In today’s episode of 'Billboard Unfiltered,' Billboard staffers Trevor Anderson, Kyle Denis, and Damien Scott react to LiAngelo Ball signing a deal with UMG & Def Jam after "Tweaker" became a viral sensation, Drake's defamation lawsuit against UMG over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," and more!
Category
🎵
MusicTranscript
00:00Like, give ten people who actually do this for real a million dollars versus giving it
00:04all to this one guy who, for all we know, got lucky.
00:07We're calling it like the Pizzagate of, you know, of the music industry.
00:11If you're a Drake, is that really what you want to be tied to?
00:14Do you really want to be tied to Pizzagate?
00:16Gentlemen, glad to see you again.
00:20We are, what's this, round two of 2025.
00:23How we feeling?
00:24We're living.
00:25We're living.
00:26I've been better, but I've also been worse.
00:28I can't complain.
00:30That's a good way to put it.
00:33We are here, which feels like a triumphant of itself.
00:36Yeah, a lot of things are going on.
00:39Before we really get into all the news and analysis and commentary, I know we all want
00:42to make sure we start with an acknowledgment of what's going on in the greater Los Angeles
00:46area.
00:47These wildfires that have been, you know, just devastating.
00:50So many people have lost their homes, have been forced to evacuate.
00:53Just really upending normal life for a lot of folks.
00:55And we want to offer our thoughts, prayers, support to everybody who's been affected
00:58by this in any way.
01:00I know there's a lot of events that are planned sort of around the Grammys.
01:03That's what people are talking about in particular, which is supposed to come up on February 2nd.
01:07So ahead of that, a lot of the big industry players have canceled a lot of events.
01:11We here at Billboard, we ourselves have canceled our events that are going to be happening
01:15that week.
01:16We also, of course, are turning our attention to the recovery and relief efforts.
01:20So a few of the foundations out there, California Community Foundation, Pasadena Community Foundation,
01:26Baby to Baby, which helps a lot of the infants who need supplies and diapers and all that
01:30kind of thing out there.
01:31So if you want more information, you know, just about everything that's been going on,
01:35the events that have been canceled, where you can support and donate and help the relief
01:40effort as well, please check out Billboard.com and lighten things up a little bit.
01:45We're going to pick up...
01:46Other Cali news.
01:47Yeah.
01:48Yeah.
01:49Other Cali news to pick up on a topic that we sort of ended on last week.
01:53I don't think anybody saw coming as the big 2025 story in terms of, you know, the big
01:59breakout song, LeAngelo Ball.
02:01What didn't we see coming?
02:02The song being so big?
02:03No, we did not see it coming.
02:04I don't think anybody...
02:05If you saw this coming, you need to tell somebody what's up.
02:08So like on a New Year's party, somebody said, yo, LeAngelo Ball's got to have an official
02:14top 30 hit.
02:15That would have been a good laugh, though.
02:17Like two weeks ago, nobody believed.
02:20And now we have, you know, as they say, we have no choice but to bear witness, Tweeker
02:23debuting this week.
02:24We have no choice.
02:25You know, the best way...
02:26We are forced to bear witness to this greatness.
02:30It goes down in the history books, top 30 hit on the Hot 100, Tweeker coming through.
02:37Not only the biggest news about that song this week, of course, you know, streaming
02:40out the gate, but a lot of talk about the money behind the scenes.
02:45So for those who didn't see, Shams Charania, ESPN, so this goes to show the intersection
02:51of sports and music, was really the first one to talk about the reported deal that's
02:55out there that Def Jam has picked up the single and has offered a deal to LeAngelo worth as
03:02much as $13 million with $8 million guaranteed and reportedly will give him full ownership
03:10of the music and his own record label.
03:14So that's obviously got a lot of folks talking.
03:18They see that paycheck.
03:19They see that number out there.
03:21First thing I want to clear up, Daym, I want to turn to you for this because I know a lot
03:24of people out there saying, you know, OK, what does this deal really mean?
03:27Because people kind of think that, you know, Def Jam may have just cut him an $8 million
03:32check.
03:33Yeah, they think it's just...
03:34He's going to run to Capital One and cash it.
03:35Yeah.
03:36Like, can you break down how this works?
03:37All the memes are like, you know, LeVar and his three sons are like, one of them got,
03:41you know, like an extension and worth this much money.
03:44And one of them signed a deal for $215 million.
03:47And then this brother signed a deal for $13 million.
03:50And it's like, nah, bro, he might might get two of that, you know, he might get like in
03:57cash two of that.
03:59The rest of it's going to be put towards actually making his music a success and signing and
04:04producing music under his label, whatever he decides to call it, his imprint, whatever
04:09he decides to call it.
04:10Yeah, I'm utterly shocked that they gave him a label deal, an imprint.
04:18He's shown no experience in, I mean, shit, in making music.
04:28We have no idea how this song was made, really.
04:31That's true.
04:32We have no clue.
04:33Yeah.
04:34I've heard his other songs.
04:36They're not good.
04:37They're not.
04:38They're not good.
04:40It's catchy.
04:41It's an earworm of a chorus.
04:42The beat is fire, even though it's just like, as I said on the last show, it's like fucking
04:50early 2000s pastiche, but not necessarily like, you know, pushing forward.
04:54Yeah.
04:55I mean, you know, he was like, oh, like I like cash money back in.
