“No Friends In The Industry”: Kevin Durant Seemingly Backs Up Drake Amidst His Rap Beef With Kendrick Lamar

Kevin Durant recently caught the eye for his unprecedented off-court activities. Ahead of the postseason, the Phoenix Suns star seemingly backed up Drake amidst his ongoing beef with Kendrick Lamar. KD’s support for the Canadian rapper made the headlines while also capturing his mindset.

The NBA star took to his Instagram story to provide a glimpse into his off-court activity. The 35-year-old was witnessed listening to Drake’s 2021 release, ‘No Friends In The Industry’ soon after the conclusion of the regular season. This intentional peek into his leisure time has grabbed the attention of his followers due to the controversies around the rapper.

KD seemingly takes Drake’s side amidst the rap beef pic.twitter.com/b8VGQxrwNz

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) April 15, 2024

The situation initially circled the October 2023 release of Drake’s ‘First Person Shooter’ in collaboration with J. Cole. The duo attempted to establish a pecking order in the Hip-Hop industry with the song by including Lamar in the conversation. They declared themselves “the big three” of the rap industry while highlighting their achievements.

Lamar soon disagreed with the stance as he later joined forces with the music producer Metro Boomin’. With the latter also being on bad terms with Drake, they together released the song, ‘Like That’ to express their thoughts. Lamar directed stern words as a response while proclaiming, “Motherf**k the big three, ni**a, it’s just big me”. Since then, the entire industry has seemingly united against Drake, seemingly looking to corner the often-infamous rapper over time.

KD’s recent actions likely served as a display of his support for the artist. The duo have shared an exemplary bond over the years, with the NBA star even featuring in the rapper’s ‘Laugh Now Cry Later’ music video. Interestingly, in 2016, Drake wrote ‘Weston Road Flows’ to pay tribute to his friendship with Durant. The latter even subsequently expressed his gratitude, stating, “When your favorite rapper puts your name in a song, it makes you feel like you’ve made it”.

Thus, the 2x champions’s actions failed to capture the fans entirely by surprise despite raising their eyebrows. After all, the title, ‘No Friends In The Industry’, ironically described the current status of the Canadian rapper.

Although, there remained a possibility of Durant’s actions indicating something different altogether. With the playoffs approaching, the spotlight on the song’s title could signify his level of focus. The 2014 MVP aims to secure his third championship this time around. Ahead of it, his Instagram story could well have been a declaration from his end.