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These NBA Players Think Drake Mishandled DeMar DeRozan Beef

These NBA Players Think Drake Mishandled DeMar DeRozan Beef

Plus, Pharrell responds to Drizzy's threats of melting down his jewelry pieces.

November 15, 2024

Lil Baby released a new single (and video) called “5AM” and announced his newest album titled WHAM (Who Hard As Me). In other news:

Song streams & revenue 💰️
Drake’s diss against DeMar DeRozan is “wack” 😬
Does Pharrell care about Drake’s “MELTDOWN” diss? 👀
New Music Friday releases 💿️
Industry Insights 📈

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Songs Streams & Revenue

As reported by Hits Daily Double for the week of October 25 to October 31.

It’s a new week and a new song revenue chart. As reported by Hits Daily Double, which tracks streaming revenue week over week, the above chart reflects the streaming period from October 25 to October 31.

The numbers are in for the first week of Tyler, the Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA, and he took the chart by storm while also securing a number-one debut on the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, “Timeless” from Carti and The Weekend still had a solid week with 13.5 million streams and $61K in revenue.

Carmelo Anthony Calls Out Drake For DeMar DeRozan Diss

Drake has been known for throwing shade rather than facing heat head-on, and Demar DeRozan was no exception. On November 2, Drake called out the basketball player while at the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors game (clearly still mad about DeMar’s “Not Like Us” cameo and support of Kendrick Lamar). He also allegedly called DeMar a “pussy” in passing.

In response, DeMar, at his post-game press conference, said that Drake is “going to have a long way to climb to take it down, tell him 'good luck.’”

Numerous rap fans supported DeMar after Drake’s foolery, including now-former NBA player Carmelo Anthony.

Carmelo says Drake did too much

On the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast with guest and former NBA player Rudy Gay, Carmelo explained that he understands why Drizzy was upset.

“I think Drake was hurt a little bit because of the relationship he built with DeMar in Toronto … Representing the 6, Raptors — you know that was a lot of connection up there with those two. So I can see why Drake is upset, but from DeMar’s side, this is home, this is home team.”

Carmelo emphasized the connection between Kendrick and DeMar, saying regardless of basketball, DeMar “is Compton.” The confusion for some fans is that DeMar spent nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors and has been vocal about his love for the city.

However, rap and basketball are separate entities, and Carmelo’s POV is that DeMar is “a Raptor for life from a basketball standpoint. Yes, that jersey should be going up.”

Rudy Gay chimed in and said, “Drake is whack for that,” referring to Drake’s threat of taking down DeMar’s jersey if it was ever retired, to which Carmelo replied, “Drake did a lot when he said I’ma go up there and take it down. That part is a lot.”

Ultimately, everyone on the podcast agreed they could understand why DeMar hurt Drake’s feelings but disagreed with how he handled it publicly. “You gotta pull up on DeMar if you feel that way before you go on camera,” Rudy said.

Should Drake have handled his beef with DeMar privately?

Click an option below to weigh in

Pharrell Isn’t Bothered by Drake’s “MELTDOWN”

On the 2023 song “MELTDOWN” with Travis Scott, Drake sent shots towards both Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams.

“I melt down the chains that I bought from yo' boss, Give a fuck about all of that heritage shit,” he said. The bars were about the over 2 million dollar N.E.R.D. chain that Pharrell put on his auction platform called Joopiter back in November 2022. You might have seen the Toronto native flexing the piece in the “Jumbotron Shit Poppin’” music video.

While interviewing for his GQ “Man of the Year” cover story, Pharrell finally addressed what he thinks of Drake’s comments and ownership of his former jewelry.

Is Pharrell “Frontin’” or doesn’t care at all?

When asked how he felt about finding out Champagne Papi was the buyer of his jewelry pieces, Williams said, “I think beyond all of the on-goings, at the heart of all of it, he’s a fan of music. He’s a fan of the history of what it is, and I happen to be a part of that, and those artifacts are a part of it.”

Pharrell doubled down by saying he wasn’t bothered by Drake’s “MELTDOWN” jab and the threat of melting down his chain. GQ asked how the lyrics “struck” him, and he simply responded, “It didn't.”

His nonchalant attitude about what happens to the iconic rap artifacts that were once in his possession has to do with how much they were weighing him down.

“I didn’t realize. You never realize how much all the stuff you have weighs on you, but it does. You don’t know it until you get rid of it … When you let things go, a huge part of it is actually letting go. Not just of the physical item, but letting go of your connection to what it’s supposed to mean, or the memory. You’re literally letting them go. That was the purpose,” Williams said.

Regardless of Drake’s antics, the legendary rapper and producer seems to be taking the high road with support from those online.

What do y’all think of Pharrell’s response?