04:59I like Nelly in early 2000s.
05:01I want to do that.
05:02And everyone's like, oh, this is crazy.
05:05And it's not to me, it's not completely off trend for music right now, because all we
05:09see is people like these kids heavily sampling songs from the early 2000s without doing shit
05:15to the sample, like letting the sample rock, like on some old ghostface shit from the 70s.
05:20So this is not like that far off.
05:22It's just another part of the country that they're that they're referencing.
05:25But who's to say how the fuck do we know that this guy's gonna be able to make another one
05:30of these?
05:31So for you, how is he going to be able to like coach people through this?
05:35Like what is he going to be able to do to like a brand new artist that he signs and
05:42is trying to like rise up to the system?
05:44You say it's only my third day.
05:48More power to him.
05:49You know, I hope he does well.
05:50I'm not trying to tear down another black man, but it's crazy.
05:55Legitimately craziness.
05:56Yeah.
05:57I know a lot of people.
05:58Kyle, what's hurting you in particular?
05:59I know a lot of folks asking that same question, like, OK, what does this mean like in a larger
06:03industry pick?
06:04Because, you know, Charlamagne I hear, I think he sort of summed up when he was like, that's
06:07going to have a lot of false hope to a lot of people that you can get this quick seven
06:11day hit and you might be able to cash out, you know, nine figures off it.
06:15I mean, I wouldn't say that LeAngelo is going to be the source of that kind of like thought.
06:20I feel like that thought exists already.
06:23Last year when that girl kind of wrote the Man in Finance song and she got a songwriting
06:29deal off of that last year, and that was literally less of more, less of a song than Tweaker
06:34is.
06:35So like, yeah, the idea that you can kind of get a quick hit in seven days and get a
06:38deal off of that's not brand new.
06:40I do think, though, that they kind of overshot with this one.
06:43I don't think there's any song, any singular song worth a deal like this.
06:47And if that song exists, it's just it's not Tweaker.
06:50Like as much as I love it, it's not Tweaker.
06:53Yeah.
06:54I mean, literally not even like, probably doesn't even have a catalog to like, you know,
06:57at least like, okay, I've been putting this thing on SoundCloud or YouTube.
07:00It's nuts, but I think it's also another example of labels like going for who's making the
07:04viral track versus understanding why things are going viral and connecting with people.
07:09Like the first three days that snippet was, you know, all over TikTok and seeing kids
07:14dress up in like early 2000s fits and like hit those dance moves and stuff like that.
07:18It was connecting with people on a ground level where they wanted to hear stuff that
07:21sounds like that.
07:22Maybe they didn't want to hear more Jello or more Tweaker, but they want to hear songs
07:26that make them feel the way that Tweaker makes them feel.
07:29But the label saw that and said, yeah, y'all want more LiAngelo.
07:32That's not necessarily what I think people wanted.
07:36But I feel like that's a trend that they continue to do, like in the label system where it's
07:40like whoever makes the thing crack gets the deal versus like, let's start fashioning more
07:46things around this sound.
07:49But I hope we get more stuff that sounds like this.
07:50I think people really want it.
07:52People have been talking about Y2K stuff for the past three years.
07:57It's like, this is not a new trend at all.
07:58Ice Spice.
07:59Ice Spice.
08:00Like people are drawn to this aesthetic in this era.
08:02They want to hear more stuff like that.
08:05Put these kinds of resources into sourcing more artists who are actually artists and
08:09like doing this and have proven themselves doing this.
08:11You don't believe in the edge of those potentials?
08:13I need them to convince me a little bit more.
08:14Well, no.
08:16We just released a series of covers, one of which called Genre Now, one of which is Big
08:21X to Plug.
08:22And the reason Big X to Plug is on that cover representing rap, the genre of rap, is kind
08:30of in line with this because what that story was betting on, the thesis of that story was
08:35essentially at a time when Playboi Carti is considered the vanguard of rap.
08:42This guy over here and other people like him, like Boss Van Dilo, are making this kind
08:47of early 2000s trap rap that I grew up listening to, that I loved, and that I would love to
08:55hear more of.
08:56And it's breaking through because everyone's like, oh shit, I haven't heard this since
08:59Jeezy.
09:00Even though when Jeezy or T.I. do it, everyone's like, get the fuck out of here.
09:03When they do it.
09:04Damned if you do.
09:05Well, it's like, we want someone new.
09:06We want new stories.
09:08New voices.
09:09We know, Jeezy.
09:11We know about the yams at your grandma's house.
09:12We know about the stove.
09:13There's so many times you can say the same story.
09:16We know, T.I.
09:17We know about the trap.
09:18We understand.
09:19I think people want that sound with new people, but because of what the proposed state of
09:26the art is, people don't make it or labels don't look for it.
09:31So yeah, I love that point.
09:32I think it's crazy that they see this and they're like, give that guy $10 million, as
09:37opposed to like, let's give these people $1 million each.
09:40Give 10 people who actually do this for real a million dollars, versus giving it all to
09:45this one guy who, for all we know, got lucky.
09:48I'd love for him to prove me wrong and give me five songs that are even bigger and better
09:51than Trigger this year.
09:52I don't know if I'm putting my money on that, bro.
09:55Not 13 million of it, if I had it.
09:56He can't rap, really.
09:58The verses are not that good.
10:00That second verse is rough.
10:01It's a well-written song.
