Here's What We Know About Drake's Alleged Ghostwriter Quentin Miller
Meek Mill got every rap fan’s attention last night (July 21) when he went on a tweeting spree that called out Nicki Minaj’s ex-boyfriend Safaree Samuels and exposed Drake for allegedly not writing his own rhymes.
Mill, the MMG stalwart who has worked with Drizzy on songs like “Amen” and “R.I.C.O.,” is big on authenticity and felt that the Toronto rapper was not being completely honest with him. The first rule of being a Meek Mill fan: Don’t compare him to Drake. The second rule: Write your own rhymes or you’ll get aired out.
While Rap Twitter was easily amused by the Philly MC firing shots left and right with undeniable confidence, he went as far as saying Drake didn't support his latest album, Dreams Worth More Than Money, with a plug on Twitter. Mill also claimed the 6 God didn't write his verse on "R.I.C.O.," naming a ghostwriter he used in the past.
The name, Quentin Miller, sparked a wealth of tweets from the rap industry, with most agreeing with Meek that Drake reached out for his songwriting services. Aside from the chatter by journalists and bloggers, OG Maco and his manager Steven Dingle stood behind Meek’s claims and wanted to see their colleague Miller get the credit he deserves.
Especially Maco, who tweeted a screenshot from Genius showing the co-writing credits on five tracks ("10 Bands," "Know Yourself," "No Tellin'," "Used To" and "6 Man") from If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late. The following morning, he said, “The only reason I spoke up is so my friend could finally get his credit. But he being a punk a** n***a and won’t say a word. Still truth.”
But who is he? Dingle, who spoke to BET.com earlier today, says he’s an acquaintance of his and they met through East Atlanta rapper TheCoolIsMac in 2012. TheCoolIsMac and Miller, who attended Georgia State University together, formed a group called WDNG Crshers, where they’ve been releasing material together under the name throughout 2015. Projects such as Utdinfiniti and their self-titled EP have gotten looks on 2DopeBoyz, Complex and FADER.
“Atlanta is a small circuit. You know, everybody knows each other. So, we been rocking with Mac and Quentin,” Dingle says. “Before the project came out, If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late, we just knew he was working with Drake. We’ve heard records and stuff like that. He never told us the details. He probably had a confidentiality agreement or something like that. He never personally [said], ‘Yeah, I’m writing for Drake.’ We just heard records and he was like, ‘Yeah, man, Drake reached out.’”
As a solo artist, Miller has built a reputation with Drake’s OVO crew. He’s been photographed before with them wearing OVO gear and rocking the signature owl chain. Even hip hop forum KanyetoThe bestowed him with the moniker OVO Quentin Miller. Outside of that affiliation, the ATL newcomer has put out music on his SoundCloud, recently releasing his mixtape, Hey! Thanks a Lot 2 that features the Boi-1da-produced “Cinematic,” which is a song that closely resembles the cadence and flow of a Drake record.
“As you can see on people’s Instagram, he does know Drake,” Dingle says. “He’s got writing credits, but through the grapevine, none from Quentin directly. But people very close and I trust 100 percent [have said] ‘Yeah, he worked those seven records.’”
Unlike other genres like R&B and pop, hip hop frowns upon MCs who don’t write their own material. For Drake, who is a proven hit-maker and is arguably on his way to legendary status, the thought of a team of ghostwriters penning his rhymes could jeopardize his mystique as both the rookie and the vet. In recent memory, Drake has addressed allegations of other people writing his songs before — the biggest one being “Best I Ever Had,” which was co-written by Kia Shine. Last night, the “Krispy” creator felt it was appropriate to chime in: “You know I f*x with @MeekMill n***a thought I was lying when I said wrote #Bestievahad.”
As of this report, Drake and Miller have yet to respond to Mill's tweets. But the question remains: Should it really matter if Drake does have a ghostwriter?
“Hip hop is based on authenticity, that’s one of the attributes that makes hip hop so great,” Dingle says. “It’s a braggadocious culture as well. So when you’re saying: ‘I’m the top MC. I’m the best rapper. I’ll murk you lyrically.’ You gotta think: ‘That’s what you said.’ If people found out you had a ghostwriter, that’s on you. You gotta cover your tracks a little better. Does it take away from the greatness in the grand scheme of things? No. But does it take away from the allure of it? I gotta say yes.”
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(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
