Drake & iHeartMedia: The Hip-Hop Settlement Nobody Asked For

Photo by iHeartMedia | License
In a seismic shift for the rap world that definitely wasn’t just another episode of As the Charts Turn, Drake has decided to bury the hatchet with iHeartMedia. The drama circles around Kendrick Lamar’s diss track, “Not Like Us,” because apparently nobody can take a joke, especially when it’s wrapped in some crispy legal papers.
Drake kicked off this showdown with some serious allegations in November, filing a legal petition in Texas claiming that iHeartMedia had been getting a nice back rub from Universal Music Group (UMG) in exchange for boosting radio airplay for Lamar’s not-so-humble diss. You know, that little issue of “favor for a favor” that keeps rearing its head in the music industry.
After the legal tussle built up more suspense than a Kardashian’s next relationship, Drake’s lawyers announced last week that both parties have come to an “amicable resolution”. Spoiler alert: we still have no idea what that means. Drake’s team did their best impression of someone not wanting to spill the tea, saying they won’t be commenting further, classic move.
While iHeartMedia is playing it cool, saying nothing about the settlement, the real drama saga continues on the UMG side of things. The case against them is far from dead; a scheduled court hearing is coming up soon. It’s rumored that Drake claimed UMG was engaging in some pretty shady business practices to inflate airplay for “Not Like Us,” while also trying to smear his name with wild allegations that even made his mother clutch her pearls.
As if that wasn’t enough, the ongoing feud, now firmly entrenched in hip-hop legend status, has Drake also filing for a defamation lawsuit against UMG for some pretty nasty accusations found in the diss track. But let’s be real, Lamar’s not even named in the lawsuit. Maybe it’s an attempt to keep the feud spicy and the fans buzzing?
The ongoing drama took an interesting twist this week, as the FCC turned its gaze toward iHeartMedia to understand if they’ve been playing real-life Monopoly with artists. Are they really asking musicians to perform for peanuts in exchange for airplay? iHeartMedia thinks not and is eager to show the world that they play it fair.
In the ever-tumultuous world of hip-hop, where rivalries are as common as overpriced avocado toast in the Bay Area, it’s clear the beef between Drake and Lamar is just the latest twist in a saga we didn’t know we needed, but, let’s be real, can’t look away from either way.
AUTHOR: mpp
SOURCE: NBC Bay Area