Drake & Top5 Beef? A Transient Historical past Of Their Relationship

It seems that the saga of Drake and Top5’s relationship has seemingly fallen aside because the latter declared the previous’s co-sign as “useless.” For over a decade, Top5’s remained a fixture in Toronto’s rap tradition, although not essentially for his music. His trolling methods and brazen perspective have turned him into one of many metropolis’s most unstable but entertaining figures. His early data, like “Corridor Of Fame” and “Shirt Off On Any Block,” turned native anthems and helped form the Somali affect into Toronto’s hip-hop scene extra broadly. Nevertheless, it was an early signal from Drake that turned Top5 right into a viral and controversial determine. 

The controversial nature of their friendship reached new heights in 2024 when Top5 revealed that Drake paid for his lawyer’s charges to beat a homicide case. The 2 had already constructed a stable rapport, however coming off the heels of his feud with Kendrick Lamar, aligning with Prime 5 felt like a dangerous model transfer at a time when the business was seemingly turning in opposition to him. Prime 5 remained fairly loyal all through, however one thing occurred in latest months that seemingly soured their relationship. Most lately, Prime 5 dissed Drake by sharing a photograph of Kendrick Lamar and locking with Hitta J3, whom he beforehand had beef with, in gentle of his feud with the boy. Beneath, we’ll be going via the timeline of Drake and Prime 5’s relationship through the years. 

Drake’s affiliation with Top5’s neighborhood, known as “The Jungle” (sharing the identical identify because the track from If You’re Studying This It’s Too Late), has been nicely documented through the years. In 2013, Drake and Top5 linked up for a photograph op at OVO Bounce, marking their second time truly crossing paths. However in line with Top5, Drake was already acquainted with his persona.

“He knew me. He was asking ‘who’s that child together with his shirt off?,’” he mentioned, explaining that he had taken his shirt off to pose for a photograph with Brandon Jennings. “Then I went to a signing and we received to know one another and the friendship began. From then on we saved hitting one another up. He’s at all times been supportive of my hood and has associates there. He places individuals up on Instagram from my hood and from that day on he’s been into my music. I’m additionally shut with OB O’Brien.”

Top5 dropped his breakout monitor “Shirt Off Shawty” on August 12, 2014, a uncooked and energetic banger that captured life within the Jungle. It rapidly was a viral track within the metropolis, however a co-sign from Drake remodeled it from native buzz to viral glory. Drake shared a photograph of the music video to “Shirt Off Shawty” on his Instagram with the caption studying, “Again within the 6ix phrase to Prime 5.” It actually marked a shift in Prime 5’s profession, and the delicate nod finally generated a surge in YouTube views in a single day. It was one of many earliest cases the place Drake utilized his world platform to uplift the underground rap scene in Toronto that wasn’t instantly signed to OVO.

Submit-co-sign, Top5’s profession gained steam with tracks like “Corridor of Fame” (that includes Robin Banks), outpacing his debut hit. He and Drake maintained a low-profile friendship, often linking at occasions or by way of mutual OVO connections. In the end, Top5 continued to stage up as a viral entity in Toronto’s rap scene. Nevertheless, it felt like his later music wasn’t actually outpacing the success of his early singles with out contentious antics. Drake continued his assist, even dedicating a string of bars on Views track “Grammys” to Top5.

“Corridor of fame, corridor of fame
Like I am shirt off, like I am shirt off
Like I am shirt off shorty
Entire metropolis goin’ loopy
Entire metropolis goin’ loopy
Prime 5, no debatin’
Prime 5, prime 5, prime 5″

Tragedy struck on January 31, 2021, when 20-year-old Hashim Omar Hashi was fatally shot in a Toronto parking storage. Top5 was arrested weeks later as an adjunct after the very fact, later upgraded to first-degree homicide expenses tied to alleged gang orders. His story turned worldwide information, as he lower off his ankle bracelet and fled to America with alleged false paperwork. Throughout that point, Top5 made the rounds throughout cities like Los Angeles the place he related with different outstanding rappers within the scene. In February 2022, he was extradited again to Canada, the place he remained in custody as he awaited trial. 

In September 2024, Ontario Superior Courtroom Justice stayed the fees, ruling social media posts inadmissible as proof. Top5 walked free after three years behind bars. Hours later, Top5 posted on Instagram thanking his lawyer Gary Grill and Drake (@champagnepapi) “for the lawyer charges,” although he rapidly edited out the Drake point out amid backlash. Although it remained unclear why Drake went so far as allegedly funding Top5’s authorized charges, the affiliation turned the cornerstone of Top5’s comeback within the media, and one which appeared motivated by Drake’s latest loss to Kendrick Lamar. 

