The Hip Hop world was rocked with a ghostwriting scandal this week after Maybach Music Group member Meek Mill claimed his "R.I.C.O." collaborator Drake did not write his own lyrics. The accusation caused endless chatter on social media with another rap star joining the conversation.
Atlanta's OG Maco backed Meek's claim that fellow ATL rapper Quentin Miller was the real pen behind some of the biggest tracks on Drake's platinum selling project If You're Reading This It's Too Late. Miller is credited as a co-writer on "Legend," "10 Bands," "Know Yourself," "No Tellin'," "Used To," and "6 Man."
Quen's role as just a "co-writer" was put in question when DJ Funkmaster Flex released a "10 Bands" reference track. The leaked Quentin Miller version was nearly identical to Drake's verse on the album, causing some fans to take issue with Drizzy apparently spitting an entire 16 someone else wrote. Flex also added a source in Drake's OVO camp confirmed Miller was being paid $5,000/month to write for the Toronto star.
Maco says he has been closely associated with Quentin for years. In an attempt to shine a light on his pal's work, the 2015 XXL Freshman Class member posted the Miller-listed If You're Reading This writing credits on Twitter. That tweet caught the eye of Drake's producer Boi-1da, and an online clash between Maco and 1da ensued.
AllHipHop.com spoke with OG Maco over the phone last night to get his take on the entire ghostwriting controversy. He also expressed his disappointment with his friend Quentin Miller and offered why more underground artists should speak out about top stars using their content.
[ALSO READ: ATL Rapper OG Maco & Producer Boi-1da Clash Over Drake Ghostwriting Allegations]
Why did you decide to comment about Meek claiming Drake uses other writers?
If it was anybody else in the world, I wouldn't have said nothing at all. I've known about that whole situation for nine months at least. I didn't say nothing at all about it for the sake of Quen.
Quen was working with me way before any of that sh*t, and when the opportunity came, I said, "Bro, go do what you do." We didn't know the extent of how much he was putting in until we actually heard the album. I didn't even need to see the credits or him tell me anything. I know how my n*gga raps. I know his style.
As soon as I heard "10 Bands," I was like, "Yo, this is all you. What the f*ck?" He wouldn't confirm or deny it. It was just like, "Yeah, I'm doing something." I didn't say nothing because that's how he was eating, he was getting his money.
I wasn't on Twitter at the time. One of my homies hit me up and told me Meek just let it out about Quen. I was really on some sh*t like, "Shouts to the homie! It's about time that he gets his credit for what he's doing."
You ask, "Who's supposed to be the greatest rapper, number one?" It's really a bunch of different people. The people are going to be sheep anyway. They're gonna follow bullsh*t, but as an artist, when you're just making bullsh*t – if i had kept making "U Guessed It" type songs, I wouldn't give a f*ck if Drake had a ghostwriter or someone writing for him, credited or uncredited.
But when you're an actual artist and you're sitting here the entire time knowing this person isn't even making these hits – the songs that Quen wrote were the hits. Those were the bangers. [People say,] "Drake's the greatest." But that wasn't even bro.
For clarity, when you say "his album" you're talking about If You're Reading This?
I'm talking specifically about If You're Reading This. Anything else before that I won't speak on, because I don't know what he did and what he didn't. Before I found out months ago about what was going on with the writing situation, I was a huge Drake fan. I found myself listening to him less and less, knowing that he wasn't the one behind the biggest songs that were being circulated.
You hear "6PM In New York." That was clearly Drake. It's amazing. It's lyrically profound, but "6PM In New York" is not what's being played every f*cking day. It's "10 Bands," and that's Quentin Miller. I wasn't like "f*ck Drake." I was trying to show it's these underground n*ggas – that y'all keep trying to discredit – that's really out here boosting artists.
Flex released a reference track for "10 Bands."
Of course he did. Why not? Now they're gonna try and make it like, "Oh, it ain't as big as it is. This is what we were trying to do." But if Meek would have never said that, they never would have dropped that reference track. People would have went on believing If You're Reading This was Drake.
