There’s a new rap beef brewing, and in true 2019 fashion, it’s playing out on Instagram. And interestingly enough, it doesn't involve Drake this time.
Yesterday, “Crew” rapper GoldLink (real name D'Anthony Carlos) penned a very long, very bizarre personal note to the late Mac Miller on the social media platform, speaking up about their complicated relationship. In the caption, GoldLink, who performed with Miller as part of the 2016 GO:OD AM national tour, describes Miller as “special” but “tortured.”
“I think what made you and I special is that we weren’t always on the best terms,” said GoldLink. ”So I didn’t always have great things to say about you.”
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As if the letter wasn’t already strange, the rapper went on to suggest that Miller had blatantly copied some of his work, inciting the fury of their talented mutual Anderson .Paak. In the caption, GoldLink alleges that Miller had “adopted the style” of his mixtape and after that, we didn’t talk in order to create his fourth studio album Divine Feminine. GoldLink also cites the fact that both rappers had recruited Paak to feature on their songs ("Unique" with GoldLink and "Dang!" with Miller) as evidence to support his claims.
Paak, whose real name is Brandon Paak Anderson, immediately responded with a since-deleted rage post of his own calling the accusations about his close friend Miller "disrespectful, narcissistic, [and] jealous."
"You ain't the first to make an album inspired by a relationship, you ain't the first to make a song featuring Anderson .Paak," the Malibu genius said on Instagram. "But you are the first to disrespect my friend who is no longer here for absolutely no reason and I can't stand for that."
Miller died in September 2018 of a mixed drug toxicity involving the lethal painkiller fentanyl. The last studio album he released before his death, Swimming (2018), was positively received by both critics and fans; it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and even earned a posthumous nomination for Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards.