The Original Writers of 2 More Drake Songs Are Exposed

For those watching the NBA playoffs, what’s more delusional: Timberwolves fans thinking they’ll be the first team to beat a 3-0 deficit or an Ohio billionaire spinning the block on the Titanic wreck site? 🤔 In other news today:

• Song streams & revenue 💰️ 

• The original writers of 2 more Drake songs are exposed 👻 

• Why this Ye autograph goes to auction for $500K 🤯 

• Discover new music with the Rap Index 🔥 

• Industry Insights 🔎 

Song Streams & Revenue

Instead of Billboard’s Hot 100, which is delayed because of the Memorial Day holiday, find the streaming revenue from Hits Daily Double for the period of May 10 to 16.

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” continues to do numbers, earning $308K from 66M streams. The hype of Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” hasn’t died down, generating $295K from 62M streams, and Gunna’s “One Of Wun” earned $61K from 13M streams in its opening week.

The Original Songwriters For More Drake Songs Are Exposed

Vory is the newest artist caught up in the web of Drake’s ghostwriter accusations, and PartyNextDoor is revealed as the originator of yet another Drake song,

Signed to Meek Mill’s label, Vory is known to write hits for other artists, including Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “FRIENDS”  and Bryson Tiller’s “Don’t,” but a new leak has people questioning if Drake has borrowed Vory’s pen for himself. 

X user PushaThanos__ released the reference track for Drake’s “Mob Ties,” pointing out the uncanny similarities between Vory’s original song and Drake’s verse. 

It’s not a secret that Vory is credited as a co-writer on “Mob Ties.” Still, similar to Lil Yachty’s version of “Jumbotron Shit Poppin,” which leaked in May, the reference track exposes just how much Vory contributed to the song—the cadence, lyrics, and melody are almost identical. 

PushaThanos’ exposé didn’t stop there. Less than 24 hours after the “Mob Ties” leak, they posted the reference track for Drake’s “Ratchet Happy Birthday,” which was created by PartyNextDoor.

Party is such a frequent role player in Drake ghostwriting narratives he should have a stamp card—complete 10 reference tracks and get a free Drake feature.

Determined to complete a masterclass on Drake’s alleged ghostwriting, PushaThanos highlighted how the reference track contradicts statements made by Drake’s go-to defender, DJ Akademiks. 

Looking at the writing credits for “Mob Ties” on a previous livestream, Akademiks declared that Vory didn’t write anything for the song. “Imma tell you why I know he didn't write shit for Drake…This shit was like a Toronto n***a spittin’ bruh,” said Akademiks.

The leaks, coupled with Kendrick Lamar’s diss on “euphoria” about Drake’s ghostwriters (“Ain’t twenty-v-one, it’s one-v-twenty if I gotta smack n***as that write with you), have cast doubt on the legitimacy of Drake's position at the top of the rap game. 

Like the NBA’s 4x Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who is currently crumbling under the pressure of the Dallas Mavericks, Drake’s many awards are doing little to offset the blender of allegations. 

Nevertheless, when faced with these accusations in the past, Drake has not backed down from the non-believers and tweeters-and-deleters. In a 2019 interview with Rap Radar, he said that depending on ghostwriters is simply “not him.”

“If I need to be the poster child that took all those hits for my peers hiding behind me that do the same thing every fucking album, that’s fine. I’ll do it. There’s a lot of people that link up with other people that make records that you guys love. Music is a collaborative thing,” he said. 👻 

Autographed Kanye Vinyl Is Being Auctioned For Half a Million or More

A piece of Ye history can now be yours—but it’ll cost you a couple hundred bands. Under normal circumstances, an autograph of a living person doesn’t cash out much on the resale market, but an autograph (Ye’s version) is going for $500K USD (and that’s just the starting bid). Find out what makes this piece of Ye memorabilia so valuable below.

“Fuck Adidas”

In February of this year, Ye signed a copy of his My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy vinyl for a fan in Paris. As the crowd around him chanted, “Fuck Adidas,” Ye scribbled the sentiment along with his signature. 

The state of affairs between Ye and the apparel company has been full of ups and downs since they hard launched their relationship in 2013 but tensions were at an all-time high during Ye’s trip to Paris.

Adidas had recently begun reselling what’s left of their Yeezy inventory despite being in the midst of a messy divorce with the rapper, and Ye wasn’t happy about it.

He took to IG live to blast his ex, calling the company out for allegedly selling colorways he never approved, not paying him royalties on the resales, and suing him for $250M.

Why is the vinyl being valued at $500K?

The record can be seen on Moments in Time’s site and will be auctioned through Gotta Have Rock and Roll on June 19th at a starting bid of $500,000. Marketed as a “unique piece of rap history,” the record owner shared why he thinks the memorabilia is significant.

“I find myself all alone, face to face with my idol. He takes the marker and signs ‘F**K ADIDAS YE,’ it was an incredible moment. The video and photo went viral in a matter of hours. I received hundreds of messages and offers, and that’s when I realized that I wasn’t just holding a signed Vinyl, but a piece of American rap history in my hands,” the fan said.

If Ye had written something banal like “peace & prosperity,” the vinyl wouldn’t offer much value, but two simple words, “Fuck Adidas,” summarize the end of an era in pop culture, making it a highly sought-after one of one item. Proving yet again that a Ye Original is worth more than adidas Originals.

Coincidentally, the news of the auction comes on the heels of Adidas restocking 48 different Yeezy styles from their remaining inventory.

Ye’s demand is up

Along with making waves for this potential record sale, Ye has also been trending for a recent record leak. The song “Pressure (Can You Be)” featuring Travis Scott made its way online the weekend of May 24.

“Real ones know how historic this is,” X user grandslam said on May 26. However, some fans say this could have been kept in the vault. “Now I understand why Ye scrapped it. S**t was so messy,” said X user BellsXavier.

Ye’s impact is still felt in the rap world, as evidenced by the extravagant value of his signed LP.

The Rap Index ft. Vince Staples, Don Toliver, Lil Baby, Central Cee & More

The Rap Index is a way to follow and discover new music. Divided into 4 categories describing rap subgenres, songs are placed according to their style and sound—giving you a better idea of what songs will appeal to your musical taste. Only releases from the previous New Music Friday are included to help keep you up to date.

RapTV’s Ranking of Rap Index Songs

1. “Étouffée” by Vince Staples (Listen on Spotify)

2. “BAND4BAND” by Central Cee, Lil Baby (Listen on Spotify)

3. “Attitude” by Don Toliver, Charlie Wilson, Cash Cobain (Listen on Spotify)

4. “Clear the Smoke” by Quavo (Listen on Spotify)

5. “U My Everything” by Sexyy Red, Drake (Listen on Spotify)

6. “Grippy” by Cash Cobain, J. Cole (Listen on Spotify)

7. “Elegant” by Southside, LUCKI (Listen on Spotify)

8. “Risk Taker” by Blxst, Offset (Listen on Spotify)

• Kendrick Lamar’s “euphoria” is his third song of 2024 to reach 1M sales milestone. The diss track achieved this feat in just under a month,

• Spotify scraps Car Thing hardware for good and people are upset. The company isn’t offering refunds on the $80 devices and told users to trash them.

• Drake teases new music with Gordo set to release this summer. The electronic dance music producer was last credited on Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind.

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