UMG allegedly threatened to kill Pop Smoke‘s posthumous debut album over their belief that a Pusha T guest verse featured a diss aimed at Drake.
According to Steven Victor, who manages Pusha and signed Pop to his Victor Victor Worldwide imprint, UMG wanted to censor the verse.
He said to Billboard: “What happened on the Pop Smoke song is that UMG thought that he was dissing Drake on that song. He wasn’t, but they thought he was. Pop Smoke was released on my label and obviously I managed Pusha. So they came to me and said, ‘We’re not going to put this out now, unless you get Pusha to change these lyrics.’ Even though it has nothing to do with Pop Smoke, they’re like, ‘Either he changes these lyrics, or we’re not putting the album out.’
Victor added: “What happened to freedom of speech? First of all, he’s not dissing Drake. But how do you get to tell him to just change his lyrics or you’re not putting this album out?”
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Pusha was eventually taken off the song and “Paranoia” featured on Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon without the Virginia MC.
However, the song did eventually leak online with many fans believing that Pusha was indeed taking aim at Drake on the track.
Pusha was also called out by Young Thug over his verse: “I don’t respect the Pusha T verse on the song with me and Gunna cause I don’t have nun to do with y’all beef nor does Gunna, and if I knew that was about him I would’ve made changes on our behalf.. this rapper shit so gay.”
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Pusha would snap back: “Don’t feel bad, nobody knew what the verse was abt. The label heads that stopped it didn’t even know. They only assume because he told them. The same way he told about the Ross ‘Maybach 6’ verse. And if he’ll tell record executives abt rap verses, God knows what else he’ll tell. I don’t deal in police work, police rappers or police n-ggas!!”
He added: “I would never look or need your respect for what it is I bring to this rap game.”
