Drake and Kendrick Lamar were being pressured to settle their differences by their label UMG, according to a rumor circulating online.
However, Universal Music Group was forced to deny the speculation after the rumor went viral. According to a blind item doing the rounds on social media, UMG believes Drake is losing the lyrical war and asked Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd to squash the beef, but K. Dot refused.
Furthermore, the report claims the label held a Zoom meeting with all the relevant parties in which K. Dot was told to clarify that Drake isn’t a pedophile, as the accusations were affecting the profits of UMG, Nike and other brands tied to Drake.
this is f###### insane pic.twitter.com/jykeA1wUUx
— chloe (@yandhiisntreal) May 7, 2024
Nonetheless, a source told TMZ that the rumor is completely false. The rep also claimed the label would never intervene in rapper beef. Additionally, the source claimed UMG views business as separate from the back and forth between Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
It’s hardly surprising that UMG refuses to intervene, as the beef has led to a historic rise in streaming numbers. The pair 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.
While UMG refuses to mediate between camps, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels believes he can help Drake and Kendrick Lamar settle their differences.
He recently invited them to appear on NXT’s weekly television show after K. Dot referenced Michaels on the diss track “Not Like Us.”