Drake is a great artist and everything he does is amplified. For fifteen years he was the most famous rapper in the world. Everything was smooth sailing, but 2024 is a different story. Liushen seems to have been ridiculed and boycotted from all sides, whether from fans or other artists. This unfortunate pattern continues into the week of Thanksgiving. Drake has announced plans to file a lawsuit against Universal Music Group and Spotify, accusing them of artificially inflating Kendrick Lamar’s streaming numbers. It’s a topic that even Jalen Rose enjoys.
Jalen Rose filled in for Kenny Smith on Inside the NBA on Tuesday night. Rose was flanked by Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Ernie Johnson Jr. Play in. Jalen Rose noticed the song and jokingly expressed concern that TNT might get into legal trouble if Drake was watching. “I don’t know if you should play that Kendrick,” he quipped. “You’re all going to sue here.” Shaq, Chuck and Ernie were surprised by Jalen Rose’s remarks, but they laughed anyway.
Jalen Rose jokes about Drake filing lawsuit within NBA
“Litigation doesn’t scare us here,” Ernie Johnson Jr. joked. This isn’t the first time “Inside the NBA” has mentioned the Drake-Kendrick Lamar battle on the air. In the heat of the battle, commercials returned playing Lamar’s “Euphoria.” Kenny Smith stepped in and joked that the producers would involve them in the fight. “Man, what the hell are you putting us in the middle of this rap beef about? Come on, man,” he said, much to the amusement of his peers. “You let Kendrick play and we’re in the middle of a rap beef! We’re in the middle of a rap beef and we’re gonna play one side and now we have to play the other side.”
Drake filed a second defamation lawsuit on the same day that a TNT broadcast trivialized his issues with UMG. The rapper claims Universal Music Group conspired to promote Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which “falsely accused him of being a sex offender.” He believes the record label should step in and stop the song because the claims in the song are false.
About the author
Elias Andrews is the music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as chief night writer, which means he covers new releases every week. In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest, most tumultuous stories in music. He’s been covering Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s battle on the fly, especially with the release of topics like “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams.” He also detailed a list of ongoing allegations and criminal charges against Diddy. Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He likes L.A. hip-hop, but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he bought was Will Smith’s “Big Willie Style,” which he thinks still sounds great.
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