of hell. When people assert that Kendrick is an Industry Baby, it’s just simply untrue. No one was on Kendrick’s side. Even Kendrick fans doubted him and felt that he was never going to respond to Drake, and many felt defeated and crowned Drake before “Euphoria”. Before “Euphoria”, everyone was talking shyt about Kendrick. Even after the great performance on “Like That,” people were still counting him out, which is so baffling given that Kendrick is a far superior lyricist and rapper than Drake. So now, I see folk trying to change the narrative to claim that Kendrick was favored all along. That’s assertion is simply not true!

[@hrashelle1]

This is a frustrating listen - the facts are that Drake has wanted to prove to the world since Control that he was better than kendrick. Drake chose to engage when and how he did - Drake has used UMG to attack other artists in the past, the sole blame is on Drake. Toure is not too hard on Drake. Drake is a slimeball.

[@nicnicnickey]

Marc came across as a more articulate AK in the Drake convo. As soon as the, "someone in the camp said," you already know he has been compromised. Trying to gaslight people with the ridiculous logic that Drake is someone who is a victim of the same system he has benefited from for YEARS is so disingenuous.

[@PharaohDom]

Facts.

[@Sunshine-8229]

THIS!! So sick and tired of it. Even Ak showed that he preferred Not Like Us and Euphoria over Family Matters. Something told me that Marc was going to be a Drake glazer. Why am I not surprised?

[@KiratYar]

Aubrey didnt have anything for Pusha T #SurgicalSummer

[@burninsage22]

Tik tik tik

[@magienoirediana]

@@burninsage22 How much time he got?

[@allmenjoi8]

That man is sick sick sick

[@sK0pe-d9b]

Omg 😂😂😂. Pusha is underrated.

[@Sunshine-8229]

So interesting how Marc used J. Prince as an excuse for Drake. Bottom line: Pusha T destroyed Drake. Then, in true fashion, Drake got Pusha’s song banned. I truly do not understand people like Marc who clearly has a Drake bias and projecting on those of us who do not like Drake as if we have no valid or rational reasons for disliking Drake. They refuse to see Drake’s behavior. So irritating.

[@kellyg4017]

Drake is a Karen. He sued the producers of Degrassi High to get out of the wheelchair because he thought it made him look weak and hurt his rap career.

[@jackieanderson3820]

Really? 🤦‍♀️

[@sukimarmelaide4030]

​@@jackieanderson3820 It's true

[@tampear]

Great episode, as always. Putting out another plea for y'all to invite a woman as a guest. I vote for Olurinatti.

[@RapLatte]

We have so many in line just scheduling it keep giving us suggestions tho please

[@aricurtis1365]

@@RapLatte Monie from Chilling with Monie!

[@yimahfaget]

absofuckinlutely

[@Tom-qq7ov]

Mel mitch!

[@jessmruth]

I would love to see Scottie Beam on here. She's great!

[@cousinchris5851]

Drake thinks Push crossed the line. Drake thinks Kendrick crossed the line. Drake doesn't understand that there isn't a line. He's not built for battle rap

[@Sunshine-8229]

Drake and his fans go right along with his nonsense and continue to excuse his behavior. Frustrating!

[@thozaqwanyashe3333]

Whilst in a contract negotiation, in his calculation he thought he would run over Dot effortlessly and ultimately bargain for a better contract with UMG. Unfortunately things didn’t pen-out in his favour after his underestimation of Dot. That’s a fact!

[@PatienceLove]

This proves his mental is messed up. 😂 He needed UMG to interfere in order to ever win against Kendrick, but planned to use the same manufactured win, to ask for more money. It doesn’t make sense. 😂 He thought UMG would suppress Kendrick, them staying neutral is what upset him.

[@PrincessVelaryon]

He gambled and lost

[@Sunshine-8229]

Exactly! He thought beating Kendrick would make his deal sweeter. People calling Drake “smart” is ridiculous! Every move he has made since the beginning of this conflict has been wrong headed. He had to pull two of the four diss tracks!

