Joe Biden

Yes.

Yes.

Yeah, I think that's what's at the heart of this lawsuit. And Drake is saying, look, the song is one thing, but hey, look at the cover art. The cover art is an aerial photo of my home, and it has markers on it meant to indicate the presence of sex offenders. The music video has Kendrick Lamar hopscotching, you know, alluding to children.

Yeah, I think that's what's at the heart of this lawsuit. And Drake is saying, look, the song is one thing, but hey, look at the cover art. The cover art is an aerial photo of my home, and it has markers on it meant to indicate the presence of sex offenders. The music video has Kendrick Lamar hopscotching, you know, alluding to children.

It has shipping containers, which people associate with victims of sex trafficking. That Kendrick and the label... were underlining the fact that this was not just a joke, that these claims were very serious. Drake's lawsuit is making one more critical argument, which is that the label was incentivized to devalue him at this exact moment.

It has shipping containers, which people associate with victims of sex trafficking. That Kendrick and the label... were underlining the fact that this was not just a joke, that these claims were very serious. Drake's lawsuit is making one more critical argument, which is that the label was incentivized to devalue him at this exact moment.

They knew, he says, that his contract was almost up for renegotiation and that if they promoted a Kendrick Lamar song that chipped away at Drake's success and his persona, that it would be easier to sign him again for less money.

They knew, he says, that his contract was almost up for renegotiation and that if they promoted a Kendrick Lamar song that chipped away at Drake's success and his persona, that it would be easier to sign him again for less money.

UMG says that not only is all of this untrue, but why would we want to hurt one of our most valuable artists? They call it illogical. They say, Drake has been in many rap battles and we've put out his songs and promoted them heavily. They're saying he does this all the time.

UMG says that not only is all of this untrue, but why would we want to hurt one of our most valuable artists? They call it illogical. They say, Drake has been in many rap battles and we've put out his songs and promoted them heavily. They're saying he does this all the time.

that UMG distributes his music in which he says outrageous things about other people and expresses his own feelings about other artists. They say he's now seeking to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist's creative expression.

that UMG distributes his music in which he says outrageous things about other people and expresses his own feelings about other artists. They say he's now seeking to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist's creative expression.

Rat beefs in the past have gotten super nasty, but I think listeners have started to take them more literally. And Drake's lawyers are essentially saying that pedophilia is a red line, that it is a cultural dog whistle that means something very specific. And it's not part of the hyperbole that we usually get in rap songs.

Rat beefs in the past have gotten super nasty, but I think listeners have started to take them more literally. And Drake's lawyers are essentially saying that pedophilia is a red line, that it is a cultural dog whistle that means something very specific. And it's not part of the hyperbole that we usually get in rap songs.

They gave me this new statement and they say that UMG is hiding behind calling its actions entertainment, but that there's nothing entertaining about pedophilia or child abuse. They're saying that when people hear those words and those accusations, they take them seriously and they take them literally.

They gave me this new statement and they say that UMG is hiding behind calling its actions entertainment, but that there's nothing entertaining about pedophilia or child abuse. They're saying that when people hear those words and those accusations, they take them seriously and they take them literally.

I don't think this is a slam dunk for either side. There's a lot of leeway for Kendrick and UMG to say, hey, this is just rap. But I have talked to people in the industry who think this is a real case. And Drake is being represented here by a real heavyweight, the lawyer Michael Gottlieb behind this lawsuit. He's won some huge defamation cases against Rudy Giuliani, for instance.

I don't think this is a slam dunk for either side. There's a lot of leeway for Kendrick and UMG to say, hey, this is just rap. But I have talked to people in the industry who think this is a real case. And Drake is being represented here by a real heavyweight, the lawyer Michael Gottlieb behind this lawsuit. He's won some huge defamation cases against Rudy Giuliani, for instance.

He also repped the restaurant in Pizzagate that was shot up by somebody who believed there was pedophilia happening in the basement because of unfounded online rumors. He's won some enormous cases on this very subject. And if that winning streak continues, Drake could be seeing a huge financial payout.

He also repped the restaurant in Pizzagate that was shot up by somebody who believed there was pedophilia happening in the basement because of unfounded online rumors. He's won some enormous cases on this very subject. And if that winning streak continues, Drake could be seeing a huge financial payout.