10:02Don't get me wrong.
10:04It's a well-written song.
10:05I think it's a good song.
10:08The idea that he's worth that rap-wise is crazy to me, when you can go to Memphis or
10:14parts of Texas right now, you can go to parts of Georgia right now, and Mississippi, and
10:19anywhere, and find people who are making music like that, but instead, they're like, oh,
10:25this is funny.
10:26Let's give this guy a bunch of money, as opposed to like, yeah, this is a trend that we see
10:32that makes sense.
10:33People are really into this.
10:36This used to be a popular thing.
10:39What if it's still popular?
10:41The label bet is, of course, I think, to an extent, that personality sells music.
10:45Because you say, yeah, you can go find a couple people on the come up who nobody really knows,
10:50but how much did the LiAngelo Ball name ... You can't buy that, in a way, and you can't spend
10:56time developing that.
10:58But I also feel like it wasn't just that it was like, LiAngelo Ball, more like the surprise
11:05of his name being there.
11:06But you don't think that obviously got him ...
11:07It was funny, though.
11:08It was like, oh, look at this.
11:09This guy made this song.
11:10I'll say this.
11:11I don't think that the next song will perform half as well as Tweaker, because the element
11:14of surprise of seeing his name on a song won't be there anymore.
11:17It wasn't just his name, it was like, oh shit, he makes music?
11:20I got to check this out.
11:22We don't have that novelty anymore for the next track, so I'd be afraid to see if people
11:26still tune in, and if the personality of LiAngelo actually sells it, versus the surprise of
11:31LiAngelo making a good song.
11:33It was also the way that it actually came out, also.
11:35It came out on this extremely popular streamer's stream.
11:39His name's Neon.
11:43Very weird guy.
11:45But it was his stream, and he's like ... It's like goading him to play music.
11:51And LiAngelo's so embarrassed and nervous, he's like, I'm not going to play, I'm not
11:56going to play.
11:57LiAngelo's like a big dude.
11:58He used to play professional basketball.
12:01Neon's like 5'2".
12:02He's a very slight guy.
12:04And he's like ... The way he's acting, he's acting as if he had Lucien in the back of
12:10his car.
12:11He's like, oh, I don't know, I don't know.
12:12I'll play a little bit for you.
12:14Then he plays it, and then Neon ... He's on stream, and Neon's like, oh, this is dope.
12:18This is actually pretty fire.
12:21And the stream is like, wait, what is this?
12:23And then the clip goes viral, because people are like, oh, did you hear this song from
12:27that terrible basketball player?
12:31That's the context of this.
12:33It's like, oh, did you hear that song from that guy who can't make it onto a basketball
12:37team who, the last time we saw, his other brother who's on the Bulls was telling him
12:40you should go the fuck overseas, because you're too bad to make it over here?
12:44That's what we're playing with.
12:45Cameron was like, yo, yeah, I said you suck at basketball.
12:47I didn't say you suck at rap.
12:48I think you should just do this now.
12:52That's the context of it all.
12:54I don't know how you recreate that for the next song.
12:56I don't know how you look at that full context, and then credit all of it to LeAngelo's personality
13:01solely.
13:02It's like, all of those things work together to make the moment what it was.
13:06Yeah.
13:07Tell me what his personality is.
13:08Y'all should actually be giving Neon a cool five million to source some new rappers.
13:14He's the one who put him on low-key, no?
13:17If we being real, you should give half of that shit to him.
13:20They work together to make this moment.
13:21It wasn't just that.
13:22If anyone could actually recreate that moment out of the two of them, it's Neon.
13:27Not Neon is the new Star Search.
13:29Hey, man.
13:31These streamers are the new-
13:33Yeah, the new Simon Cowell.
13:35The new Simon Cowell.
13:37Yeah, Neon Cowell.
13:38Okay.
13:39Well, LeAngelo got a chance to prove Kyle wrong.
13:43Roland Loud coming up.
13:44I'm waiting for it.
13:45Prove me wrong, Jello.
13:46A couple more drops.
13:47Real quick, the future of Tweeker.
13:49Number 29 this week.
13:50I know people are probably going to wonder, okay, that's obviously a crazy start.
13:53How can it go?
13:54Midweek stream starting to cool down a little bit.
13:56It kind of hit its peak in terms of its first week around Wednesday last week.
13:59Had about 3 million streams that day alone.
14:01Now it's kind of more in the low 2 million, high 1 million.
14:04So, you know, not going to collapse or fade or anything like that.
14:07But, you know, what is the next play?
14:09Is it trying to get it on radio?
14:10Is it a remix?
14:11Like, what can people do real quick?
14:13Some sort of video that you can play on TikTok.
14:15I mean, if TikTok still exists.
14:17Something that you can extend the runway with.
14:21A remix should be in motion with the people who everyone's asking for.
14:26I know Boozy called for it.
14:28Jeezy would sound great on it.
14:29Nelly would body it.
14:30100%.
14:31You know, I would just make like...
14:32If I were him, I would make like five remixes to this song.
14:35There's lots of life in this.
14:36And this is why I feel like this deal would have been more warranted by the end of the song's run.
14:40But it's whatever.
14:42I do think that...
14:43Well, now they get to...
14:44If that's the case.
14:45If the label's like, all right, here.
14:48The money's in.
14:49We got to make this.
14:50Go make five remixes off this.
14:52Get, you know...
