Drake’s Dad Denies Being An Absentee Father: His Lyrics About Me Are Meant ‘To Sell Records’

Dennis Graham — Drake’s own father — claims his son exaggerated their relationship to get fans to buy his records, and Drizzy said his dad’s comments ‘hurt’ like hell.

Update 4:19 PM ET: Drake has responded on his Instagram Story: “Woke up today so hurt man. My father will say anything to anyone that’s willing to listen to him. It’s sad when family gets like this but what can we really do that’s the people we are stuck with…every bar I ever spit was the truth and the truth is hard for some people to accept.”

Original: Pusha-T is going to have a blast with this. During the Oct. 1 edition of Power 106’s Nick Cannon Mornings, Dennis Graham sat down with Nick Cannon, and during the chat, Dennis’s relationship with Drake came up. On some of his songs, Drake has rapped about his busted childhood and how he was raised mostly by his mom. “Do you have to deal with any of that, that stuff from the upbringing of Drake?” asked Nick, which prompted Dennis to drop this bombshell. “I had a conversation with Drake about that. I have always been with Drake.”

“I talk — I talk to him if not every day, then every other day. We really got into a deep conversation about that. I said, ‘Drake, why are you saying all of this different stuff about me? Man, this is not cool,’ ” said Dennis. “He [said], ‘Dad, it sells records.’ Uh-okay. Okay, well [we’re] cool.” Dennis then shrugged his shoulders while Nick broke out in laughter. It seems that Dennis and Drake have buried the hatchet over these lyrics, but some of Drizzy’s fans might not be so forgiving. “Authenticity,” or “keeping it real” has been one of the main pillars of hip-hop.

“Drake was keeping it real when he dropped So Far Gone and talked about his feelings, heartbreaks, and adjustments to fame,” Rob Markman, a veteran hip-hop journalist, told Uproxx when discussing rap and authenticity. … There are many fans who don’t care, as long as it sounds good, they’re sold. But I feel like for an artist to have real longevity, then there has to be some level of authenticity in their work.” For Drake, an artist who has frequently been accused of using a ghostwriter, “authenticity” has been a continuing issue. Dennis’s allegations will continue to aid Drake’s critics who have questioned his credibility. HollywoodLife has reached out to Drake’s rep for a comment.

When Drake’s relationship with Dennis has come up in his verses, the rapper hasn’t been complimentary. “I’ve been ready / Since my dad used to tell me / He was comin’ to the house to get me / He ain’t show up / Valuable lesson, man, I had to grow up / That’s why I never ask for help,” he rapped on “O to 100/The Catch Up.” On “Look What You’ve Done,” Drake raps, “And then you ash it, and we argue / About spending money on bullsh*t / And you tell me I’m just like my father / My one button, you push it.”

On “From Time,” Drake indicated that he and Dennis had grown closer in recent years. “I’ve been dealing with my dad, speaking of lack of patience / Just me and my old man getting back to basics / We’ve been talking ’bout the future and time that we wasted,” raps Drake.