Hip-hop stars' beef began in 2014 when Drake dissed Kendrick Lamar on ESPN, sports personality says

The feud betwixt Drake and Kendrick Lamar ignited a decade agone erstwhile nan Canadian rapper dissed his chap superstar during a taped question and reply connected ESPN, but past threatened to propulsion retired of hosting nan ESPY Awards if nan web aired nan captious comments, according to sports characteristic Marcellus Wiley.

Wiley, a erstwhile NFL protect extremity and autochthonal of Compton, California, said successful a video posted Wednesday connected his YouTube channel that nan hip-hop beef was sparked by Drake during a 2014 question and reply connected SportsNation.

Drake was connected nan show hosted by Wiley and TV personality Max Kellerman to beforehand ESPN's yearly awards for excellence successful sports, nan ESPYs, and his euphony and projects, Wiley said.

While being interviewed by Wiley and Kellerman, Drake began criticizing Lamar either retired of "jealousy" aliases to put him successful his place, Wiley said.

"We doing nan question and reply and Drake going in connected Kendrick. I was like, ‘Wait, what nan hell?’ Me and Max hitting each different for illustration this dude talking that trash," he said. "It’s astir to spell down. Our lives are astir to alteration origin we astir to beryllium … nan epicenter of rap, for illustration we sewage nan biggest beef going, and he astir to driblet it correct connected our lap.”

Wiley continued: "Now we portion that show. So erstwhile that show came out,” he laughed. “Y'all didn’t spot nan beef. Y'all didn’t spot what Drake said.”

He elaborated connected Drake's comments.

“What Drake was saying, was fundamentally like, ‘Kendrick, you ain’t me. Kendrick, I’m nan large dog. I sewage nan numbers. I sewage nan machine. I americium nan instrumentality — enactment successful your place, small man.’”

ESPN did not respond to aggregate requests for remark connected Thursday afternoon. Representatives for Lamar and Drake could not beryllium reached for comment. Attempts to scope Wiley and Kellerman were not successful Thursday night.

Wiley said aft Drake criticized Lamar, Drake and his campy decided they did not want nan comments to aerial and went to ESPN guidance pinch a threat. Wiley didn’t elaborate connected nan threat aliases really he knew astir it.

Drake “dissed this dude past hid down your team, fto them telephone our bosses, producers … and told them, ... ‘If y'all fto that question and reply spell — I’m not hosting nan ESPYs."

Wiley said he met Lamar, who is besides from Compton, successful 2013 erstwhile he performed connected SportsNation. The 2 are now friends, Wiley said. He said aft Drake made his comments, Wiley contacted Lamar's campy and told them astir Drake's remarks.

Wiley said he believed Kendrick has been preparing for nan infinitesimal and has much diss tracks astir Drake disposable astatine his disposal.

Wiley noted that while he didn’t like Drake’s comments a decade agone aliases nan ESPN ultimatum, he respects him arsenic a musician who releases “bangers.”

The hip-hop megastars have traded mini shots successful nan past but nan jabs person escalated since mid-April, pinch each releasing 4 diss tracks. Drake struck first, pinch nan first 2 songs building momentum and nan belief that he was winning, arsenic good arsenic anticipation of erstwhile aliases whether Lamar would respond. Lamar started hitting backmost much than 2 weeks later.

The rap conflict has produced a drawstring of hits connected streaming services, while prompting fans, pundits and artists alike to decipher lyrics and prime sides.

But nan tracks person besides been afloat of superior allegations by Lamar toward Drake, including that he's hiding a concealed girl and accusations that he is fond of underage girls.

Drake has denied nan accusations.

Meanwhile, Drake has boasted he's nan amended rapper and claimed different modern rappers person besides gotten nan champion of Lamar. He besides accused Lamar of home unit and that he raps astir pro-Black issues for illustration he's an activistic but it's not genuine.

The individual attacks person caused immoderate consternation among fans and hip-hop insiders that it's gone excessively far.

Wiley said he had kept nan accusation astir Drake's comments successful 2014 retired of nan nationalist because he couldn't nutrient nan video of nan remarks and it besides wasn't his communicative to tell.

“This ain’t my beef. This is their beef. They cognize nan creation of war," he said.

But Wiley said he believes that Lamar has won successful nan tribunal of nationalist sentiment and that nan lyrical sparring has ended.

“The man sewage nan group and that’s Kendrick Lamar,” he said. “Now, that’s maine being objective.”

But speaking arsenic a chap Southern California native, Wiley said, “Go get them, Compton.”