Universal Music Group allegedly attempted to block the release of Pop Smoke’s posthumous debut album, believing that a verse by Pusha T contained a diss aimed at Drake.
Steven Victor, Pop Smoke’s label head and Pusha T’s manager, claimed UMG sought to censor the lyrics. He told 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 questioned the situation further when he said to Billboard: “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?”
In the end, Pusha T’s verse was removed, and the song “Paranoia” was released without him on the album Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon.
Despite that, the original version leaked online, and many fans suspected the verse was indeed targeting Drake.
Young Thug also criticized the 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.”
Pusha responded: “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 concluded: “I would never look or need your respect for what it is I bring to this rap game.”