[@Sunshine-8229]

@@PrincessVelaryonand we know he has a gambling problem.

[@EliteBlackSash]

Drake, the biggest rapper with UMG, thought he would crush the biggest Emcee with UMG, and up his stock in both lanes - The Business, and The Culture. WHY? Okay… First, keep in mind, Ross’ beef with him was over a cease and desist to French. And Kendrick’s first diss was highlighted by the line, “cease and desist on the Like That record?!” He also, OBVIOUSLY, thought they would cheat for him the way they did against Meek Mill, Pusha T blocking releases. He grossly miscalculated.

[@PatienceLove]

That’s why that narrative doesn’t make sense. He thought he would use a manufactured win, that UMG helped him get, to get more money from UMG? That’s idiotic! And, it’s obvious he expected them to help, because the lawsuit admits he expected them to censor Kendrick or not release the song. When they didn’t, he came back twice and asked them to pull the song. You can’t use a win they manufactured, to extort them for more money. 😂

[@zps503]

41:27 so Marc is saying there are rules to the timing of a diss response? they were taunting him to drop, drop, drop…

[@Sunshine-8229]

Drake never responded to Pusha and took many more weeks to respond to Meek Mill. But because it’s Drake, suddenly the rules of beef engagement has changed to favor him? Make it make sense. Marc gave every kind of ridiculous excuse for Drake.

[@KamasiFitzgerald]

AYY we hit the checklist, Green mentioned I Shot The Sheriff and Toure got irate about Drake - great interview as always

[@RapLatte]

🤣 W comment

[@shockwavebboy]

5:49 The FCC cant act on what the crowd does. The most the network can do is hit the 7 second button on those parts.

[@Sunshine-8229]

Marc was being absolutely ridiculous in his assertions!

[@wojerwabbit]

UMG simultaneously raising Kendrick and dropping Drake kinda doesn't make sense because, in the grand scheme of things, all that matters in this day and age is popularity. You can even make the argument that the level, and amount of attention the beef gave both these artists, actually kept them on an even playing field. Which means it was up to their art and ability to communicate to a global audience their intentions that would separate them and we all know how that went. One song is being played in obscure villages in India and its not family matters

[@opinionladyy]

And Kendrick isn’t their artist. So he’s really reaping the benefits more than anyone. They simply get a cut. Pushing an Aubrey song would have been more beneficial to them finamcialy . And yes both artists go up during a battle so bringing his value down never made sense. This battle menefitted both.

[@Sunshine-8229]

Marc makes it seem like there’s an interrelationship where both artists can’t do well. Kendrick excelling must mean that Drake loses. Interesting he doesn’t feel that the arrow goes the other way. Drake is not a victim!!!

[@Sunshine-8229]

@@opinionladyyMarc glazing Drake so much he can’t see that he’s making no sense. Drake brings in far more revenue. Nothing to do with Kendrick who only has distribution deal. Marc knows nothing.

[@EmmaEffa]

I do not agree with Marc in terms of Drake being a generational talent. He has been the face and benefactor of a generational campaign.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

💯

[@steph5808]

5:16 The whole sentence is “Trying to start a chord and it’s probably A minor”. PDF(s) is a totally different line in the song; MLH has had so many bad KDot takes he gets annoying.

[@marysmith5003]

Isn't the phrase trying to strike a chord as opposed to trying to start a cord?

[@PharaohDom]

He was...VERY weird here.

[@jamierobinson8116]

It's called a difference of opinion. Not everyone thinks Kendrick is GOD

[@shockwavebboy]

18:14 To answer Toure's question just look at the records Drake released after NLU. They all went wood.

[@tropicalcupcake7]

LMAO @ They went all wood 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@pucs82]

Did they go wood because of NLU or did they just go wood because they weren't good? I'm siding with the latter.

[@PharaohDom]

​@@pucs82Definitely the latter. He would have been better off going silent for 6 months to a year and dropping that album with Party.

