Joe Budden Revisits Larry Jackson’s Outrageous Claim About Drake’s Catalog

Amid Drake filing a legal petition that accused Universal Music Group and Spotify of artificially inflating the commercial performance of “Not Like Us,” The Joe Budden Podcast took a trip down memory lane during a recent episode. Specifically, they debated this move in relation to Drizzy supposedly seeking to negotiate for a more bountiful contract and to his own profits in the industry. Budden brought up a conversation with Gamma CEO Larry Jackson, who alleged that the Toronto superstar’s catalog is worth more than the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s combined. This eventually led to a few different proposed pathways.

First, Joe Budden posited that Drake needs to “go in that corner” and renegotiate with absolutely everyone in his efforts to make his worth clear. But Ice pushed back on this narrative, positing that he could face an uphill battle if UMG refuses to pay him more or shuts his negotiations down. However, Budden argued that the OVO mogul most definitely has a way out if he isn’t happy with how the negotiations develop. Ish tied this in further with some other moves such as unconventional cover art, and that he meant this legal action as a “f**k you” to the label and as a way to get out of his contract.

In fact, The Joe Budden Podcast took it a step further and theorized that these anti-label moves could extend to the quality of Drake’s recent output. Certified Lover Boy was all throwaways in the group’s opinion, and his perceived lack of effort might result from these supposed label issues. Of course, we doubt that The Boy himself would characterize his art as such, so this might reach a little farther across the aisle than necessary.

But to wrap things up, The Joe Budden Podcast – specifically its titular host – posited that too many parties have a “vested interest” in keeping Drake under a label structure. Whether or not this legal filing actually succeeds in court is a mystery for Father Time, but its implications and impact could still be massive. We’ll see whether or not this changes history or simply repeats it.