Hip Hop/ Rap
Pusha T Slams Drake’s Lawsuit Against UMG Over Kendrick’s Diss Track: “I Don’t Rate Him No More”
In a music culture where diss tracks are a sacred rite of lyrical warfare, Pusha T isn’t mincing words about Drake’s decision to sue Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” The Virginia lyricist, known for his surgical bars and ice-cold demeanor, says the move is bigger than rap—and not in a good way.
“I don’t rate him no more,” Pusha T said in a new GQ profile, doubling down on his long-standing disdain for the Canadian superstar. “The suing thing is bigger than some rap sh*t. I just don’t rate you. Damn, it just kind of cheapens the art of it once we gotta have real questions about suing and litigation. Like, what? For this?”
The legal drama stems from Kendrick Lamar’s unfounded attack with “Not Like Us,” which set off a cultural explosion online, as Kendrick Lamar called Drake a paedophile. This, in many views, drew Drake to consider legal action over its distribution by UMG, rightly. While the lawsuit is still under scrutiny, its implications have divided hip-hop fans, some siding with Drake’s right to protect his brand, others calling it a soft move.
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But Pusha T, never one to hold his tongue when it comes to Drake, sees it as a breaking point. Despite acknowledging that Drake might have a valid legal grievance, especially given how Pusha T’s own 2018 diss “The Story of Adidon” was reportedly suppressed by UMG, he made it clear that the rap battle should stay on wax, not in courtrooms. Easy for Pusha T to say, but a brand, Drake is much bigger and global.
Pusha T also made a cryptic allusion to his past visit to Canada, referencing Drake’s perceived tough talk: “I actually had a show and made it home. So, I can’t pay attention to any of that. I did the dance for real, not to come back and tiptoe around anything.”
While fans might’ve hoped for a renewed lyrical back-and-forth, it looks like Pusha T isn’t interested in revisiting that feud. Instead, Pusha T is laser-focused on the upcoming Clipse album with his brother No Malice, which is set to release this summer—another chapter in his enduring legacy.
Meanwhile, Drake, lawsuit aside, continues to rack up accolades. With “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “Best I Ever Had” both reaching Diamond certification (10 million+ units sold/streamed), he now holds 10 Diamond singles, more than any artist in history. That milestone places him ahead of former record holders Post Malone and Garth Brooks.
But as accolades pile up, so do the questions. Has hip-hop reached a crossroads where artists respond to diss tracks with lawsuits instead of bars? If you ask Pusha T, the answer is clear: “I don’t rate him no more.”
