"He has been the soundtrack to my life" - Karl-Anthony Towns picks side in Drake vs Kendrick Lamar beef
Ahead of his first season with the New York Knicks, star center Karl-Anthony Towns weighed in on rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar's long-running beef. The four-time All-Star paid respects to both hip-hop icons before picking a side.
Last week, the Minnesota Timberwolves shipped Towns to New York in an unexpected blockbuster deal less than a month before the 2024-25 NBA season. Following the news, he appeared on Wednesday's edition of "Club Shay Shay," reflecting on his career thus far.
Towns harkened back to his lone college season at Kentucky (2014-15), where he formed a relationship with Drake, one of the school's highest-profile supporters. The rapper reportedly made numerous appearances at Kentucky during Towns' freshman season, bonding with Wildcats players.
According to Towns, Drake was "super cool," and he was "surprised to see how humble he was."
Host Shannon Sharpe later asked Karl-Anthony Towns "who won the rap battle" between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. The two have feuded since the early 2010s, with their beef escalating after they exchanged diss tracks earlier this year.
After hesitating, Towns praised each rap star, noting that he is a "fan" of both.
"I think we just saw two people going out there and just showing lyricism at a high level," Towns said. "I love Drake. I've always been a big Drake fan. I've been a Kendrick fan. I respect what he does, I respect his music."
Sharpe then seemingly implied that Kendrick Lamar may have the edge due to the popularity of his diss track "Not Like Us." However, Towns leaned the other way, choosing Drake, citing his long-standing connection to his music.
"I think that more of my life has been a soundtrack of Drake's, and that's no offense to nobody," Towns said. "I just think that I've had more moments in my life that revolved around Drake, including when I was at Kentucky. ... I just feel like, for more of my life, Drake's been the soundtrack to my life."
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Karl-Anthony Towns on first time Drake visited Kentucky during his freshman season
Later in his aforementioned podcast appearance, Karl-Anthony Towns comically recounted the first time he found out Drake was visiting Kentucky during his freshman season.
According to the big man, he thought his classmates were pulling a prank on him.
"I'll never forget being at Kentucky, and then all of a sudden getting the group text message going around saying, 'Yo, you saw Drake drop?' 'What do you mean Drake drop?'" Towns said.
"I felt like I was getting played, though, too, because when I pulled it up, it said, 'If you're reading this, it's too late.' I said, 'Am I late or am I on time? I don't know,'" he continued.
Nevertheless, Towns got the opportunity to meet and spend considerable time with his music idol as the Wildcats enjoyed a historic 38-1 season.
Wisconsin ultimately upset Kentucky in the Final Four of the 2015 NCAA tournament. Nonetheless, Towns got drafted No. 1 by Minnesota in the 2015 NBA draft, playing nine seasons with the organization before last week's trade.
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