14:53It's UMG.
14:54So they're like, go through our catalog.
14:56You can pick whoever the fuck you want.
14:57You can get whoever.
14:59Get some thirsty-ass basketball players to cameo in the video.
15:01It's out of here.
15:02Like, out of here.
15:04Get your brothers in it.
15:05Yeah.
15:06You know, have Neon debut all of them or whatever streamer you want.
15:10And then that's it.
15:12Keep it alive by June.
15:13Hit the BET Awards.
15:15You got the whole year off to be fair.
15:16Keep it alive by June.
15:17If he drops a fire remix, this shit will continue to go.
15:20Yeah.
15:21Okay.
15:22Because it is a good song.
15:23Like, I won't fucking sit here and lie to people.
15:27It's a good song.
15:28It's just crazy considering the context what they gave him.
15:35And I hope he can do more.
15:38I'm always going to root for people to do more.
15:40But I don't know, bro.
15:41I would just ride this as far as you can.
15:44How many remixes did Old Town Road have?
15:46Like, five or something like this.
15:48I'm thinking he should do, like, the Chris Brown loyal remixes.
15:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:54That would be hard.
15:55That would be fire.
15:56Okay.
15:57Look, free advice.
15:58I'm rooting for you.
15:59I really am.
16:00Didn't even cost $8, $13 million.
16:01Look at that.
16:02I will take one, though, if you.
16:04If you're feeling so inclined, you know, people who put you on.
16:07I'll do a couple rags.
16:08Day mentioned, of course, this is part of the UMG family.
16:12The UMG family got a lot now going on.
16:15Having a fun week.
16:16That may be too big.
16:17That's the problem.
16:18I was going to say, I know one artist who maybe put on ice for the remix.
16:22And, of course, we're talking the UMG Drake saga.
16:25That would be hilarious.
16:26It, of all people.
16:27That would be hilarious, yo.
16:29I mean, look.
16:30That would actually.
16:31Sorry, Drake.
16:32You can't remix, tweaker.
16:33I would.
16:34Y'all want to talk about, like, an instant top ten, top five, number one.
16:38That would actually.
16:39I would fuck with it.
16:40That would shoot that shit all the way.
16:42Yes.
16:43But, yeah.
16:44The odds of that happening.
16:45Do it, Drake.
16:46Do it, Drake.
16:47Remix.
16:48Please remix, tweaker.
16:49Please.
16:50Make your first correct move.
16:51Yes.
16:52Do it.
16:53Okay.
16:54Well, just on that note.
16:55Let's talk about.
16:56I mean, Drake can rap like anything.
16:57He can rap like.
16:58I mean, honestly, he probably would body tweaker.
16:59I mean, yes.
17:00The hook is obviously the main part.
17:01The verses could use some lift.
17:03Drake could definitely give you a couple.
17:05Yeah.
17:06You'd go hard on that.
17:07Yeah.
17:08Okay.
17:10When you have a free moment, hop on the tweaker remix.
17:13You might not have a free moment for a little bit because sort of this one-two that went
17:17down this week.
17:18A lot of people, of course, looking at the Drake-UMG saga.
17:21Drake withdrawing the legal action that he put into play last November.
17:26And everyone kind of thought, okay, the chapter of UMG and Drake is closed.
17:29We're good.
17:30And then, like, a Frank Ocean endless blonde twist Wednesday.
17:36That was a really little sneak attack.
17:39It was like, oh, because everyone was like, oh, okay, it's over.
17:42He waited until we all went to sleep.
17:44That's hilarious.
17:45Niggas went to bed like, all right, finally.
17:47Oh, we're good.
17:48Sigh of relief.
17:49Nope.
17:50He was like, nah, nigga.
17:51Wake up with that uno draw four.
17:53Yeah, he had that uno reverse.
17:54It really was that ace of spades.
17:56Reverse.
17:57This is back.
17:58So, we went from a legal action to a full-blown lawsuit.
18:01Drake filing a lawsuit Wednesday morning in the Southern District of New York.
18:04Southern District of New York, they busy.
18:06They stay busy, bro.
18:08Like, if you don't know any region of the country, like, in terms of the Justice Department,
18:11you know Southern District of New York is just...
18:13I know they're tired.
18:14Yeah, it's just crying.
18:16But Drake dropping the official lawsuit against UMG, alleging...
18:22First of all, let's make a point that it's against UMG.
18:25And they went to pains in the report that came out first in the New York Times that
18:29Kendrick Lamar is not named as a defendant on this.
18:32So...
18:33He's named in the suit, but he's not named as a defendant.
18:35Right.
18:36He's not named as...
18:37Yes.
18:38Of course, it all hinges around NotLikeUs again, alleging that UMG, quote, was...
18:45This is an example of, quote, corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists,
18:50suing for defamation and harassment around the release and promotion of NotLikeUs, and
18:56says, quote, that they approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral
19:00hit out of a rap track, intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual
19:06allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest the public should resort to
19:11vigilante justice in response.
19:15I don't know what vigilante justice in response he's talking about.
19:18Or the suggestion...
19:19Well, I assume he's...
19:20That's what I really want to know.
19:21I assume he's talking about the shooting that happened at the crib.
19:24It seems like they're tying that to the idea that Drake...
19:26That's insane.
19:27You know, Drake's address was out there.
19:28Yeah, but...
19:29But I need them to tie...
