ESPN’s star host Stephen A. Smith severely rebuked Drake for filing a pre-file petition against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar’s colossal classic song “Not Like Us.”
Speaking on his eponymous podcast on Nov. 27, Smith said Drake’s legal maneuver is “a bad look” and goes against the long-established ethos of hip-hop.
Smith hammers Drake
“This is a bad look,” an animated Smith exclaimed as he gesticulated dramatically. “It’s all smeared on Drake. All of it. This is hip-hop, man. Somebody comes at you with lyrics, with a song, you’re supposed to come right back at them with a song, with lyrics.”
Smith added that hip-hop stars always settle their beefs on wax in the studios — never in the courtroom.
“The hip-hop community prides itself on being authentic, straight up, real, in your face. Letting you know where they stand and not shying away from anything. That’s the hip-hop community,” he said.
Smith believes Drake tried to get even with Kendrick Lamar
Cultural critics and hip-hop analysts believe that Drizzy filed the legal documents against UMG as a way to indirectly fire back at Lamar’s monstrous song that inflicted permanent damage on Drake’s image. “Not Like Us” became a cultural juggernaut over the summer of 2024, broke multiple streaming records and ensured K. Dot’s unquestioned triumph in his rap war with Drake.
Drake is claiming that the phenomenal numbers and chart success of “Not Like Us” were inflated due to UMG doctoring the numbers and colluding with Spotify to amplify the song. But Smith refutes that assertion emphatically.
“If the song wasn’t straight fire, there’s no way it would have that many hits, that many downloads,” he said. “No way in hell.”
In conclusion, Smith said this move by Drake diminishes him and makes him look “weak and sensitive” in the hardcore world of hip hop.
“Everybody I’ve talked to — 10, 15 different people — think Drake is in the wrong on this one,” he said, adding that the song is transcendent. “Kids, adults, senior citizens, Black, white, Hispanic, Asian — everybody knows the lyrics,” he added.
