Michael Rubin has confirmed that he told the DJ at his Fourth of July party not to play Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” while Drake was present.
At a performance on The Breakfast ClubRubin recalled the massive, all-white party, where guests like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Brady enjoyed all the fun. When photos of Drake at the event surfaced online, people wondered if K Dot’s scathing diss song “Not Like Us” was blaring from the speakers, as the song is one of the biggest of the year.
According to Rubin, he enforced the rule that “Not Like Us” could not be played at the party. Rubin explained that he had been friends with Drake for a long time and would not invite him to a party where that song was played multiple times.
“It was true,” Rubin said. “I just didn’t think it was appropriate and I said, ‘Hey, let’s not play anybody’s music here that’s at odds with anybody.’ That was my decision. I just didn’t think it was appropriate.”
Rubin took a photo with Drake at the all-white party in which the rapper appeared exhausted, and fans joked that Kendrick had backed him into a corner for firing off so many lyrics during their argument. According to Rubin, the joke couldn’t have been further from the truth, as he said Drake had a great time.
“You have to be built for social media, you have to be tough, you have to take shit from people,” Rubin said. “Look, Drake is an iconic artist that we all have tremendous respect for. What I told Drake, and I truly believe this, is a huge test for him. You can’t get to where he is without people coming after you.”
He added: “I sleep with one eye open. I know we have three companies right now. Every company has people coming up to me every day and that’s part of success because with success comes more competition, more hate and you know the best people show why they’re the best and if you’re not the best you break and fall apart. So I think this is a great test for him. I think he’s going to come out with a lot of incredible music.”
It doesn’t seem like Drake was bothered by the song being played, as he once quoted it in one of his Instagram story posts. Last month, a video surfaced online of a Drake impersonator performing “Hotline Bling” at a New York City boxing gym, and Drizzy posted his reaction to it, quoting K Dot.
“Sometimes you gotta come out,” the Toronto rapper wrote alongside the clip, a reference to the line “Sometimes you gotta come out and show them n****s.”
Related