It's only because the situation happened. Now they wanna "white knight" the situation. "Oh, we never had a problem saying that this guy did this, this guy did that." I say something, but all of a sudden I'm a hater, I'm trying to get some shine, I only had 30 million Vine loops. All this bullsh*t.
Go ahead, redirect from the truth. But the truth is still there – this isn't the guy that wrote the songs that you're singing. The guy who you're praising is not the guy who actually did that. It's just his voice.
Quentin has been quiet. Have you spoken to him?
Yeah, I spoke to Quen. I'm highly f*cking disappointed in Quen. He doesn't want to say nothing. You can call him, email him. I've been getting calls about him since [Tuesday night].
I reached out to his team. I didn't hear anything back.
That's a process of someone being brainwashed. I'm only saying something, because that's the one I consider my friend. Now here's a chance where you didn't violate any confidentiality agreement you might have signed.
Somebody spoke on it already, and now you have a chance to let yourself be seen. And let your music do what the f*ck it's supposed to do. But you wanna be quiet about it. You could say it's for the sake of your daughter. At the end of the day, I can't agree with that lame ass sh*t.
Look at how many artists have been held back and downed by what's perceived as the number one artist. That's not what's really going down. Look at how many people could climb if people realized, "Hey, the people over here are actually doing this, and this guy kind of isn't. So let's take a look at these guys on the underground."
That's why we're not hearing about them, because the big guys are picking them up, taking their sauce. I refused writing for people. I was offered. I didn't get an offer from Drake, but I got it [from other artists]. I refuse to do it. What happened? People just took my sh*t anyway. It's a cycle until someone decides to say something.
What's the deal with you and Boi-1da? I know you didn't mention him by name, but he felt the need to fire back at you.
He's trying to subtweet. Who subtweets? Hoes subtweet.
He actually @'d you at first.
He was saying, "You're looking real thirsty." Okay Boi-1da, you know what's really going on. So why are you even tweeting me at all? You're in that camp. You know exactly who writes what.
Then he tried to say I highlighted his name on Rap Genius. What kind of f*cking idiot even believes you can highlight multiple things on a f*cking website. Have you ever highlighted something on a website? Once you click on something else, doesn't the highlight go away?
Yeah, that's what happens.
So how in the f*ck could I highlight multiple lines? I was respectful. I said, "Here's the link." He wants to subtweet and say, "Oh my bad." But he @ me with some bullsh*t. He then starts telling these corny ass jokes, because he knows what I was saying was the truth. Instead of being a real n*gga and shutting the f*ck up or apologizing, he wants to throw these corny ass jokes: "You're blonde. You got T. rex arms."
One, get the f*ck off the memes and come up with your own sh*t. Two, a blonde n*gga will still smack the sh*t out of you. You don't disrespect me for no reason when you know you're trying to cover up lies. I've never said nothing to you. I never asked Boi-1da for a beat or collab.
Three, you posted me on your website every f*cking week for the last year. So you're gonna disrespect the same person you've been posting for a year on your website. That's stupid as f*ck.
People who are f*ck n*ggas are going to read this interview and swear I'm trying to hate. People who are real enough to actually want the truth about what's going on are going to read this interview and say, "Damn, at least somebody's saying it."
I don't give a f*ck about the f*ck niggas. I don't. I speak, because I'm supposed to. At the end of the day, all these people are going to do is keep trying to cover up the bullsh*t, cover up the lies. It's gonna keep coming. It's all good. I'm a big boy. I can take it.
[ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: OG Maco Explains Why He's Unbothered By Rumors A Future Fan "Hacked" OGMaco.com]
"Children Of The Rage" Cover Art
OG Maco is set to release his debut studio album Children Of The Rage later this year.
Follow OG Maco on Twitter @OGMaco and Instagram @ogxmaco.
Filed under: Features Tagged: AHH Exclusive, Boi-1da, Drake, ghostwriting, Meek Mill, OG Maco, Quentin Miller
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