Complete DeMar DeRozan-Drake beef timeline, history, seriousness

11/07/2024 02:47 PM

For those who thought the DeMar DeRozan-Drake beef began and ended with DeMar DeRozan appearing in Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us music video and live LA concert performance earlier this year, think again. The feud between the rap mogul and NBA superstar is actually one of the more complex, intriguing celebrity standoffs in recent memory with surprisingly deep roots.

Fuel was infamously added to the fire last week when Drake appeared briefly on the Toronto broadcast of the Sacramento Kings-Toronto Raptors game, during which Raptors’ legend Vince Carter was having his jersey number retired. Drake was asked about the prospect of DeMar DeRozan having his own Toronto jersey retired one day, and Drake replied, “If you ever put a DeRozan banner up, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself.”

“If you ever put a DeRozan banner up ill go up there and pull it down myself….shout out to Kyle”. Drake, salty at DeMar DeRozan who was in the Not Like Us video with Kendrick Lamar. Damn. pic.twitter.com/KUN3ViL9E9

— Faizal Khamisa (@FaizalKhamisa) November 3, 2024

DeRozan, who rose to fame and stardom in the NBA playing for the Toronto Raptors for nine seasons from 2009 to 2018 and was known to be friends with Drake during that time, had a pretty good burn in response. When told of Drake’s comments after the game, DeRozan responded, “He’s going to have a long way to climb to take it down, so tell him good luck.”

Video of DeMar DeRozan postgame reacting to Drake’s comments of ripping down his banner “he’s going to have a long way to climb to take it down…tell him good luck”.

Damn. pic.twitter.com/ep8W3sDJEW

— Faizal Khamisa (@FaizalKhamisa) November 3, 2024

Are they even serious?

Before delving any deeper into this feud, remember that beefs make for good entertainment, and the NBA and professional sports in general are meant above all to entertain an audience — so it’s hard to take anything said in this beef very seriously.

Just listen to Drake’s inciting comment on the broadcast and it’s hard to even tell whether he meant the comment seriously — plus the other announcers immediately start laughing after it’s uttered.

Ditto for how DeRozan delivered his comments during his postgame press conference. He almost came off as a stand-up comic, exiting stage right over reporters’ chuckles — all that’s missing is for DeRozan to have said something like “Good night, everybody! Be sure to tip your waiters!”

Consider too what DeRozan posted to his Instagram Story after the incident, as captured by Complex Music on X/Twitter. A comedic clip from the 1995 classic stoner film Friday, in which Chris Tucker’s Smokey character talks a big game of having “mind control” powers and not being intimidated by their South Central neighborhood bully, Deebo.

DeMar DeRozan’s IG story after the situation with Drake last nightpic.twitter.com/jSyEDPfJEf

— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) November 3, 2024

Deebo is almost certainly a stand-in for Drake, but it’s not exactly the most intimidating villain comparison to draw (although Drake does have a slightly better ride than Deebo’s bicycle).

How Will Ferrell figures in

One other comedic clip that keeps getting brought up online in this beef is the sketch involving Will Ferrell, Drake and DeMar DeRozen from the 2017 NBA Awards.

In that parody, Drake and Will Ferrell famously play Handshake Coaches to a skeptical NBA team, fronted by DeMar DeRozan. Drake delivers zinger after zinger at DeRozan’s expense, with lines poking fun at his name like “DeMar I say it, DeLess I like it.”

DeRozan plays the insulted straight man to perfection in the sketch, but is it possible there was actually some truth in the characterization of Drake as an arrogant patronizer who takes his teasing too far?

That’s probably a stretch, but the version of Drake that Drake’s playing in that sketch sure feels a bit like Deebo from the Friday clip. And going back to Friday, it does feel rather telling that DeRozan used a clip from a movie about childhood friends from South Central Los Angeles to clap back at Drake.

After all, DeRozan’s initial explanation for why he appeared in Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us music video went back to the two having local roots together, as both are from Compton.

DeRozan claimed to still be friends with Drake even after appearing in Lamar’s video, he just felt a hometown loyalty to Kendrick.

Clearly, Drake felt it was more of a betrayal than that, but just how serious of one remains to be seen.

How Fear of Missing Out is to blame

It’s possible too that DeRozan had a bit of FOMO while watching the Raptors finally break through the Eastern Conference in the first year after he left, and seeing Drake celebrate the Raptors’ first championship with new (albeit short-lived) Toronto bestie Kawhi Leonard at the helm.

Teaming up with Kendrick Lamar this summer may have been DeRozan’s chance to give Drake a taste of that FOMO.

Bottom line, this beef goes all the way back to when and where these guys were born, and has a lot more to do with their hometown loyalty than anything else. DeMar DeRozan felt a loyalty to his hometown South LA neighbor Kendrick Lamar. Similarly, Drake as a Canadian is always going to be loyal to his team, the Toronto Raptors, more than the rotating cast of players on that squad. They may both protest that they’re not like the other, but DeMar DeRozan and Drake actually have more in common than they know.

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