Controversial hip hop star Kanye West recently shared mixed reactions about the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, bashed both artists separately in diss tracks via HNHH.
Kanye West and Drake’s friendship has been complicated. However, the mogul has been cheering Drizzy on in the ongoing UMG lawsuit. In a new clip on social media, Ye pledges his loyalty to Drake following the latest development in the lawsuit. Kanye praised Drake for taking on the industry giant after the infamous beef with Kendrick Lamar.
“I’m so happy right now, you don’t understand with this UMG, Drake, Kendrick situation, Super Bowl, Grammys,” Kanye West said in the clip.
“This sh*t was driving me, and you know where it should be driving me, but this is the biggest victory in music history, right here. I’m never finna call Drake out of his name. I’m Team Drake, 100%. And Team Kendrick, and Team All of Us… Kendrick needs to be going at UMG at this point. This is what I said in my version of ‘Like That.’ I said, ‘Luician, your life time deal …’ Like, let’s stop aiming all this at each other. You have no idea. Everything is worth everything for a moment like this. Where we stop going at each other and we go at the slave masters.”
Drake has intensified his legal battle with Universal Music Group and expanded his defamation lawsuit to include Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance of “Not Like Us.” In a filing to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Drake accuses UMG of endorsing the performance, which he claims implied he engages in predatory behavior. Though Lamar never used explicit language, Drake argues the insinuation was unmistakable and widely broadcast, reaching over 133 million viewers.
Drake has alleged that UMG prioritized attention and profit over his safety and reputation by promoting the song and its performance. As per the filing, the fallout wasn’t limited to public opinion.
He claims the label’s actions led to online harassment and contributed to a shooting outside his Toronto home. The complaint portrays UMG as complicit in using spectacle at his expense.
UMG has rejected the claims as baseless. A spokesperson defended the label’s promotion of its artists and reaffirmed its support for creative freedom. The company denies targeting Drake or intending to defame anyone.
This legal clash has reignited debates around the limits of free speech in music and the responsibilities that come with high-profile artistic expression. As rap battles increasingly unfold on global platforms, the stakes now include personal safety and legal consequences.
