You know, that really showed how much respect he had for me because he wasn’t trying to hear anything else. He just wanted to draw me. Yeah, you know how it is. To me, that was a clear sign of the respect he had for me. I had to make it clear to him, “Okay, I really mean this. This doesn’t make sense.”
I don’t see J Prince as a professional in anything but entertainment. He’s the CEO of a rap label, so he’s a professional entertainer. He’s been in the entertainment business, not the street business. That’s where people get it twisted. They think that just because someone is big in the entertainment world, they’re a real gangster. But if you’re known in the entertainment industry, you’re not a gangster.
James, one last question. Do you like us or not?
Thank you, J. Hey everyone, looks like Drake’s other mentor, J Prince, is distancing himself from him too. Seriously, how many more losses can Drake take? Remember how Drake used to brag about J Prince having his back and all those deep ties in Houston? Well, it seems like those days are over. After Kendrick warned Drake that he’s ready to escalate things if provoked again, there’s talk on the streets that J Prince wants nothing to do with Drake anymore.
If you’ve been following the relationship between Drake and J Prince, you know that J Prince has been stepping in to handle Drake’s disputes for years. He squashed the beef with Kanye, put NBA YoungBoy in check when he challenged Drake, and even confronted Diddy after he slapped Drake. But here’s where things get interesting: J Prince has been completely silent during Drake’s ongoing feud with Kendrick, and it seems like J Prince is no longer supporting Drake.
This could explain why the feud with Kendrick has gotten so intense. Let’s be honest: if J Prince were involved, he wouldn’t let Drake get dragged like this. So why did J Prince suddenly back off? The word on the street is that Drake either betrayed his mentor, or J Prince got worried that Kendrick might expose some dark secrets he’s allegedly involved in down in Houston. The rumors are that J Prince could be involved in some serious trouble.
There’s more. It’s rumored that at the Area 29 Club in Houston, J Prince’s son is allegedly facilitating encounters between young women and Drake’s OVO crew. Remember that line from “Family Matters”? “Drop a 50 bag for the mob in the spot, drop a 50 bag, 29 for the thought.” Also, there have been ongoing rumors about Prince’s possible involvement in the tragic death of Migos rapper Takeoff. Some people believe that a line in Kendrick’s diss track, “Euphoria,” hints that Kendrick knows the truth about Takeoff’s death.
Now, these are all rumors and speculations, based on what people are saying online. The big question remains: did J Prince really abandon Drake? And why is he suddenly missing when he used to handle all of Drake’s conflicts? Let’s dive into this.
We couldn’t get caught up in that. It was just a moment. We’re big-picture thinkers, so we had to keep moving forward.
If you’re not familiar with J Prince and his connection to Drake, let me fill you in. Back in the ’80s, J Prince was a major player in Houston, Texas. He was part of a crew that practically controlled the city. But as the law started closing in, J Prince decided to go legit. In 1987, he founded Rap-A-Lot Records, and that’s when things really took off. The label gave us the legendary Geto Boys, with members like Bushwick Bill, Scarface, and Willie D. You might know their hit “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” J Prince also helped launch the careers of artists like Z-Ro, Devin the Dude, Do or Die, and many others. Rap-A-Lot Records and J Prince are often credited with pioneering the Southern rap scene.
J Prince had a close relationship with UGK’s Pimp C and Bun B, two Southern legends that Drake often references in his songs. Drake and Bun B have been tight ever since Bun B featured on Drake’s “So Far Gone” back in 2009. Drake is always singing his praises.
“Hey, cameraman, make sure you get this one. This man raised me in the game right here. You gotta get this man on camera real quick. Yeah, get the legendary Bun on camera real quick. This my dog right here.”
J Prince has a reputation for always getting his way and never taking no for an answer. Depending on who you ask, some will say he’s a highly respected OG, while others think of him as using strong-arm tactics to get what he wants. Fast forward to 2006, and J Prince’s son, J. Prince Jr., discovered Drake on MySpace and slid into his DMs. Jaz thought Drake had something special and wasted no time introducing him to his dad, J Prince, and Lil Wayne.
J. Prince Jr. was on a mission to discover new musical talent, and his search led him to a young artist named Drake. Despite coming across other artists like Soulja Boy, it was Drake who truly caught his attention. He discovered Drake on MySpace, which was a popular platform at the time. Seeing that Drake was from Toronto, a city he hadn’t even heard of before, J. Prince Jr. was intrigued by Drake’s unique sound and style. He reached out to Drake through a message on MySpace, and Drake responded.
At first, neither J. Prince nor Lil Wayne were particularly impressed with Drake. However, J. Prince Jr. was so confident in Drake’s potential that he sent Drake some of Lil Wayne’s beats to rap over. Eventually, Lil Wayne saw the potential too, and soon enough, they were working on music together.
Drake mentions this pivotal moment in his song “Look What You’ve Done,” where he raps about the phone call from Lil Wayne and his subsequent trip to Houston, leading to the creation of a mixtape that almost won a Grammy.
In 2007, Drake was signed to Aspire Music Group, a label co-owned by J. Prince Jr. and Cortez Bryant, Lil Wayne’s manager. This signing was a crucial step in Drake’s career, leading to his big break with Young Money. Drake’s loyalty to Houston and J. Prince stems from this early support. J. Prince has also been instrumental in managing Drake’s rap feuds, including the one with Pusha T, showing his influence and the respect Drake has for him.
