Who Is Lucian Grainge? The So-Called "Rich Baby Daddy" of Drake by Ye?

Published 04/22/2024, 10:56 PM EDT

Over the past few days, the highly talked-about rap battle involving Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole has shifted focus to other major players in the music industry, sparking renewed tensions between Drake and Ye (formerly Kanye West). While J. Cole chose to step back by removing '7 Minute Grill' from streaming platforms before all this, the attention swiftly turned to Drake and Ye, especially following the former’s diss tracks and Ye’s appearance on The Download podcast. The conversation during the podcast further took an unexpected turn when Ye implicated an individual, Lucian Grainge as the alleged "rich baby daddy" of Drake.

This revelation left fans wondering about the identity of this mysterious figure. Who is Lucian Grainge?

All about Lucian Grainge and his mention by Ye

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Lucian Charles Grainge is a British record executive who has served as the CEO of Universal Music Group for more than a decade. Ye, on his recent appearance on Justin LaBoy’s podcast, The Download, named Grainge as the “rich baby daddy” of Drake with a sly reference to the latter’s song of the same name from ‘For All the Dogs'. Ye claimed, parodying Drake regarding Grainge and how his alleged “daddy controls the spins” and has got the DSPs. 

Not only that, but the Atlanta rapper also dissed Drake for his $400 million deal with Universal Music Group with a mention in his remix for Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Like That’, which made him the most-searched rapper to dominate X trends. The ‘Donda’ rapper seemed majorly to be clowning Drake for being Universal’s puppet with his lyrical blows aimed straight at the rapper and Grainge, the CEO. 

Ye Wants to “tear the head off” in the Infamous 20-V-1 Rap Battle With Drake for This One Reason

Even though Ye called the shots aimed at Lucian Grainge and Drake alike, he criticized the label for benefitting more than the artist while shedding light on how Ye and Drake fell out.

The reason Ye and Drake’s reunion did not work out

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The feud between Drake and Ye has a long past, but in 2021, the pair reconciled their terms briefly at the Free Larry Hoover Benefit concert. However, the peace did not last long. While firing back at Lucian Grainge and the “lifetime deal” Universal Music Group signed with Drake that profited the label more than the artist, he also broke the ice regarding the reason he and Drizzy could not work out.

As per the ‘Heartless’ rapper, Drake’s resilience in opposing him arises from the idea he believes it to be his job. Although Ye also added a spiritual dimension to it, for the most part, he remained unsure himself of the entire reason. However, he did express his dismay towards Drake’s connection with Lucian Grainge and his committed reliance on their power for his artistry to flourish. But since this is not the first time Ye mentioned either Grainge or Drake in his disses, by now, fans must be familiar with the names and their roles. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

“F**K all that”- Ye Shares His Two Cents on J. Cole Apologizing to Kendrick Lamar Over the Rap Beef

Did you know about Lucian Grainge, the person Ye dubbed as Drake's alleged "rich baby daddy"? Let us know in the comments below!

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

ADVERTISEMENT

Anushka Bhattacharya

660 articles

I'm Anushka Bhattacharya, an entertainment journalist at Netflix Junkie. Armed with a degree in literature, I once wielded my words to catalyze change within society through my work with NGOs. However, as I stumbled into the exuberant hole of crime thrillers and documentaries on Netflix, it was love at first sight and pushed me into entertainment journalism.

Edited By: Itti Mahajan

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

EDITORS' PICK