Few people probably had ESPN’s SportsNation on their bingo card in the ongoing rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Still, the show’s former host, Marcellus Wiley, recalled on his podcast this week that SportsNation hosted both rappers in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
When Wiley and cohost Max Kellerman interviewed Drake in 2014, Drake started talking down to his Angelino foe, saying he wasn’t on Drake’s level and to stay in his place.
“Me and Max are hitting each other like, ‘this guy’s talking that trash. He’s going in.’ It’s about to go down. Our lives are about to change because we’re about to be at the epicenter of rap. We’ve got the biggest beef going, and he’s about to drop it right on our lap.”
Only ESPN never aired that portion of the interview because Wiley alleges Drake threatened to back out of hosting the ESPYs if they did.
Marcellus Wiley says Drake dissed Kendrick Lamar on his ESPN show back in 2014.
But Wiley says Drake then “hid” behind his team & threatened not to host the ESPYs if they actually published the interview so the clip was shelved.
— Andrés Tardio (@AndresWrites) May 9, 2024
Wiley claimed he contacted Lamar’s representation at Top Dawg Entertainment to let them know what happened. They kept it private, Wiley said, because ESPN had the proof, and nothing was public.
“What you’re seeing right now is them handling it back then,” Wiley said. “Why Kendrick stay ready, he ain’t gotta get ready, is because, in 2014, he already knew this is where this was headed.”
Wiley believes that his slipping the info to TDE is part of why Lamar has so many disses and full records that he is ready for his ongoing war with Drake.
“You dissed this dude, then hid behind your team, let them call our bosses, producers, everyone a part of the show,” Wiley said. “Facts. You literally told ESPN, if y’all put out that show where I’m dissing Kendrick, I’m not hosting y’all’s ESPYs.”
Now, it’s important to remember that Wiley is from Compton, like Lamar. He closed his story by lobbing the title of Lamar’s latest diss track, “They Not Like Us,” at Drake.
And Wiley is no stranger to controversy. Last fall, he took on Stephen A. Smith over the First Take host’s treatment of their mutual colleague Kellerman.
Until someone else verifies Wiley’s claims, they likely will float in the ether like so many of the allegations and bombs thrown by both rappers over the past month or so in this beef.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.