When J. Prince called for an end to the feud between Drake and Pusha T, Drake complied out of deep respect, highlighting the strong bond and loyalty between them.
In 2021, J Prince played a pivotal role in mending the rift between Drake and Kanye West. He mediated their dispute, leading to a significant event: a concert aimed at supporting Larry Hoover, a former gang leader who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997 for his connection to the Gangster Disciples in Chicago.
J Prince’s intervention included a memorable tweet: “I met with Kanye West in H-Town at the Rothko Chapel. It wasn’t in my plans to meet him there, but I must say I’m glad I didn’t allow a worship place for God to deter our meeting.” This tweet underscored the unexpected yet important nature of their meeting.
In a somewhat unusual video, Kanye appeared to be pressured into addressing his ongoing feud with Drake. In the video, Kanye said, “Yo, this is Jay and J Prince. I’m making this video to address the ongoing back and forth between myself and Drake. Both me and Drake have taken shots at each other, and it’s time to put it to rest. I’m asking Drake on December 7th to join me on stage as a special guest to share the two biggest albums of the year live in Los Angeles, with the ultimate purpose being to free Larry Hoover. I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride to the side and come together.”
While this concert marked a temporary reconciliation, the truce didn’t last long. On “Circo Loco,” a track from Drake and 21 Savage’s 2022 album Her Loss, Drake referenced the reconciliation with the line, “Linking with the Ops, I did that for J Prince.” Furthermore, Kanye stoked the flames of their feud by releasing a remix of “Like That,” a track by Future and Metro Boomin featuring Kendrick Lamar, which reignited tensions between him and Drake.
Let’s talk about J Prince, Drake’s unofficial “big brother.” By May 2023, J Prince was once again stepping in to handle Drake’s beefs. This time, it was with NBA YoungBoy. YoungBoy had called out Drake on his album Richest Op, claiming that Drake was avoiding working with him to stay loyal to his rival, Lil Durk. On the track “After Industry, Pt. 2,” YoungBoy rapped:
“Talked to Drake cross FaceTime, he wasn’t feeling me
Told me that he f*** with Durk, damn that shit getting to me
Told me that he like the shit I’m doing but he can’t do a song with me
When we cross our ways, fuck what you say, bitch you my enemy.”
J Prince stepped in and posted a photo on Instagram showing him, YoungBoy, and Birdman together. In his caption, he made it clear that YoungBoy needed to let go of the beef with Drake. J Prince wrote:
“I have to address the song where my name and Drake’s name were mentioned. To the little homie, as I told you privately, I’m saying publicly that Drake is like my son. He rolls with me, so it’s probably best to remove him from your enemy list. We’ve got nothing but respect for Durk and your achievements. When I set up that FaceTime with Drake, my aim was for you two to move forward, not back. We get two things every day: a chance and a choice. The choices we make determine where we end up.”
J Prince has always had Drake’s back in these situations. But things reportedly shifted after Takeoff’s tragic death in Houston in November 2022. With J Prince Jr. being responsible for Migos’ safety while they were in Houston, there was a lot of speculation about whether Takeoff’s death might have been a setup. Since Drake had toured with Migos back in 2018, it was a tricky situation, which might be why Drake stayed so quiet about Takeoff’s passing.
Things are getting even messier. On “Euphoria,” Kendrick Lamar raps, “Wish his daddy a kill, he want to be junior / They must have forgot the shit that they done / The mention must run in his family / But let it get shaky, I’ll park his son.” At first, some people thought Kendrick was talking about Drake’s dad, Dennis, while others thought it was a dig at Birdman. Now, though, there’s buzz that Kendrick might actually be referring to J. Prince Jr. and his alleged role in Takeoff’s death. The idea is that Kendrick was warning J. Prince to stay out of his beef before he spills the details about his son.
It looks like the warning might have worked, because J. Prince hasn’t said a word about Drake’s feud with Kendrick. While Kendrick managed to get the industry to take shots at Drake, J. Prince hasn’t come to his son’s defense. When J. Prince was recently asked about Kendrick’s viral diss track, “Not Like Us,” his response was:
“James, last question. Do you like or not like us?”
“Sorry, guys. Thank you. Thank you, J. Prince.”
J. Prince Jr., on the other hand, had something to say, even though nobody asked for his opinion:
“You want to fight me because you try to hype up stuff that isn’t worth it. We can spot weakness in the streets. We don’t make a big deal out of it. We’re about realness, not fakeness. We know what weakness is and don’t glorify it. If someone says they’re street but they’re weak, we don’t celebrate that. We talk about real strength, not weakness.”
Where’s J Prince’s usual energy when it comes to Kendrick Lamar? He was all over Pusha T, Kanye, and YoungBoy when they came at Drake, but now, with Kendrick seeming to stir the pot in what might be Drake’s biggest beef yet, J Prince is nowhere to be seen. Word is, after Kendrick’s recent shots that seemed to reference J Prince and Takeoff’s death, J Prince has been MIA.
One fan commented, “Kendrick basically told J Prince, ‘Don’t get it twisted, I’ll put you in your place,’ just so he knows what’s up.” Another fan added, “Prince knows he’s out of his league with the West Coast. He’d better watch his mouth because this is the Wild West, and we don’t play around.”
What do you think? Is J Prince laying low because he’s worried about what Kendrick might drop next? Let me know your thoughts.