[@shockwavebboy]

@pucs82 I'm leaning toward the latter, but I would say both. Because, NLU had already set the stage for us to look at Drake's next move with deeper discernment. Plus MTG did not help Drake's situation at all.

[@pucs82]

@@PharaohDom I agree. Disappear for a bit and come back with good music. It’s a tried and true formula. Losing a battle isn’t the worst thing in the world if you’re a big artist.

[@DemonHunterMOG]

I think you just rock an instrumental and watch as the whole building sings it.

[@magienoirediana]

I understand your position, but I disagree. Drake's numbers were decreasing even before the battle. When did he have his last number 1 hit? Before this battle, a large number of even his own fans complained about the quality of the music. Now they've even come up with the theory that he's been releasing trash albums for the last few years on purpose because he's been saving good songs for the release after he's out of contract. The level of delusion is beyond the comprehension of an ordinary person. Everyone said that his music didn't even come close to matching the quality of what he had done before, these numbers were all going down, for several years now his big numbers and the number one rapper in streams depend on songs and albums that were released a decade ago. So I see that even before the battle, the company said that they would not renew his contract for the amount he wanted, and when the whole situation with the battles came, he could not deny his ego in order to quickly win against Kendrick and raise his "price", but he lost. And now he's running around in a panic and suing everyone because he's now being offered even less money for the contract.

[@1dk_0bi]

First Person Shooter was number one and it was on his last album. Sure his image wasn't in it's brightest but before the beef Drake could still go number one whenever he wanted.

[@Sunshine-8229]

@@1dk_0biAnd Cole destroyed and upstaged him on that song. It wasn’t nearly as successful as Like That, and the success of that record was Kendrick’s verse and Metro’s beat.

[@1dk_0bi]

@ don’t do that, I’m a Cole fan before I’m a fan of Kendrick or Drake. Cole is the least commercial out of all 3 of them, so him having a good verse and outrapping the artists (which he does on most features) doesn’t make a song stand out and go number 1. If that was the case Ruby Rosary would’ve went 1, Johnny P’s Caddy would’ve went 1, Red Leather would’ve went 1, etc.

[@CJ-zc4gd]

Marc Lamont Hill has been on a crusade to try to give Drake some rehabilitation and I need to look at him sideways because why. He’s just a contrarian

[@BraMoore]

He don't even bother getting the correct information. Shit is all just hypotheticals

[@PatienceLove]

He’s definitely a contrarian! 😂

[@jackieanderson3820]

Maybe he’s actually a leftist softie bleeding heart.

[@sK0pe-d9b]

I don't know the man but from this conversation he seems to make poorly formed arguments.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

25:48 we dgaf Marc. Seems your not in the 'us' 😒

[@nkwhite]

It's QUITE disputable, sir. UMG backing Kendrick's song is UMG doing their damn job. The only reason why they're not doing that for him anymore NOW is because he was trying to force them to baby him and manipulate the beef Before he sued, while likely threatening the lawsuit the whole time. Why does he think the lawsuit happened? It only happened because Drake didn't get his way. The lyrics of the song only hurt Drake because Drake's own behavior proved the lyrics to be TRUE.

[@nothobbesmufc949]

Drake sent Cease & Desists in July last year, in August last year, and UMG said to him "no" and then informed him that if he sued, it would end very badly for him.

[@nkwhite]

@nothobbesmufc949 Yup! His whole premise was trying to retroactively justify Drake's position with UMG. Naaaah, fam

[@PatienceLove]

If UMG would’ve pulled NLU, Drake would’ve made it seem like Dot took the song down because he was lying in the song. And, because Kendrick doesn’t speak out publicly, Drake would’ve have ran with the narrative to make it seem like Dot took the song back. He wouldn’t have admitted that he actually sent a “cease and desist”, because it hurt him.

