By Jamil Weeks

Almost a full year ago, the internet was set ablaze by a viral video from the show, The Cuttng Room Floor. Brooklyn rapper, Yasiin Bey, sparked a fiery debate with his comments after being asked his opinion on superstar hit maker, Drake. The crux of Bey's characterization of Drake was the Canadian rapper was not hip hop, at least not in the truest essence of the art form. As a community, hip hop media, fans, and artists ganged up on Bey scolding him for suggesting Drake was not part of the culture. Fast forward to the end of this landmark year in the genre, and the unthinkable happened. In an unprecedented move, the Toronto entertainer brought two civil lawsuits against his own label, Universal Music Group. In the first lawsuit, Drake accuses his label of employing AI bots and using payola to "artificially inflate" the streaming numbers of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" on Spotify. The second lawsuit alleges UMG promoted the song that falsely labels Drake as a pedophile. Naturally, the pair of lawsuits has been met with swift condemnation from fans and personalities within hip hop. The backlash has even surpassed the criticism fellow Big Three member, J. Cole, received over his apology to Kendrick after backing down from their feud. Opinions on the matter are flying at a faster rate than airline traffic over the Thanksgiving holiday week. Drake has inadvertently lent credibility to Bey's presumption he made of Drake back in January. With this course of action in the aftermath of coming out on the losing end of one of hip hop's most consequential battles, Drake's latest chess move is being perceived as anti-hip hop in spirit. We went from reprimanding Bey's assertion of Drake to now asking ourselves "how'd we let this dude in?"

K. Dot boldly expanded on the implication posed by the artist formerly known as Mos Def. Embroiled in a bitter spat, Kendrick unleashed arguably the biggest diss record of all time with Drake being his target. "Not Like Us" paints Drake as cosplaying hip hop culture. Lamar asserts Drake is diluting the product known as hip hop with his inauthentic, corporate brand of music and antics. Certainly this is a sentiment that has been shared by hip hop purists for years. However, this observation has gained steam with the barrage of diss records aimed at Drake this year. With Kung Fu Kenny emerging as the victor, Drake has made a series of bizarre moves that would raise the blood pressure of the average PR Firm's advisors to stroke levels. The failed attempts at appearing unbothered with random Instagram posts from Drake posing with Zoolander-like facial expressions. The veiled subliminal shots at Kendrick on social media. The ill-advised rush to release music that has not been connecting with rap fans the way Drake is normally accustomed. The buffoonish spectacle at attempting to intimidate Demar Derozan at the Toronto Raptors home game. In almost every maneuver he has made since the quarrel, Drake has personified what Bey and Lamar have insinuated about the former Young Money artist. In one of the lawsuits, Drake alleges the unethical practices by UMG that gave Lamar an unfair advantage over him has caused some financial loss. Even worse, his support in hip hop is waning after pursuing litigation, which some fans condemn as weak and petty. A knee-jerk reaction would be this sort of strategy will backfire leading to irreparable damage to Drake's standing in rap music. After all, no rapper has ever tried to sue a record label after losing a battle.

Drake was a darling in rap music when he released his third mixtape "So Far Gone", which was a project that put him on the map for a lot of fans. Over the years, he developed into one of the biggest acts in music, generating an endless amount of sales, streams, and buzz. Over a decade of maintaining high visibility and consistently creating hit records catapulted Drake to mainstream prominence with each new album. With the scrutiny that comes with being at the top, chinks in the armor began to be exposed. Over the years, Drake would be called out for behavior some people viewed as clownish or soft, like painting his nails or wearing colored hair curlers. Drake's status as a battle rapper took a significant hit with the Pusha T battle. Then came the ghostwriting allegations causing his credibility in the game to take a significant hit. Discontent intensified with Drake's lack of growth and progression as an artist. The lyrical skirmish with rap's "boogeyman" now has some likening Drake to Ja Rule or Canibus before him. The latest legal matters has made some people question if Drake even has a place in hip hop anymore. Drake has comes to a crossroads in his career. The music that turned him into a household name has increasingly become stale. The defeat against Kendrick and Drake's actions afterwards have exacerbated Drake's problems. Taking on one of the biggest entities in the music industry, the same label that gave Drake a $400 million deal mind you, has clouded Drake's future in the entertainment business.

Hip hop purists have been warning us about Drake for years. Yasiin Bey was dismissed with his assessment of Drake only for Drake to turn around a few days ago and declare “rap is weird” on a non-hip hop streaming platform. A comment like that will leave hip hop heads questioning where Drake’s true allegiance lies. The biracial rapper has had his blackness questioned on many occasions. Once again, Drake finds his identity on trial in 2024, only the scrutiny has been intensified. Who Drake is in the booth and in music videos around black people is not the same Drake in interviews on mainstream platforms. Depending on the situation, Drake adjusts his posture and speaks with different fake accents. “Not Like Us” suggests Drake uses his blackness when it is convenient for him. Using black artists to get hot in the club or to ingratiate himself to black culture. When there are issues that affect the black community, the only noise you hear is crickets coming from Drake’s camp. Traditionally rap was a rebellious art form where rappers were the voice of the voiceless. Drake’s noticeable silence on black matters is a reason many feel he is not in tune with the culture. In fact, we do not know what he stands for, other than taking on music industry giants when it affects his bottom line. So who is Drake really? With little to no growth in his music, you can make the argument Drake does not even know who he is. The rapper, who turns 40 years old in just a few years, seems to be experiencing a midlife crisis.

Is Drake finished? At the moment that remains to be seen. Objectively we can admit Drake is talented as a triple threat being a rapper, singer, and actor. Pending the results of his legal issues with UMG, the direction of Drake's career is uncertain. What is certain is that many of us owe Yasiin Bey an apology. The rebuke of Bey's opinion on Drake was a start contrast from the co-signs Kendrick Lamar received for basically saying the same thing. Many people enabled Drake by looking to silence any of his detractors like Yasiin Bey. They were called old and out of touch. They were panned as jealous haters mad at Drake’s fame and success. However l, since the conclusion of this battle Drake has done everything to justify what these “haters” have been trying to tell us. Drake ain't like us, meaning not a genuine part of the culture. Is Drake an imposter? Someone who code switches depending on the circumstances. An artist who latches on to the latest trends instead of creating his own wave. Someone who lacks his own unique identity. Bey's opinion has been echoed by many over the past decade but unfortunately these criticisms have fallen on deaf ears. Suing a label over a diss record may be the final nail in the coffin for many. The writing was already on the wall. Some of us refused to acknowledge the elephant in the room or did not want to risk being labeled a hater due to Drake's popularity. However, Drake's true nature has been revealed increasingly over the years, solidified with these latest lawsuits. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.