19:30Where is the suggestion?
19:31Because they call...
19:32Where is that?
19:33Well, they're calling it, like, the pizza gate of, you know, of the music industry.
19:36If you're a Drake, is that really what you want to be tied to as, like, an idea?
19:41I mean, this is the guy who's...
19:42You really want to be tied to pizza gate?
19:43BFFs with Aiden Ross now.
19:45So, yeah.
19:46Why not?
19:47Jesus Christ.
19:48You know, clearly that...
19:49It seems like, you know, by putting his address out there, you know...
19:53His address is, like, on a...
19:55He put his address on there for Toosie Slide.
19:58I mean, look, it is...
19:59Look...
20:00What?
20:01First of all, what?
20:03I gotta be the goddamn defense attorney out here.
20:06But, you know, look...
20:08Goddamn it, Trevor.
20:10The address was already out there.
20:12But in the spirit of good discussion, would this not have amplified...
20:16Like, Nick, people don't know Drake lived on Park Circle.
20:18Like, yes, you could find it.
20:20But now it's served up to you on an album cover.
20:22It's a single cover.
20:24You've got, you know, the little...
20:26Citizen app.
20:27Right, the little markers that they're all there.
20:30And I guess with the pizza gate allegation, you know that people take this very seriously.
20:34And some people feel like...
20:36Especially with Drake and, you know, Illuminati and a cabal and all these people are, you know,
20:40sacrificing children and things.
20:41There are people out there who could be radicalized by this thing.
20:45You know, of course there was the shooting at Drake's house.
20:47You know, not long after that.
20:49No evidence that it's tied...
20:51You know, what it's necessarily tied to.
20:53So there's only speculation around who and what that was for.
20:56But that seems to be, you know...
20:58At least that's the argument that I think that they're making.
21:02I mean, don't call me for the defense team, but...
21:04You know, I didn't pass, get the JD, but I knew a little something.
21:07But that seems to be the case.
21:08Right.
21:09So...
21:10I mean, you know, it seems like you're taking this very seriously.
21:13Clearly, you know, going all the way.
21:16What's going to happen here?
21:17I mean...
21:18Like, what's the initial, you know, feeling?
21:20They're going to have to, like, now go through, like, real discovery.
21:23Because the last motion he filed was essentially a form of discovery to, like,
21:27get the label and streamers to uncover a bunch of evidence that he thought would...
21:32I assume they thought would allow them to go to court to prove that they're in cahoots
21:37and they were trying to, like, limit the reach of his music and boost the reach of Kendrick's.
21:42With the defamation case, you know, there's a lot of things you have to prove there.
21:46You have to prove that what was published caused you material harm in the way that you either make money
21:56or your physical well-being.
21:58And I guess he's saying both of those happened.
22:02I guess he's saying that, you know, you basically sullied my name
22:08and made people believe that I'm trafficking kids out of my mansion.
22:14And, sure.
22:16I mean, one, you're still the highest-streamed artist in music, right?
22:23Say that again? Taylor, but yeah.
22:25Well, I mean...
22:26I mean, she's in music, you know?
22:27She's Sue Taylor, then. I mean...
22:30Yo, Drake beat Taylor Swift in the courts on Judge Judy.
22:33Now I'm interested.
22:34But yeah, I mean, clearly his standing has not eroded 50% of his streams.
22:38It affected him more culturally than anything else.
22:40Yeah, the songs that he released in the summer did not.
22:43Because you saw everybody's Spotify rap, like, Drake was still the most-streamed artist of the year.
22:46They had plenty of... yeah.
22:48You know, I think there's people who are pretty much unbothered by it.
22:53They're always like, oh, that was a fun battle.
22:55Going back to views.
22:58That's what a lot of people did.
23:01I don't know, in terms of the children thing, he's going to have to actually prove that now.
23:06Which should be easy.
23:08But, I don't know.
23:10It's going to be a tough case for him.
23:13Well, and also the financial stakes of it.
23:15A lot of people were tying this to the idea that his contract is up for renegotiation soon.
23:20Yeah, I don't know if that's...
23:22Suggesting that this is... that that's sort of the ploy also at hand to devalue his brand.
23:28So that way he can't command as much money.
23:30But it's like, if your one argument is, all you care about is money.
23:34And so therefore you're willing to do unscrupulous things to get that money.
23:39It also can't be, you don't care enough about money to sign me to what I want.
23:46I'm the biggest artist in the world.
23:49Of course they're going to give Drake a deal.
23:52To your point, it's Taylor Swift and Drake.
23:56That's it.
23:58Yeah.
23:59That's it.
24:00But you don't think at Drake's point, he said, I should have got a billion and now you're trying to give me 750.
24:05It's a free market.
24:06If Universal's like, I'm not going to give you that.
24:08He's like, all right, I'll go talk to your son.
24:12I'm pretty sure someone will give Drake what he wants.
24:15It may not be Universal.
24:17Someone will give Drake the money he wants.
24:19It's not like he's too big.
24:21It's Drake, bro.
24:22This is craziness.
24:24This lawsuit hinges on the idea that Drake's reputation was pristine before, not like us.
24:33And that's just a fantasy world.
24:35So I can't, it's so hard for me to take it seriously because it's like, we all experience a cultural slow but gradual shift in opinion towards Drake over the past couple albums.
24:47Like, look at how people reacted to For All The Dogs.