[@jamierobinson8116]

UMG cannot use illegal tactics to promote NLU

[@nkwhite]

@jamierobinson8116 And so, they didn't... 🙄

[@swervenights]

Toure is the best person to debate Marc LOLOL this was a great episode

[@democord12]

“You’re too hard on Drake” 😂

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

Bullshit take that explains why the vultures always get to eat good for so long

[@blvckreaper462]

The only issue with him saying UMG defamed him and brought down his value so they wouldn’t have to pay is that he actively pursued the rap diss battle where he and opponents took turns defaming each other. He antagonized Kendrick to respond and trolled online relentlessly Kendrick, his camp and his family. UMG didn’t do anything extra, Drake did.

[@PatienceLove]

Not only did he instigate, antagonize, and engage…he himself said “say he likes young girls”. What happens when the lawyers ask “Why did you say that about yourself?” “Why did you expect the Epstein angle?”

[@Sunshine-8229]

Drake defenders trying to rewrite history and redefine the rules in Drake’s favor. Shit is annoying AF.

[@alkumhcounseling8634]

The irony of this defamation case is that Drake's MORE famous now, just not in the way he wanted. You can be famously hated. Kdot or metro should drop a bar somewhere like "This canadian lawyer try'na come for me, playin' plaintiff to spotify and UMG, Why? We made that b---- faaamous..."

[@marysmith5003]

That is funny but given Kendrick's warm relationship with Taylor Swift, I don't think he would rift in that way off the famous insult that Kanye leveled at her. But it is funny. It made me laugh out immediately.

[@_NoHandle_]

At the beginning of this convo: It's interesting that Marc doesn't want to stick to the facts at hand. His hypotheticals are doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Additionally, Marc stated that Kendrick could perform the 3rd verse of "Not Like Us." Maybe he didn't read the court filing, but Drake and his lawyers stated that that section of the song was anti-Semitic.

[@iDewThis4Yu]

This how you know nobody has cable anymore. Bruh not like us has been played in multiple superbowl commercials atp…even one with a jazz band yelling the hook😂. Bruh the nfl does not care about one artist throwing a hissy fit especially when public presumption is on thier side for once

[@SamAlGamgee]

@41:15 it was 50’s idea. No doubt in my mind he was advising Drake the entire way. I need to know why he’s been trying to try take Kendrick down.

[@sK0pe-d9b]

This man said Drake is stupid and smart in the same conversation.

[@alexisaguirrevideos]

MTG dropped like 40 min after Family Matters and then NLU dropped the next morning

[@Gnb496]

Exactly it was less than an hour and Not like us on Saturday and the heart 6 on Sunday.

[@erica_em]

I completely disagree. The argument Drake is making is not a good legal argument. For a public figure to win a defamation case, they must prove "actual malice" which means UMG-via-Kendrick "knew what they said was false or that they acted with a reckless disregard for the truth." Knowingness is very hard to legally _prove_ in any case. But this will be especially difficult for Drake because people can (and do) have opinions and share information about public figures that may or may not be true and we have no real way of fact-checking our perceptions of them. We hear about celebrities from family, friends, social media, speculation, memes, satire, movies, music, etc and we have no real way of knowing what is and is not true about famous people. (And this is only one defense; there is also the comedic/satirical norms that exist in hip hop which is also a defense against defamation that has been upheld by SCOTUS in Jerry Falwell's cases against Larry Flynt and Hustler.) Even the slightest thread of truth in these "defamatory" statements, will be taken as a reasonable basis for believing they are true _under the law._ Drake would have to prove that UMG (or Kendrick, if he wound up suing him) literally KNEW whether or not Drake is sexually attracted to minors. They cannot know that and the internet has been saying he is for a decade. And that's just the beginning of the many, many problems with Drake's legal case. We also have informed consent, industry norms, Kendrick not being an "agent" whose words can be treated as UMG's words, the SCOTUS decision in Hustler v. Falwell, the First and Fourteenth amendments, and on and on.

