DeMar DeRozan On His 'Not Like Us' Cameo: 'Drake’s Still My Man'

A former Toronto icon has clarified where he stands in the ongoing Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef.

In a new interview with The Sacramento Bee, one-time Toronto Raptors all star DeMar DeRozan revealed that he and Drake are still on good terms. “Drake’s still my man, still my man, none of it changed,” DeRozan tells The Bee.

Earlier this month, DeRozan appeared in the video for Kendrick Lamar's diss track about Drake, "Not Like Us." The Hot 100 No. 1 references DeRozan's 2018 departure from the Raptors, after a decade as one of the team's biggest names, with Lamar rapping: “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither."

Originally from Compton, the same L.A. neighbourhood as Lamar, DeRozan explains in the interview that Lamar is like family to him, but that doesn't mean he has it out for Drake.

"At the end of the day it’s music, entertainment," he continues. "Two of the biggest rappers in the world went at it from a competitive standpoint and they battled it out." He compares it to a one-on-one game of basketball between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

DeRozan also appeared on stage at Lamar's June 14 Pop Out event in L.A., which brought together members of warring gangs, entertainers, athletes and community members. "It was just everybody coming together and showing appreciation and love for where we came from," says DeRozan.

Bringing Lamar's lyric to life, the NBA star was recently traded to the Sacramento Kings, returning to his home state of California. When he sat courtside for a California Classic game on July 6, he walked out to "Not Like Us."