"Jared McCain is gonna have to stop claiming him on tiktok" - Journalist humorously connects Drake’s UMG lawsuit to 76ers rookie

Former ESPN reporter Bomani Jones made fun of Drake and rookie Jared McCain of the Philadelphia 76ers. On Monday, the Canadian rapper, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, sued Spotify and Universal Music Group, per Billboard. According to the lawsuit, the two companies allegedly conspired to "artificially inflate the popularity" of "Not Like Us," Kendrick Lamar's diss song for the rapper.

Drake and Kendrick Lamar's spat came to light in 2024 when they released songs disparaging one another. But the song "Not Like Us" had a wild surge in popularity.

The song's music video has received 178 million views on YouTube. However, it was also one of the most streamed rap songs of the year on Spotify, reaching more than 910 million streams.

Even with that, there are still fans of Drake who have supported him and his music. One of them is the Sixers guard, McCain, who has used the rapper's songs in a few of his posts on TikTok. His most recent use of the song is "Rich Baby Daddy," taken from the 2023 album "For All The Dogs."

Jones made a joke on X on Monday about how Drake's lawsuit might hurt McCain's brand. The writer jokingly stated that it would hurt the Sixers guard's chances of winning Rookie of the Year.

"Drake keep this up and jared mccain is gonna have to stop claiming him on tiktok. bad for the brand of a potential rookie of the year," Jones posted on X.

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Jared McCain named Drake as his favorite rapper

Jared McCain had a chance to name his All-RapCaviar Teams on Nov. 18. The young guard didn't hesitate to name Drake as his favorite rapper, while he showed love to other artists.

"My pick for this year's All-RapCaviar MVP is gonna be Playboi Carti," McCain said his picks for the top awards. "My Rookie of the Year is going to be Cash Cobain.

Later in his interview with RapCaviar, McCain explained why Drake was his favorite artist.

"My top artist this year will definitely be Drake. Just based off my whole life, I've listened to Drake and he's probably my top artist since I've had Spotify. His lyrics always can find a way to resonate with something going on in my life."

The Sixers guard went to one of Drake's concerts when he was younger, and Lamar was one of the opening acts. McCain discussed the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud when he was a guest on "Podcast P with Paul George." He said that the singer of "Hotline Bling" was the reason for the California native's notoriety.