Despite what Drake thinks of UMG today, they were doing the best to protect him a few years ago. Thanks to a new interview between Steven Victor and Billboard, we have come to learn that the label was very close to axing a Pop Smoke album due to a verse from Pusha T. Victor was answering questions about the Virginia rapper, who he's been managing for quite some time.
This topic came up thanks to some comments that the Clipse rapper had in his recent feature for GQ. In that interview, the coke rapper talked about two songs in which he would have been featured on had he not taken some shots at Drake (or at least were thought to be). Those were "Maybach Music VI" by Rick Ross and Pop Smoke's "Paranoia."
Victor took the time to address the latter, saying that UMG believed that King Push was taking shots at their artist. "What happened on the Pop Smoke song is that UMG thought that he was dissing Drake on that song. He wasn’t, but they thought he was," the manager said.
"Pop Smoke was released on my label [Victor Victor], and obviously I managed Pusha. So, they came to me and said, "'We’re not going to put this out now, unless you get Pusha to change these lyrics.' Even though it has nothing to do with Pop Smoke, they’re like, 'Either he changes these lyrics, or we’re not putting the album out.'"
Clipse New Album
Victor was absolutely baffled UMG's push back then and now adding, "What happened to freedom of speech? First of all, he’s not dissing Drake. But how do you get to tell him to just change his lyrics or you’re not putting this album out?"
Ultimately, UMG did get their wish, though. "Paranoia," which made the deluxe version of Pop Smoke's most popular record Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon, went on to have different features. Former collaborators Gunna and Young Thug joined the influential drill rapper instead.
But even though UMG did score a W against Push here, Def Jam couldn't say the same.
They wound up losing the rights to release his next Clipse album, Let God Sort Em Out, which is due out July 11. Similarly, Pusha T was unwilling to give up his Kendrick Lamar feature despite the label finding it controversial and potentially being a shot at The Boy as well.
