TORONTO 鈥� Amid the ongoing feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, Toronto rapper Sean Leon finds himself conflicted over a recurring question on social media: Why haven't more local artists stood up for the 6 God?
While hip-hop stars rise and fall on their allies, Drake has largely stood alone since the high-profile rap battle exploded in May with a flurry of diss tracks. Lamar landed the ultimate death blow with "Not Like Us," which soared up the charts.
Lamar鈥檚 lyrical tirade quickly morphed from a summer banger into a catch-all caustic attack anthem. It was used to troll Canadian athletes and even landed on Kamala Harris' playlist, when it was played at a recent rally for the likely nominee for the U.S. Democratic party.
In the meantime, it put Drake鈥檚 hometown in the crosshairs, with many in Toronto鈥檚 hip-hop community suggesting the rivalry has unfairly ensnared them in harsh scrutiny of the city鈥檚 musical sound.
Leon, an independent Toronto rapper and producer, says he鈥檚 frustrated the clash has challenged his city鈥檚 place in hip-hop culture. At the same time, he feels no strong urge to defend Drake when he says the superstar could do more for the city.
鈥淲hat I would have loved to see during this situation is a lot of artists here stepping up and showing some support. But it鈥檚 a complicated thing to do,鈥� says Leon, whose qualms extend to Drake鈥檚 team and label at OVO Sound.
鈥淚t's very challenging because the support hasn't always been there from them towards us."
Several Toronto rappers questioned Drake鈥檚 commitment to the local scene, including Leon who says that for years, Drake and his OVO camp 鈥渄idn鈥檛 give looks鈥� to local artists with star potential.
Still, with popular opinion being that Drake lost this year鈥檚 rap battle, he sees an opportunity.
"It's the perfect setup for an amazing comeback. For the city too," says Leon.
In 鈥淣ot Like Us,鈥� Lamar accuses Drake of exploiting his connections with Atlanta rappers to benefit from a rap culture he doesn鈥檛 fully understand. Lamar concludes by calling Drake a 鈥渃olonizer,鈥� accusing him 鈥� and by extension, the Toronto rap scene 鈥� of appropriating African-American culture.
U.S. commentators, including Apple Music host Ebro Darden, have argued that Lamar triumphed partly because he embraced Compton's unique regional sound, something they believe is missing from Drake's city.
鈥淔or Americans, when someone says 鈥楾oronto music,鈥� whether it be Toronto rap or Toronto R&B, I don鈥檛 think something immediately comes to mind,鈥� says New York-based hip-hop journalist Sowmya Krishnamurthy.
鈥淒rake and the Weeknd have always had this very pan-regional appeal, which is great because they鈥檙e global artists but the negative side is they lack any of that distinct regional signature.鈥�
Lamar played into the Canada-versus-U.S. dynamic by releasing the 鈥淣ot Like Us鈥� music video on July 4 and twisted the knife by enlisting former Toronto Raptor DeMar DeRozan to appear.
The U.S. national basketball team recently blasted it after beating Canada in an Olympic exhibition game, and earlier this week, Florida鈥檚 DJ Scheme poked at the rapper on his home turf by playing it at the Drake-associated Toronto venue History.
If the diss has become something of an anti-Canada anthem, Drake is to blame, suggests Toronto rapper DijahSB. They note Drizzy鈥檚 鈥淭aylor Made Freestyle鈥� provoked much ire by using an A.I.-generated voice that sounded like deceased West Coast legend Tupac Shakur.
鈥淒rake is the one who made this regional. He鈥檚 the one who pissed off the West Coast. I'm not going to stick my neck out for somebody that brought it upon themselves,鈥� says Kahdijah Payne, who performs under the name DijahSB.
鈥淎s an artist, I feel we need to divest from Drake and wanting Drake to care more about the Toronto rap scene, and just find a way to make it on our own.鈥�
Like Leon, DijahSB says Drake hasn鈥檛 done enough to support rising local artists.
鈥淭he strange thing about Drake is he will put artists on, but only particular artists that don't have crossover appeal,鈥� says DijahSB, whose album "The Flower That Knew" was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize.
鈥淎nd it's strange because Drake is a smart guy and he knows what it takes to appeal overseas and not just in Toronto. There are other artists with different sounds I feel he just straight-up ignores.鈥�
Reps for OVO and Drake did not respond to requests for comment.
Toronto rapper Killy disagrees, believing Drake has done 鈥渕ore than enough鈥� for the community and that local artists should rally behind him.
鈥淓very artist from here, especially in hip-hop, should use their voice to support Drake,鈥� asserts the rapper, born Khalil Tatem.
"Drake hasn't done anything for me specifically, but what he's done on a major scale has opened so many doors for Canadian artists in general. Me having a career right now, he played a big part in that."
Longtime Toronto hip-hop radio host Paul (Mastermind) Parhar believes an anti-Drake sentiment has been brewing in the city for a long time.
鈥淭he reason Kendrick may have won is because of the division and dissension in Toronto while L.A. banded together behind Kendrick and said, 'We're taking this one,'鈥� says Parhar, the Vibe 105 FM program director.
"In the city, people hold it against Drake that he, in their opinion, didn't do everything he could for the city in a bigger way, like sign better artists to his label or more of them."
Drake鈥檚 OVO Sound label includes eight signees, mostly from the Greater Toronto Area, including R&B singer PartyNextDoor and rappers Smiley and Roy Woods.
Toronto rapper Sydanie Nichol, whose stage name is simply Sydanie, believes the feud has 鈥渄ealt a blow to the morale鈥� of the city's music scene. She advocates for a "rebrand" that focuses on the city鈥檚 diverse array of artists.
鈥淭oronto pumps out mega-superstars like Drake and the Weeknd, but the space between the mega-superstars and the actual culture 鈥� the Sean Leons, the Clairmont the Seconds, the people who actually make the city what it is 鈥� is really wide.鈥�
Sydanie says Toronto's sound is "undeniable" 鈥� from its shadowy, brooding R&B production to its rap cadences and pronunciation inspired by Arabic, Somali and Patois references 鈥� but "we just haven't named it yet."
She suggests Drake could foster homegrown support by showcasing emerging Toronto artists at the next OVO Fest, rather than focusing on U.S. stars.
Drake鈥檚 annual event traditionally coincides with Ontario's civic holiday in early August, though an event wasn't announced for the weekend this year.
鈥淗e needs to make a separate stage for emerging artists from Toronto. With how much Toronto is struggling with the music infrastructure here, there鈥檚 so much that this guy could do,鈥� she says.
Leon, who has collaborated with Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign, says the notion that Toronto lacks a unique sound is 鈥渃razy.鈥�
He has witnessed producers around the world try to replicate the melancholic, nocturnal vibes popularized by Drake, the Weeknd and their producers Noah (40) Shebib, Illangelo and Boi-1da.
Leon believes the world has only seen "a limited version" of Toronto鈥檚 artistic potential and is optimistic about the scene鈥檚 future.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e seen just one side of the room, and it鈥檚 much more diverse than that,鈥� he says.
"Has Toronto even actually started yet? This might be the beginning of something new.鈥�
He also wishes Drake and his OVO team would connect with local independent artists.
鈥淚t鈥檚 as simple as sitting down and getting a coffee or a matcha to start,鈥� he says.
"I promise you there's a lot of people willing to step up for them. They just need to be incentivized first."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2024.
Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press