24:50Look at how people reacted to Her Loss when he came out, Megan, when he supported Tory Lanez and stuff like that.
24:56Like, Megan herself was addressing her on a song before Kendrick even came out in 2024.
25:01So it's like, I can't sit here and be like, yeah, not like us is the source of all this Drake hate.
25:08This was a really well run campaign.
25:10Didn't have much to really do because people already were not liking it.
25:15People already were shifting opinions on you, maybe not en masse, but those conversations were happening.
25:21And that's why it was so, quote unquote, easy for the beef to play out the way it did because Kendrick was able to play on those feelings that were already present.
25:30But part of me also feels like Drake just might be creatively stuck right now in terms of where to move musically, where to move career wise.
25:40And holding himself up in the legal system for the next year plus likely is a pretty easy way to kind of like not have to put out music and then be like, damn, this didn't perform well.
25:51Damn, another year goes by with no hits.
25:53Another summer with no Drake anthem.
25:55Now it's like, well, technically this was an Instagram dub.
25:58This was a 100 gigs thing.
25:59So like it wasn't a real thing.
26:00It wasn't a real album.
26:01So it's fine.
26:02But I don't think he knows where to go right now.
26:04It feels like he's just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks because you're bread and butter.
26:09You should just be drop a banger and we'll be back.
26:12And that hasn't worked for you yet.
26:14And now you ran to the Southern District of New York.
26:17It's tough, man.
26:18And Texas.
26:19That case is still pending.
26:20It's a rap beef.
26:21I think so.
26:23I heard media.
26:25I know Apple's in there.
26:26Like, it's a rap beef, bro.
26:28Like that, too.
26:29Like all the other streamers involved in this is just Spotify.
26:33As far as I can like the box, we're only on that one app, I guess.
26:38Apparently, like Apple Music was clean.
26:40Title was clean.
26:41Deezer, Pandora, everybody else was clean.
26:43But Spotify is just so interesting to me.
26:45Like, OK, cool.
26:46They also like a pretty shitty campaign.
26:48I feel like you might want to diversify your box instead of like putting them all on one thing.
26:52But one place, I guess Spotify drives the discussion.
26:55So, hey, there's two things that I don't fully understand.
26:59One is that it's a rap beef.
27:01Drake himself made the claim that Dave Free was the father of his children, that Kendrick beats women, said that he beats not only his mother of his children, his fiancee, but that he's beat multiple women.
27:14It's a habit of his, right, basically, that this is what he does.
27:18How is that not defamation?
27:20Well, the thing I think that that's the difference there.
27:22I know Kyle talked about this a little earlier.
27:24It seems to be like if you look in the suit in particular, one of the things they note about UMG is that they decided to, quote, publish, promote, exploit and monetize these allegations.
27:35So it seems like, you know, just given the major outreach that Not Like Us had, you know, the other singles may not have gotten the same attention.
27:42Well, that was my second. That was my second question.
27:44The point is that they claim that publications, they name drop Complex in the suit, essentially trying to say that they were forced to prop this song up, to be excited about this song and that everyone was, you know, a universal strong arm to everybody into liking this song and it being popular.
28:09And it's like, bro, I know I was.
28:14Sorry, I can't say what I was going to say.
28:16I was going to say something I would get in trouble if I said it.
28:19The lawyers running down.
28:21We won't be the next case of the Southern District of New York in a second.
28:24Hey, no, put us on the dock.
28:26I was going to say, yeah, we going down to be French.
28:29No, I the first time I heard that song, I knew it was a hit.
28:32Everyone knew it was a hit.
28:34People are in the office when it drives.
28:36People I've talked to and I was riding the M14 bus.
28:39I'll never forget where I was.
28:40People I've talked to in Kendrick's camp, they even said when they heard the song, please drop this last.
28:47Like, don't drop this before anything else.
28:49I drop this one last because it's a banger.
28:52Like, everyone knew it was a bang.
28:54You could play a song.
28:56I've heard it so much.
28:57I had to stop playing it because I was like, I'm going to get sick of this song.
29:00And then I played it like two weeks ago and I was like, this shit is still goes, bro.
29:04Transcending by the end of the year.
29:06All I do is play our shit in the courtroom.
29:08Like, I got to play in the courtroom.
29:11Young Thug Clips again, but we're not like a Boondocks episode or some shit.
29:15It's going to be like the R. Kelly episode of the Boondocks.
29:18Jury twerking.
29:19It's going to be people like dancing on their chairs and shit.
29:23It's going to have niggas crip walking in the courtroom.
29:25Like, but it's like, are you are you really trying to make us believe that we didn't like the song?
29:30Like, that's your argument?
29:32Like, you say it's the gaslight of the century.
29:34You try to tell me that I just did not experience being outside for the past calendar year.
29:38Like, I mean, you know, and especially at a time in the same way that when, for example, Nice for What dropped.
29:43Everyone was like, damn, this is an instant hit.
29:44Yeah, no one was fucking shocked.
29:46It was an instant hit because it sounded like a what?
29:48Instant hit.
29:49Why is this any?
29:50It's crazy.
29:51It's so hard to believe that this was also that situation.
29:56And, you know, to I guess the Drake's team's credit, they do say even in the own lawsuit, they say it, quote, cloaks cleverly dangerous lyrics behind a catchy beat and inviting hook.
30:07They made a good song.
