Over the weekend, a series of events escalated quickly on social media involving hip hop giants Drake and Kendrick Lamar, leading to some wild viral conspiracy theories.
As per Rolling Stone, the controversy began when a Twitter user, known as EbonyPrince2K24, posted what they claimed to be surveillance footage from Drake’s hotel, featuring personal items that strikingly resembled those depicted on Kendrick Lamar’s recent Drake diss track cover “Meet the Grahams”.
The video quickly garnered over 10 million views and sparked a flurry of theories about a deeper, more sinister narrative behind Kendrick’s artwork. EbonyPrince2K24 threatened to release more damaging footage unless Drake retracted his statements from his response track “The Heart Part 6”, where he claimed to have planted information for Kendrick’s team.
The situation intensified with EbonyPrince2K24’s cryptic tweets, which likened them to “The Riddler,” a reference to the enigmatic villain from Batman. This persona fueled the online frenzy, with fans on Twitter and TikTok speculating wildly about the implications of the alleged evidence.
Central to the viral storm were images supposedly from Drake’s stay at The Mark Hotel in Brooklyn. In these, freelance journalist Christopher Alvarez, who is a recent Columbia Journalism School graduate and lives with Thanatophoric Dysplasia, was pictured in the hotel lobby. The posts insinuated his involvement in a scandalous event with Drake, leading to rampant online speculation.
Alvarez has since come forward to clarify the situation in an interview with The Brooklyn Eagle. He confirmed his presence with Drake on the evening of January 22, 2023, describing their meeting as a casual interaction. “I don’t know what any of this means,” he said. “I was with Drake that night because we briefly met after dinner, but all the accusations are false.”
He went on to address the rumours of abuse that circulated online. “I know the struggle and to be put in that light has been scary for my other friends in this community,” Alvarez added.
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As the deadline set by EbonyPrince2K24 for Drake to issue an apology passed without response, the anonymous user continued to post vague and provocative messages, leaving the public pondering the authenticity and motives behind their claims.
