Drake Fuels Theory Jay-Z Orchestrated Kendrick Lamar Feud

Drake appeared to support a theory that reframes his beef with Kendrick Lamar. The idea? It's part of a larger clash with Jay-Z and the music business. The rapper liked a social media clip from a Canadian hip-hop podcast that proposed Kendrick Lamar served as a chess piece in a hidden battle, according to Realty Tea.

The podcast hosts argued Kendrick Lamar wasn't the main opponent. One host said Lamar "established that he was just one of Jay-Z's pawns," adding he might have been "like a rook or a knight or something, but he wasn't the main guy." They claimed the actual contest pitted the Toronto MC against the wider music industry.

The hosts pointed to three albums released after the diss tracks. Those releases restored the pecking order, they said. Things returned to where they stood before the conflict began. According to this theory, Lamar's harsh disses didn't sink the career of his opponent the way many expected.

The speculation gained steam after Jay-Z appeared at Roots Picnic with a freestyle that took shots at Drake. "The jig is up, ... I'm up 10, wrong chart champ, ... looked up to Hov, I never looked up to them," Jay-Z rapped, according to Vice. "Them crackers got your publishing checks, go talk tough to them, don't talk success to me, you ... is workers, in perpetuity is how your contract is worded."

The freestyle focused on record deals and publishing rights. Hov mocked his target for fighting with his label instead of addressing contract terms. Short and sharp.

NBA star LeBron James praised the performance on social media. He posted "ITS THE ROCK" with a diamond emoji for Jay-Z. Some fans see this as evidence that more figures have turned against the Canadian rapper than just Kendrick Lamar. The circle grows wider.

The feud produced some of the harshest diss tracks in hip-hop history, yet the podcast theory suggests the Compton star was a tool in a bigger scheme rather than the main figure. 

A single like on social media was enough to convince fans that the rapper agreed with the framing. The gesture has sent the internet into discussion about who controls the strings in hip-hop's most dissected rivalry.