For the past few months, it has seemed as if the entire world has been arrayed against Drake, and now, amidst his two legal challenges against Universal Music Group, he faces an uphill battle with the music industry itself. Yet, in a glimmer of public support, he received a boost from his longstanding friend, NBA legend Kevin Durant.
This week, Durant, a forward for the Phoenix Suns, shared a screenshot on his Instagram story of him playing Drake's 2015 track "30 For 30 Freestyle," the closing number from his collaborative album with Future, What A Time To Be Alive. This choice of song appeared deliberate, as the Toronto superstar had hinted at a broader battle beyond his 2015 feud with Meek Mill.
In the lyrics, Drake rapped, "Never thought I’d be talkin’ from this perspective/ But I’m not really sure what else you expected/ When the higher-ups have all come together as a collective/ With conspiracies to end my run and send me a message/ 40, did you get the message?/ ‘Cause I just checked my phone and I didn’t get it/ I mean, I’ll say hats off for a solid effort/ But we didn’t flinch for a second, we got our sh*t together." Listen to "30 For 30 Freestyle" and feel the raw emotion.
Kevin Durant's endorsement of Drake should not come as a surprise. Drake has often mentioned Durant in his songs, such as "Pop That," "Weston Road Flows," "Gold Roses," and more. Furthermore, Durant served as the A&R for Drake's October 2023 album, For All The Dogs.
Recently, the five-time Grammy winner referenced the two-time NBA MVP in his song "No Face," rapping, "KD just text ‘What the f**’ are we waiting on?'" Initially, this line seemed to pertain to releasing new music and possibly reigniting his beef with Kendrick Lamar and other opponents from earlier this year. However, given Drake's recent legal actions against Universal Music Group, it's conceivable that Durant was urging him to take on his label sooner rather than later.
To start the week, Drake sent a pre-action petition to UMG, accusing the company of artificially inflating the popularity of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" by using bots and payola to manipulate streaming platforms. The next day, he filed a defamation petition against UMG for knowingly supporting "Not Like Us" and its accompanying music video, despite falsely accusing him, their signed artist, of pedophilia.
