It's been an insane week in social media! Taylor Swift misread Nicki Minaj and tested the limits of Girl Squad Feminism in the process. Katy Perry snuck her paw in with a tweet people had a lot of trouble parsing. Just after that, Minaj beau Meek Mill accused Drake of using a ghostwriter and forced our Micah Singleton into a spiralling existential crisis. Everyone seems to be finding their chill as we roll into the weekend, but we're not finished with Drizzygate just yet: Quentin Miller, the rapper Meek named as the true lyrical force behind Drake's raps, has taken to Tumblr to dispute that claim.
In a post published this afternoon, Miller wrote about his life before and after working with Drake. He says that Drake plucked him from a job at a bakery to work on If You're Reading This It's Too Late, his celebrated February mixtape. (Miller ended up being credited on five of the tape's tracks.) Miller also details watching Drake write and record the album. He specifically mentions watching him work on songs like "6PM in New York" and "Madonna," both of which ended up included on the album.
Finally, Miller notes that calling someone a "ghostwriter" when they're credited in an album's liner notes doesn't make much sense. The concept of ghostwriting is grounded in someone not receiving credit for their work; if Miller had given Drake a bunch of verses for the album without receiving any mention in the packaging or credits, the accusation would make more sense. "I am not and never will be a 'ghostwriter' for Drake.. I'm proud to say that we've collaborated.. but I could never take credit for anything other than the few songs we worked on together," writes Miller.
Drake has mostly chosen to stay above the fray
I suppose you could argue that Miller's doing this a) out of gratitude for Drake for jumpstarting his career and b) to preserve his relationship with the most popular rapper in the world, but this is a pretty strong move on his part, one I think exceeds mere glad-handing. Drake's been letting people comment on his behalf, choosing to stay above the fray excepting some Instagram DMs and likes. I wouldn't be surprised if he continued to stay quiet — until his next album comes out, of course.