[@PatienceLove]

His biggest problem is going to be him saying “say he likes young girls” on Taylor Made, which was released before NLU. Not women, girls, a young girl is a minor. If you like young girls, you’re a pdf. “The Epstein angle is the sh!t I expected”. It will get bad when UMG’s lawyers questions, why he himself, would say that about himself! The simplest defense is, Kendrick said it, because Drake told him to. He called himself a pdf before Kendrick did.

[@EmmaEffa]

Not disliking Drake and claiming love for hip hop &/or the culture is irrational…incongruent…whatever you call it, Marc.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

Yup

[@shashaworld4283]

It's abundantly clear to anyone who listens to or reads NLU that Kendrick does NOT call Aubrey a paedophile. Also, a paedophile is someone who is attracted to minors. It doesn't have to include a sexual act. I hope Kendrick drops the song, including "certified paedophiles" and "A minor". NFL will get more views.

[@jamierobinson8116]

Most people in the super bowl won't even know his music unless he does the tracks dissing Drake

[@BraMoore]

@@jamierobinson8116 I hope Drake sees this one 🤞🏾

[@dalrondyer]

You can't claim harm and harassment, if you signed up for a fight

[@jamierobinson8116]

Makes no sense what you're saying

[@dalrondyer]

@jamierobinson8116 you signed up for a rap battle, you sent two disses and was posting all online confident... On the 2nd song, he says tell them that he likes kids for me.. before Kendrick posted a song... How does that not make sense?

[@jamierobinson8116]

@@dalrondyer what does any of this have to do with the lawsuit?

[@Sunshine-8229]

@@jamierobinson8116I’ll explain: Drake instigated this fight, went low FIRST by degrading Whitney Alford in “Push Ups” and “Family Matters,” then again on “The Heart.” His dumb ass lost because he thought he was better than a far superior artist. He lost and then got mad and turned into a Karen and sued. That’s what happened and that’s what these commenters are saying.

[@jamierobinson8116]

@@Sunshine-8229 he's not suing Kendrick. He's suing UMG the corporation only so why should it matter to anyone. This has nothing to do with Kendrick. Who cares how the battle went. The battle is over and this has nothing to do with Kendrick. Hes not seeking legal action against Kendrick. Who cares what they said to each other. People are just mad cause they HATE DRAKE

[@v.gaylemiller4824]

Lol, I'm a grandma with tickets to Kendick's Chicago show. I'm sure Kendrick will figure out what to do; perhaps play the opening bars as his outro and let the audience sing on their own.

[@shaun1243]

46:24 "to be that daft" haha, that caught me off guard as a British viewer. Much love to both of y'all. been loving the podcast

[@joshuafetter3831]

This was one of my favorite episodes. I LOVED how willing all three of y'all were to engage in civil disagreement. This kind of discourse is sadly lacking today. Thank you for having these conversations.

[@opinionladyy]

I wish they’d stop calling Kendrick a UMG artist. He’s independent with a distro deal.

[@newmexiben]

Marc is on? Oh this is gonna be GOOD

[@MSGODDESSCHAR]

Marc hot takes were complete trash! Very disappointing. He added nothing to the Drake conversation.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

That's what i thought too and then 😒

[@opinionladyy]

He’s definitely Dry and Wet snitching. Indirectly blaming him through UMG.

[@ThomasBassey]

Marc is a phenomenal mind and debater when it comes to politics and Black issues. He is out of his element with his Drake takes. It doesn’t even feel like he has strong evidence behind his takes and it’s weird seeing him make takes like this.

[@Sunshine-8229]

He’s horrible when it comes to politics! He’s most often wrong, like supporting Jill Stein in 2016!

[@dropdeadpretti1]

MLH is exhausting. I could not be in a room with him 😂

[@Nostalgiaofthe80sand90s]

Just loving that Toure is connecting on this level. And loving seeing mark tap in with the culture more closely not only on the political level.

