While Drake and Kendrick Lamar are embroiled in a vicious lyrical battle their boss is fighting for a whopping $149 million payout.
Both artists’ labels are under the umbrella of Universal Music Group whose CEO Lucian Grainge is under the microscope. An influential advisory firm is reportedly scruitinzing his bonus and look set to urge shareholders to reject his “excessive” compensation package.
Grainge, whom Kanye West referred to as Drake’s “rich baby daddy,” in a recent interview, is at risk of losing the package, which included a share-based bonus of almost $100 million.
Glass Lewis says such bonuses “undermine the integrity of a company’s incentive system.” Grainge’s payout will be on the agenda for shareholders at the annual meeting on May 16.
Meanwhile, UMG responded to a rumor that they intervened in the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. A viral blind report circulating online claimed UMG asked K. Dot and The Weeknd to squash the beef, fearing Drake was losing the battle. However, a source rejected the rumor, insisting the label would never intervene in rapper beef.
this is f###### insane pic.twitter.com/jykeA1wUUx
— chloe (@yandhiisntreal) May 7, 2024
However, as Grainge fights to keep his multimillion-dollar bonus, Drake and Kendrick continue to dominate the charts. Their respective diss tracks are set to rack up a combined 250 million streams across all platforms in the United States alone. The numbers reportedly account for around 20 percent of all streams on the Billboard Hot 100.