30:08You just, you know, they made a good song.
30:11That's a good song.
30:12They made a good song.
30:13Like, try again next time.
30:15I don't know what to tell you, bro.
30:17Like, I just don't get it, bro.
30:19UMG also put out Family Matters.
30:22I remember seeing that shit on the front of my application.
30:24I don't have Drake as an electorate.
30:26But they're going to say that, you know, Family Matters, you know, push up.
30:29None of these songs got, you know, got the same campaign and not like us did, especially because it centers around what, you know, Ovi Ho, certified lover boy, certified pedophile.
30:40But this campaign that they're trying to outline feels so thin.
30:43Talking about, oh, we have at least one DJ who can be like, yeah, this was a pay to play scheme.
30:49One in the entirety of the United States of America.
30:54I just, I just don't.
30:5530 million streams were bought in.
30:57This shit just crossed a billion, like what, two weeks ago, last month?
31:00I just, I just can't believe it.
31:03It's kind of thin.
31:05It's kind of weak.
31:06I can't believe it.
31:07I'm like beside myself.
31:08But I also do think this is kind of like an interesting bookmark to the Aiden Ross streaming appearance, where it's kind of like, as much as Drake really does want and crave validation and respect from hip hop.
31:20I think he's reached a point where he feels comfortable and okay not being part of them anymore.
31:25And having this kind of like incel light fan base with the streamer world instead.
31:32That pivot I kind of clocked around her loss anyway, was just the way he was talking about women and how that had shifted from his previous work.
31:38And this just seems like another thing where it's like, this is a move that is not going to get you any kind of goodwill with actual hip hop listeners, be a part of that community.
31:48You don't make this move unless you're okay with that being the outcome.
31:51So it feels like he thinks he's, and in a way he wouldn't be entirely wrong, but he feels like he's bigger than hip hop.
31:58I think ego is leading a lot of his moves right now.
32:00I do think Drake loves rap.
32:02I think he like, I kind of feel like this, and I don't want to psychoanalyze this guy, but it feels as if a lot of this comes from that.
32:11That he loves it so much.
32:14And he's like, why, why the fuck can't you guys just, yeah, why can't you guys just like me?
32:21Like, why, why can't you guys just, you know, why?
32:26Like, look at all I've done.
32:28Look what I've done for you guys.
32:29I've made countless hits.
32:31I've soundtracked.
32:33And then he's like, yeah, look what you've done.
32:35Derogatory.
32:37It's like, I've made countless hits.
32:38I've brought you multiple people.
32:40I've done X, Y, and Z.
32:41Why is it that this guy can come here and say that I am not a part of this when I am this thing?
32:47He wasn't fucking niggas wives.
32:50There's a number of, there's a number of answers to that question.
32:54Right.
32:55But I think, I do think Drake loves rap.
32:57The whole like right wing hip hop adjacent streamer world that he's found himself in is really bizarre to me.
33:04And I kind of feel like it's partly a function of money.
33:08I feel like the kick world is just like, that's what they, that's what they engender.
33:14And, you know, he's a big part of that.
33:17But yeah, it's, it's, it's puzzling, man.
33:19I really, for someone who I believe really, really, really, really loves rap music.
33:23I, because, because even there was like a, a scene on the Aiden Ross stream with him where Aiden was like, what are you listening to?
33:30And he was like, and Aiden was like, oh, you know, I think rap, like rap's dead, man.
33:33Rap's cooked.
33:34And Drake was like, no, it's not.
33:36Like, it was like the only, one of the only moments where Drake pushed back on him and was like, all right, relax, bro.
33:42I think it's that tension that's like driving all of his bizarre ass moves.
33:46Like he really does love this shit.
33:47But right now it's like so on its face that we generally don't love you the same way you love us right now.
33:54And it's hard for him to square those two things in his mind.
33:58Okay.
33:59Well, you know, obviously this, this saga is, we thought we were done.
34:03We are not done.
34:04We're in some ways might just begin started.
34:07So head over to Billboard.com in particular, if you want to check out the entire timeline, we've got updated and any more updates that we have on this lawsuit.
34:16It feels like something that we thought was a 2024 story.
34:20Definitely going to be part of 2025.
34:21So, yeah.
34:24Stay tuned.
34:25We'll, we'll, we'll be there to rock through it all.
34:28Better or worse.
34:30Before we head out, of course, we want to jump into the lightning round.
34:34Just give a quick little summation of some of the songs that are starting our playlist off in 2025.
34:40Pretty strong.
34:41We've been bumping across the past couple of weeks.
34:44I'll turn it over here first.
34:45We'll see.
34:46Kyle, what you got?
34:47What are the what's on Kyle Dennis's 2025 kickoffs?
34:51Lots of Bad Bunny.
34:52I've been really obsessed with that new album.
34:55The title track, Debito De Me Foto, is probably my favorite song.
34:59Come on, do it again.
35:01That was real good.
35:02I want to do it again.
35:03Come on.
35:04Smooth with it.
35:05That one is so, it's a beautiful mixture of salsa and reggaeton.
35:10And just holding on to these moments where you didn't take a photo.
35:15And you kind of still have to, like, hold on to those memories.
35:19And you really feel the pain when you lose that person who's special to you.
35:23Or that memory or that occasion comes up and you don't have a physical representation of that thing that you can hold on to.
35:29That concept really resonated with me.