[@saytumahsvillage1917]

Wow!! Marc?! I’ve never heard Marc “cape” for Drake like this before. Must be the “Joe Button” effect.😂😂

[@josinaa9638]

Nice to see Marc on this platform.. good fit

[@rayy4pres194]

39:00 we have to agree to disagree. It’s been almost a year, Beef aside, family matter was just not that good in the grand scheme of the battle. Family matters didn’t touch Euphoria much less MTG or NLU. It just didn’t🤷🏾‍♀️ Drake has been making the same music for a very long time and all Kendrick had to do was make 4 songs that sound’s completely different in a 3 weeks span to expose that.

[@jamierobinson8116]

You obviously don't know music

[@rayy4pres194]

@ you’re obviously just a fan.

[@jamierobinson8116]

@@rayy4pres194 I can say the same thing about you. For you to say Family Matters wasn't good is ridiculous. You never actually listen to the lyrics. MTG is a joke too

[@rayy4pres194]

@ it’s actually not ridiculous. Like That, Euphoria, and NLU all out performed Family Matters. MTG out performed Family Matters as well but by a smaller margin than the other 3 songs. The streaming numbers seem to support me so there’s that🤷🏾‍♀️ have a nice day

[@jamierobinson8116]

@@rayy4pres194 MTG has lower streaming numbers. Like That isn't even his song! The Drake Hate is real. Kendrick finally getting the attention he always wanted for 15 years. He had to use DISS RECORDS to get it and couldn't do it organically with his own music. Pathetic

[@Anastasia.03]

Why is this always talked about as if there isn't a distinct possibility that Drake is actually guilty off some heinous things and that's why Kendrick stood on that phrasing. The song would still have been amazing without it. Using the term was a risk on Kendrick's part In multiple ways and he made the choice to use it. His words in meet the grahams were equally as specific and forceful

[@Kofi75089]

Why do people keep saying NLU is his biggest song? It's not even in his top 5 most popular songs...it may become his biggest but it's not yet

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

Ppl who say that wanna downplay K Dot

[@jamierobinson8116]

DISSING DRAKE was his only way of getting this type of attention and spotlight. Kendrick music on its own never got him in this position EVER. That's the reality. Couldn't do it without Drake attached

[@BraMoore]

@@jamierobinson8116 maybe he'll give you a thumbs up on this one 👍🏾

[@Artsyjjc]

5:35 “so maybe third verse?” Could this be why they’re trying to paint that part as antisemitic? To make the entire song of limits? Surely the team has some sort of strategy with it but that part of the lawsuit is such a bizarre reach it makes the entire thing seem even weaker imo

[@spirit426]

but this song is played at FAMILY EVENTS from the Blacks Backyard BBQs to the Jewish Bar Mitzvahs! Stop Cappin Lamont!

[@sK0pe-d9b]

Why did Drake get into a rap battle before negotiating his contact? He loves betting. Drake loses 99% of the time.

[@_NoHandle_]

I see Marc is still trying to sell that "Family Matters is a really good record" narrative. 🙄

[@karmmy365]

I usually think Toure is a hater, but Marc is giving way too much credit to Drake. Sounds like Friday from the Company Man culture streams.

[@opinionladyy]

People would complain they’ll be singing it like they been doing it for almost a year. Marc don’t know what he’s talking about.

[@nahomie]

😍 Loved the different perspectives. Great episode

[@DonnieLeap]

I def prefer MLH takes on politics over music. He makes a lot of assumptions/rumors as fact and he never seems to have much to add besides the regurgitated opinions of others.

[@MichaelBrown-ti1un]

Enjoyed tge convo between these 3. This needs to be a bi-monthly convo or something about all things hip hop and political.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

I hope not

[@peapotfairy]

I want kendrick to come out with a new NLU verse about the lawsuit

[@blackathena1565]

Other artists being successful doesn't harm Drake. Drake's participation in a beef harmed Drake. Drake's response harmed Drake. There is no direct correlation between Kendrick and Drake's less successful streams. Drake's CURRENT work shows he hasn't been as successful. It would be much different, and a stronger case, if Drake has a project he was promoting.

[@Sunshine-8229]

That assertion from Marc was absolutely ridiculous!

