Drake takes shot at Raptors friend turned foe DeMar DeRozan on leaked track

Article content

There’s no question Drake was hurt when former good friend DeMar DeRozan seemingly sided with Kendrick Lamar in the duo’s epic rap duel the last couple of years.

And now he’s firing back on wax, dissing the Raptors legend on a new leaked track with fellow Toronto rapper Pressa called National Treasure.

It’s unclear if the song is part of Drake’s upcoming Iceman project or from something else, but social media was abuzz Tuesday about one verse in particular.

“When you was a part of the team, we used to be planning our Mexico trip in the spring. We must have been dealing in Spur of the moment, Kawhi did we think you could get us a ring?” Drake raps on National Treasure seemingly referring to DeRozan not likely to be busy in the spring when the NBA playoffs are well underway and then to the blockbuster trade that brought Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green to the Raptors. That package was headlined by DeRozan, who has since claimed the Raptors would have won an NBA title with him too had he stuck around since LeBron James left for the Western Conference.

Drake, the Raptors global ambassador for over a decade now, which partly coincided with DeRozan’s ascent to the top of many team records, used to be tight with DeRozan. But things changed when DeRozan made appearances with Lamar, including in the video for his blockbuster and Drake eviscerating track Not Like Us.

“They bragging about how you went home, the f__ are they on? We threw him away, Pop sent us a real one from Diego and next thing you know we was doing parades,” Drake raps on the leaked song referring to Masai Ujiri making the trade for Leonard, a San Diego State product who lives in San Diego, with the Spurs, who long were run by Gregg Popovich (Pop) and how it ended up with a legendary parade in Toronto.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Drake ends the verse by possibly referencing DeRozan, though it could be someone else. “Hit up my phone and try to explain, but this one I’m not trying to fix.”

When DeRozan was in town with the Sacramento Kings last November, the night the Raptors retired Vince Carter’s jersey, Drake was also in the building and caused a bit of a stir during a stint on the game’s broadcast. Drake has made many appearances on Raptors broadcasts before, but this time he said unprovoked: “If you ever put a DeRozan banner up I’ll go up there and pull it down myself, shout out to Kyle. (Lowry).” He could also be seen mouthing a profanity at DeRozan during the game and said: “It’s unfortunate we’re playing this goof.”

DeRozan, who is known for his quick wit, along with his basketball talents, seemed to be taking it all in stride that day. He quipped to us post-game when told about Drake’s comments about a potential DeRozan jersey in the rafters being hoisted down by Drake: “Well, he’s going to have a pretty long way to climb. I wish him luck.”

Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances.