Stephen A. Smith has never been one to hold back his opinions, and this time, the commentator turned his attention to Drake. In a critique, Smith took issue with the rapper’s decision to file a pre-action petition against Universal Music Group (UMG) over Kendrick Lamar’s viral hit “Not Like Us.” According to Smith, Drake’s legal maneuver is “a bad look” and goes against the core values of hip-hop.
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“This is a bad look,” Smith declared at the start of his comments. “It’s all smeared on Drake. All of it. This is hip-hop, man. Somebody comes at you with lyrics, with a song, you’re supposed to come right back at them with a song, with lyrics.”
Smith emphasized that hip-hop is about authenticity and confrontation, not legal battles. “The hip-hop community prides itself on being authentic, straight up, real, in your face. Letting you know where they stand and not shying away from anything. That’s the hip-hop community,” he said.
At the center of the controversy is Kendrick Lamar’s track, Not Like Us, a scathing critique that fans believe takes aim at Drake. The song has become a cultural phenomenon, racking up massive streaming numbers and resonating with listeners across all demographics.
Smith highlighted the song’s success as evidence that it’s a legitimate hit. “If the song wasn’t straight fire, there’s no way it would have that many hits, that many downloads,” he said. “No way in hell.”
Drake’s legal action, which seeks to address alleged intellectual property issues tied to UMG, has only fueled the narrative that Lamar’s lyrics struck a nerve. Smith suggested that instead of addressing the situation with his own music, Drake’s reliance on legal avenues has made him appear “weak and sensitive” in the eyes of fans.
Smith, a self-proclaimed product of the hip-hop generation from Hollis, Queens, New York, made it clear that legal battles have no place in rap beefs. “This isn’t about lawyers. This is about bars,” he insisted. Drawing on his deep ties to the culture, Smith described how the hip-hop world values confrontation through music, not courtroom drama.
Smith revealed that industry insiders, including artists and journalists, are hesitant to publicly comment on the situation but privately criticize Drake’s decision. “Everybody I’ve talked to—10, 15 different people—think Drake is in the wrong on this one,” he said.
Fans of Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us have embraced the song as a lyrical masterpiece, with Smith describing its reach as transcendent. “Kids, adults, senior citizens, Black, white, Hispanic, Asian—everybody knows the lyrics,” he noted.
For Stephen A. Smith, the takeaway is simple: Drake’s legal action is out of step with the ethos of hip-hop. “From a legitimate perspective, that argument by Drake, in the eyes of a lot of fans out there, is illegitimate,” Smith said.
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