[@blackathena1565]

@Sunshine-8229 right, it may make sense without examination but comparing Drake's work today with his success 6-8 years ago as evidence of harm is a poor comparison

[@amber.cartomancer]

Did we all hear the same song? Not like us was hit WITHOUT bots😂.

[@KSharpIAm]

Great conversation. The thing is... It's not anyone's fault that Drake lost the battle except for his own. It's his own fault he both initiated the battle, instigated the battle, and lost miserably. Based on that, he has no standing to blame his perceived damages on UMG. The song he's complaining about would have been a hit and all of Kendrick's records would have cumulatively been better than his regardless of promotion. Unless he's arguing that they should have completely blocked NLU from being released based on some arbitrary rules that he himself just created... In which case there's a whole other gang of problems. This is indefensible. The only acceptable response would have been to take the L and chill

[@ChrisLewisjusChris]

Totally appreciated the alternate perspectives from “Drakarian’s” (stole that from Curtiss King 😂). Way too short.. please get MLH in for a part 2. Salute and great pod 👏🏿👏🏿✊🏿

[@imluckylawrence]

Donald Trump was the same person when he was a registered democrat in the 90s and said what he said about the Central Park 5.

[@opinionladyy]

No Aubrey wants to sully the song to sully the loss. He doesn’t believe Kendrick could beat him straight up. And people talking about the biggest stage. The song was popular worldwide.

[@aliensuperstar711]

MLH one of my favourite thinkers. Keep doing the knowledge, Marc!

[@JC_TV_92]

He's not selling 200k-300k first week without a label Green. Look at how everything he dropped last year

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

22:59 why is Lamont supporting Drake after all this evidence? Drake is not talented above most rappers, no one is 'holding him down' 😒😒

[@niyacraft4532]

He is being 'the Devil's advocate ' which makes for an interesting conversation.

[@seanism2011]

I’m suspicious of any adult saying they are for culture and hiphop but make excuses for Aubrey and call him a generational talent. Guy has a sweat shop writing his stuff for years. He cannot sit at the table with the GOATS.

[@user-zu9cw2xq7f]

Wop Wop Wop seems the best option! They’re Woppin’ on field 🏈

[@willlinner44]

Drake lost all by himself. If Drake had a diss song that was going crazy at a similar level as Not Like Us UMG would have been even happier. They could have had 2 artists trading blows (songs) that are huge and made even more.

[@osmosisbless]

I don't believe Drake is not being promoted by UMG because the chose Kendrick over him. I think his conflict with UMG is more likely at the root of all this and he made a critical error in thinking he was that much above Kendrick that he could troll and meme his way around him in a rap battle. He was wrong and I think he will find that he is wrong about this defamation angle against UMG

[@EliteBlackSash]

“It’s interesting who they’re investing in.” Funny Drake has instigated beef with both Taylor and Drake. And, personally, I think the game is prepping Bad Bunny to be his replacement lol.

[@KittyMeowMimi]

OVO Marc is on Drake’s PR team.

[@TipToe71]

Great episode

[@charlesmatthews6033]

Why is it that I never hear anyone say simply that Drake doesn't write his own raps and once you know certain things and see how he moves maybe you don't like him as much it's not so much that UMG was out to get in but that he had a weaker product that mesmerized people for a little bit and as time went on folks started to see that his product is weak why can't it be that

[@Lovely_one69]

Drake is a great generational ACTOR!! I just don’t see what you guys are saying. And what about him stealing soooo many people’s lyrics and flows. I don’t know if we even met Drake!!

[@RapLatte]

You GUY(s) ?! 🤣

[@jamesfrancisx]

y'all just be having goat after goat back to back 🔥

[@RapLatte]

You Maz Marc all 🐐s

[@Doomer253]

It's amazing how little MLH knows about rap and how easily he fell for Drake's "Talent". Drake is a circus seal. Great performer. that's it.

