After being thrust into the iconic beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, NBA star DeMar DeRozan has no animosity towards Drizzy.
In an exclusive interview with the Sacramento Bee on July 24, the former Toronto Raptors, now Sacramento King player, addressed his friendship with Drake following the beef. He clarified, “Drake’s still my man, none of it has changed.”
DeRozan emphasized that the feud is purely entertainment, comparing Lamar and Drake’s rivalry to a competitive game between basketball legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. DeMar made a cameo in Kendrick Lamar’s music video, “Not Like Us,” released last month after being referenced on the track by the Pulitzer Prize-winning recording artist.
“I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither,” raps Lamar, referencing DeMar’s trade to the Sacramento Kings after previously playing with the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors.
Before the video, DeRoz attended Lamar’s “The Pop Out — Ken & Friends” concert in June. He shared details of a conversation with Lamar during the “Pop Out — Ken & Friends” show with journalist Jason Anderson. “I told Kendrick, ‘You don’t know how great you really are, being able to pull everybody and everything together in the manner that you did.’ There was never one issue,” he said.
Lamar’s concert notably brought together various artists from the West Coast, including YG, Roddy Ricch, and ScHoolboy Q, many of whom are affiliated with rival gangs. “Not Like Us” climbed back to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early July, marking Lamar’s first solo record to spend more than one week on the chart.
Drake responded to “Not Like Us” in May with “The Heart Pt. 6.” During the beef, Drake released several diss tracks towards Lamar, including “Family Matters,” “Taylor Made Freestyle,” and “Push-Ups.”
DeRozan signed a three-year contract with the Kings worth over $70 million.