Drake’s Rising Dislikes: A Case of Genuine Criticism or Bot Manipulation?

The recent surge in dislikes on Drake’s latest music releases on YouTube has sparked a debate: Is the criticism genuine, or is it the work of automated bots spreading negativity about the Toronto rap superstar?

On May 26, DJ Akademiks shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, Drake’s last three music releases on YouTube: “Family Matters,” “The Heart Part 6,” and “U My Everything,” his collaborative song with Sexyy Red. Intriguingly, these songs have garnered more dislikes than his previous releases.

Either niggas hating on Drake or niggas hate botting his latest releases.

His last 2 releases has more dislikes than likes on YouTube. the heart part 6 and his newest feature on Sexyy redd song . And family matters has over 400k dislikes on YouTube. Very abnormal. pic.twitter.com/2ht0rs3SAF

— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) May 26, 2024

Since the posting, Drake’s last three songs have accumulated unusually high numbers of dislikes on YouTube. “Family Matters” has over 400,000 dislikes, “The Heart Part 6” has over 1.6 million dislikes, and “U My Everything” has more than 94,000 dislikes.

In contrast, before Drake’s intense rap feud with Kendrick Lamar, his other duet with Sexyy Red, “Rich Baby Daddy,” released on Feb. 14, has only 59,000 dislikes. This stark increase in dislikes since his lyrical battle with K-Dot raises questions: Are actual people expressing their dislike for Drake, or are bots engaging in a hate campaign against the Canadian hitmaker?

A million dislikes for breaking Kendrick down? Yeah drake won wrap it up https://t.co/QnulGugQ1y

— Navío (@LarryHolme6) May 8, 2024

This situation mirrors an incident involving Pusha T last summer. In July of 2023, Pusha T was targeted by a mysterious bot army that unleashed a barrage of derogatory tweets about him for unknown reasons. Some of the messages were slanderous and downright malicious.

At the time, fans speculated that Drake had ordered the bot attack in retaliation for King Push’s 2018 diss track “The Story of Adidon,” where Pusha T revealed that Drake had a young son, a fact that Drake had been keeping a secret from the public. Drake never responded during their battle, which by default, made Push the winner of their lyrical feud.

However, the mysterious bot attack on Pusha T last summer remained unexplained, leaving fans to wonder: Who’s really behind the current wave of dislike for Drake? As the debate continues, the truth remains elusive, highlighting the complex dynamics of fame, rivalry, and social media in today’s digital age.

#DRAKE AND #SEXYYRED "U MY EVERYTHING" NOW HAS 80% MORE DISLIKES THAN LIKES‼️👀 pic.twitter.com/nSdxy7BI7u

— Juan David Torres (@juanvibesuni) May 27, 2024

• Also read: YG Responds to Drake’s Mention in “Family Matters” with New Track “Weird”