[@herghostnthefog]

I'm not going to say I feel stupider after listening to the wild lawsuit defense ... But i usually feel much smarter following a rap latte episode

[@s4ds4d]

Omg I've read and listened to so much of Marc's academic work on Palestine, had no idea he was an esteemed Hip-Hop head too 😭🙌

[@marysmith5003]

I hope he's better on Palestine than he is on this

[@GoldnDusty]

@@marysmith5003 He is - Except for Palestine is excellent and I thoroughly recommend it.

[@SoundDisconnected]

Marc just parroting the Budden podcast talking points about Drake

[@progressiveGal73]

To accept Marc’s argument would also imply that UMG directed Drake to start the formal beef with Kendrick Lamar~and this doesn’t seem to be the truth. He made this decision~and he did it with an artist at his stature but with far more cultivated and natural talent~and also an artist with whom UMG had no power to control. Drake made this decision. Marc’s argument also implies that Dot’s battle songs required the lift rather than regular promotion for songs which were already floating. Anyway, I think Marc agrees somehow with Drake’s lawsuit but hiding behind devils advocate arguments. I don’t think Marc understands just how popular both of these artists are. At worst, Drake’s loss exposed his weaknesses to UMG~but I don’t think they anticipated this, although of course they will pay attn, and possibly capitalize from it at the negotiation table…as they should.

[@RadicalRappodcast]

This panel here chef kiss.

[@EliteBlackSash]

Being Rebellious, Political, and Revolutionary are all very different things. Not the same. Being against authority. Being intentionally critical of authority. And analyzing / acting / articulating how to overturn or reform authority are all very different mentalities. Beyond that, after what Trump did to Nipsey / YG, Snoop’s actions are downright traitorous.

[@robfoster8356]

I feel like we missed out on a very important issue regarding Snoop. I think we tap dance around how many of our legends in hip-hop have been more of a detriment to the culture than of benefit. I don't think anyone other than Dee-1 has really tried to have that conversation (Maybe FD somewhat). And I feel like that specific convo is really the elephant in the room in regards to hip-hop & its impact on black society.

[@magienoirediana]

I would also recommend inviting a female KZbinr, Absa, to talk (Absafcknlutely). She's amazing and I think you'll have something to discuss, her videos are very interesting and unique, she gives her opinion from the point of view of a political strategist

[@christengler3347]

And Moni!

[@christengler3347]

TheCompanyMan invited her to CultureUnited & she brought great points to the conversation!

[@jamierobinson8116]

They all just DRAKE haters and no objectiveness. Pathetic platforms

[@marysmith5003]

I have listened to the clean version of "not like us" available right here on youtube. It sounds fine to me and I think it's something that could be played at the Super Bowl. The cuss words and the n words are left out and you just have the little poop sound where a word is deleted, but it's on beat so still good. You feel it and groove with it. Also, I see nothing wrong with saying A Minor and and that's one of the best parts of the song when those two words are drawn out. I think he is also going to say pedophile because that is a word that you can say on broadcast TV. This song has been one of the biggest in 2024 in the world. That's because a lot of people have already heard it. Worldwide acceptance made it a big song. Now, an even bigger audience could hear it at the Super Bowl. I don't see how you can NOT perform it!

[@KingxGreen]

We got flagged for saying it in this video you watched so…. This 🆕 digital world is highly censored.

[@marysmith5003]

​​@@KingxGreenFlagged for saying pedophile or a minor?

[@melsaint8616]

And also It’s possible that the crowd could just sing the song, how can they prevent that? If I’m Kendrick that’s what I would do, play a little bit of the instrumental and let the crowd chant the words 😂, we saw this at the pop out.

[@cynthiachieke4126]

Your guest is a stan Drake is an actor and played his part and now he is ready to leave rap and hiphop period

[@jamierobinson8116]

Lol who will replace him Kendrick 😂... yall delusional Drake going nowhere

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

27:26 why doesnt he go independent then Marc?? 😒😂😂😂

[@tfran2686]

Maybe it was Lupe's idea for the AI and thats part of the reason he defended it

[@BraMoore]

I could definitely see that