UMG Almost Stopped Pop Smoke Album Release Over Pusha T Verse, Creating Fresh Drama

Back in 2020, Pop Smoke's posthumous album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, faced a major hurdle. Universal Music Group (UMG) nearly canceled its release because of a track.

The sticking point? A Pusha T verse they thought targeted Drake, music executive Steven Victor told Billboard. "UMG thought that he was dissing Drake on that song. He wasn't, but they thought he was."

The track "Paranoia" sparked the clash. Victor, who managed both artists, received an ultimatum from UMG: alter the words or risk the album being locked away.

UMG execs laid down the law. "Either he changes these lyrics, or we're not putting the album out," Victor said. They claimed they saw hidden shots at Drake in the track's mix of Jamaican words and Toronto hints.

Young Thug jumped into the fray with his take calling Pusha out with the lines, "I don't have nun to do with y'all beef nor does Gunna, and if I knew that was about him, I would've made changes on our behalf.. this rapper sh*t so gay," as noted in HipHopDX.

In the end, "Paranoia" was cut from Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon. It showed up later in the deluxe version without Pusha T's parts.

This incident wasn't the first. Victor mentioned another time when they axed a verse on Rick Ross's "Maybach Music VI," and a Pusha T verse was removed due to similar concerns related to Drake. Short verses have long consequences.

The story is back in the spotlight now that Drake is taking UMG to court. Pusha T shot back about the lawsuit: "If he's adamant to have a lawsuit, it's only because he knows all the things that they did to suppress everything that was happening around 'Adidon' and the verses and records that were happening back then," he said in a recent GQ interview.

The dust-up changed the game. Pusha T bought his freedom from Universal Music Group's contract. His next Clipse album with his brother, Let God Sort Em Out, will drop on streaming platforms on July 11 through Roc Nation.