35:31And the entire album is just really gorgeous, really layered.
35:34So Bad Bunny all the way.
35:36He definitely has album of the year for me as far as mainstream music is concerned.
35:39Damn.
35:40It's going to say damn two weeks in.
35:41Hell yeah.
35:42I mean, his competition was fucking wham.
35:44So it wasn't that hard.
35:45But I thought that was your boy.
35:47Not too much.
35:48The number one album wham.
35:50We're not going to do it like that.
35:51I'll wait for Dominic.
35:53Dominique.
35:54I'll wait for that one.
35:56Yo, shout out to Bad Bunny.
35:58I know we have not, you know, sort of had a lot of talk about that album on this show in particular.
36:03That album is really killing it.
36:04A lot of the songs streaming really, really well.
36:06Shout out Bad Bunny for really kicking off 2025 with what Kyle says is the album of the year.
36:12Crazy.
36:13So far.
36:14Must be.
36:15I got to go back and listen to it again.
36:16Until act three comes out.
36:17Yeah.
36:18All right, Dane, what you got for us?
36:20I have a song that was, well, it's an EP, but there's one song on it that I especially like.
36:26It's by this guy named Errol Holden.
36:28He's a Harlem rapper.
36:29He's like if Raekwon was born now and came up under Griselda, he has this really weird, stilted flow when he raps.
36:42It's like he's spitting spoken word in a way.
36:45At first it was very off-putting, and then I listened to one song and it clicked for me, and I was like, oh, I get it now.
36:52It's like what Rock Marciano, I think, would do if he came out today.
36:57It's like that.
36:58The stilt and the lilt in his flow is the thing that kind of makes him stand out more than anything else.
37:06But his wordplay is also insane.
37:08Really, he's like a former street dude that just does nothing but unrepentantly raps about the streets.
37:17Gangsta rap, to me, the currency is realism.
37:21And more than realism is specificity.
37:25Yes.
37:26In gangsta rap, the more specific you can be is the shit that really gets me.
37:32He has it in spades.
37:34And on Christmas, he dropped a three-song EP called Hans Zimmer.
37:38And there's a song on it called Glock 19s for Casket and Flower Moves.
37:42It's featuring Rome Streets.
37:43I love Rome Streets.
37:45Great song.
37:46Great song.
37:47Glock 19s and Flower Moves.
37:49Glock 19s for Caskets and Flower Moves.
37:52Wow.
37:53That's a baller.
37:54Okay.
37:55They explain it on the song.
37:56But the production is great.
37:58The rapping is great.
38:00If you like street rap that makes you feel like you're bonded up in 19-degree weather, this is it.
38:0819-degree weather.
38:09Ready for us right now?
38:10That is pretty much what we're going to be suffering through for the next couple weeks.
38:14It's damn near.
38:16All right.
38:17Well, I'm going to throw things.
38:19I'm going to throw wrenches of things.
38:20Because I was – I swear to mention this yesterday in the pre-show.
38:24I'm going to go ahead and say it.
38:25Look.
38:26One song that I've listened to this past week, I had never heard this song before.
38:29It's not even a hip-hop song.
38:30Don't piss me off.
38:31It's – yo.
38:33This Chaperone, Pig Pony Club I heard for the first time.
38:36I'm sorry?
38:37No.
38:40I was like – because I was like, okay, let me see.
38:42Because this song has been around for a couple years.
38:44It came out in 2020.
38:45I was like, let me just –
38:46A couple years.
38:47Yeah.
38:48A couple years.
38:49You said –
38:50Now, to be fair –
38:51Pink Pony Club.
38:53Great track.
38:54Look.
38:55Because she did it on SNL when she was actually there a couple months ago.
38:57Look.
38:58It is straight-up top 40 pop.
39:00Look.
39:01It's got not a shred of hip-hop in it.
39:04But it's something.
39:05Dedicated to the go-go club that she found freedom in in LA.
39:07Hell yeah.
39:08Yeah.
39:09I mean, there's a sort of personal story about it.
39:10The club itself isn't a real club.
39:12But just really like – I was like, okay.
39:14I see what this is about.
39:17If you like just good, you know, top 40 chorus-heavy pop music, like –
39:22It actually has a little bit of a narrative to it.
39:25So some of the details keep it kind of rich.
39:27Check it out.
39:28But I was like –
39:29Yeah.
39:30It was like, you know –
39:31And I heard a couple other Chaperone songs.
39:32And I get why she's big.
39:33Did you check out the full album yet?
39:34I have.
39:35Yes, I have heard the album.
39:36Okay.
39:37So, you know, I know.
39:38I know why she's big and how to go and everything like that.
39:40But I hadn't heard that one in particular.
39:42Then I was like, why would she like single that one on SNL?
39:44She had the audience singing along.
39:46Everybody kind of knew it.
39:47So –
39:48Yeah.
39:49That was like a rallying cry.
39:50It's a big –
39:51Yeah.
39:52It was like –
39:53People love this one.
39:54So I might –
39:55You know, I know I'm late to it clearly.
39:56So that's where we're going to wrap it up with good old Chaperone.
39:59But, of course, thanks for kicking it with us for a whole new episode of Billboard Unfiltered.
40:04We'll be back next week.
40:05And until then, keep it locked here and on Billboard.com.
40:07And we'll see y'all next time.
40:09Stay safe.
40:10Good luck.