Michael Rubin, the The billionaire owner of Fanatics probably did his good friend Drake no favors when he confirmed the rumor that he banned Kendrick Lamar’s diss track (and arguably song of the summer) “Not Like Us” from his annual all-white Fourth of July party.
Rubin was interviewed on The Breakfast Club today, August 14, he said: “It’s true. Drake has been my friend for a long time. I’m not going to invite him – and look, he’s obviously going through a bit of a crisis right now. I’m not going to invite him here… I just didn’t think it was appropriate.”
Obviously, it was very nice of Rubin to go to so much trouble to ensure his friend had a good time and was not reminded of the defeat his long-time rival had inflicted on him at one of the biggest parties of the year.
Still, Rubin, you absolute sweetheart, keep it to yourself. In the unforgiving world of rap beef, where detractors and haters look for any tidbit to pounce on, one of the last things Drake probably wants the world to know is that his billionaire buddy made sure his party playlist was a personal, safe space. Rubin could have gotten away with not addressing the rumor, too, because interviewer Loren LoRosa appended the probing question to a question about responding to social media chat in general.
Instead, Rubin clarified: “So I sent a message and said, ‘Hey, let’s not play the music of someone who is in a fight with someone (at the party).'”
And when LoRosa asked if Drake made the request himself, Rubin took full responsibility. “It was my decision. I just thought it was the right thing to do.”
Amazingly, Rubin kept going. He said the day before the big white party, he was having a barbecue, and when someone put on Spotify’s Rap Caviar playlist, “Not Like Us” started playing. When Rubin noticed, he started yelling, “Take that off! Take that off!” When asked if Drake was there at the time, Rubin said he was “coming soon.”
Rubin also dismissed the memes and speculation that Drake was showing his emotions at the party, saying the musician “had a great time.” He continued, “Social media is something you have to be made for, you have to be tough, you have to take sh*t from people… Drake is an iconic artist that we all have tremendous respect for. What I said to Drake – and I honestly believe this – is that this is a huge test for him. You can’t get to where he is without people rooting for you.”
Oh how sweet.