Nevertheless, this didn’t come with out blowback for Drake. A member of the family of Hashi referred to as out Drake and OVO for supporting Top5. “Thanks @champagnepapi your model of justice means Hashim’s sister needed to watch her brother’s assassin celebrating on TV,” they continued in opposition to Drake. “He insisted if that tells you something in regards to the [caliber] of individuals we’re coping with right here – throughout her honeymoon. Once I got here again from Portland, they informed me @ovo40 was one of many good guys, he was actually tryna discover a resolution for what’s happening within the metropolis. THIS IS THE SOLUTION?! Any and the whole lot he does hereafter, each mother that has to listen to him sing abt murdering their child — THAT’S ON YALL!! The blood is in your fingers.”

Nevertheless, for the rest of the yr, Top5’s comeback was marked by his timeless loyalty to Drake and made that clear as he antagonized Kendrick Lamar on social media, together with making threats to Kendrick Lamar over his concert events in Toronto.

Issues seemingly started panning out for Top5 initially of the yr as his relationship with Akademiks strengthened and he solid a relationship with Pressa and the BFR clique that has since collapsed. 

Drake and Top5 made a number of public appearances collectively on the prime of the yr. First, it was on the Raptors recreation the place the Toronto workforce confronted off in opposition to the Golden State Warriors. The second bred plenty of criticism for each Drake and Top5, although not sufficient to essentially influence both of their careers in any capability. However what occurred afterward seemingly recommended that Top5 might need been taking his newfound freedom with no consideration. Simply 10 days later, on January 24, Top5 confronted contemporary arrest on six weapons expenses. 

In April, Top5 shared a photograph of himself and Drake in an Instagram carousel that continued to counsel that their bond remained sturdy. Nevertheless, the picture of Drake, which wasn’t essentially essentially the most flattering, turned the Canadian famous person right into a punchline throughout the timeline. Different movies within the carousel confirmed the 2 hanging out in a public setting collectively and catching a vibe.

Nevertheless, within the month that adopted, Top5 continued to raise his viral model and managed to attach with Kanye West and truly hyperlink with him in individual. Sadly, as he managed to salvage one business relationship, he sabotaged one other. Pressa, who was as soon as a detailed affiliate, referred to as Top5 a rat on the web, and the 2 of them started throwing photographs at one another, which clearly induced a rift between mutual associates. We’ll get to that later. 

Since his launch, Top5 made a concerted effort to try to put individuals on discover about Kendrick Lamar’s anticipated and contentious concert events in Toronto as a part of the Grand Nationwide tour. As the times got here and went in June–two offered out reveals on the Rogers Centre–Top5 shared images of himself allegedly outdoors of the lodge the place Kendrick Lamar was stayving. And even with all of the robust discuss main as much as the Kendrick live performance, nothing truly occurred and the Compton MC made historical past on enemy turf.

The next month, Drake carried out at London’s Wi-fi Pageant for 3 back-to-back headlining reveals. And whereas it was successful for Drake and all of the artists concerned, the journey to the UK didn’t finish nicely for Top5. The rapper was mobbed and stabbed within the neck whereas speaking to followers. He ultimately acquired medical assist and has recovered. 

Bear in mind when Top5 and Pressa fell out earlier? Properly, that has was the catalyst that made Top5 and Drake drift aside as nicely. Over the weekend, Drake shared Pressa’s new album on his Instagram Story–a transfer that led Top5 to change to workforce Kendrick. Top5 shared a photograph of Kendrick together with his Grammys, together with “Not Like Us” taking part in. 

In a dialog with Akademiks, Top5 defined that he felt betrayed that Drake posted his opp’s music, explaining that the OVO boss is totally conscious of the friction between the 2 artists. “Pressa was purported to carry out at Wi-fi, and I informed Drake if he lets this man carry out, it is an issue. So, Drake pulled him out final minute,” he mentioned. Top5 additionally defined that he expressed his points with Drake already. “Once I mentioned this man’s my opp, he wrote… ‘I am attempting to make Toronto look good.’ I mentioned, ‘I am gonna make L.A. look good tonight.”

What’s worse is that Top5 appears eager on making amends with everybody that he was beefing with on Drake’s behalf up to now. The probabilities of us seeing Top5 and Kendrick Lamar ever linking up appear slim to not possible however Top5 has managed to show up in surprising locations, so it shouldn’t be dominated out.