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Rb Hip Hop

Drake Drops Booking Agent He Shared With Kendrick Lamar

After more than a decade of working together, Drake has cut ties with Brent Smith at Wasserman Music.

Drake performs onstage during Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park on July 11, 2025, in London.
Drake performs onstage during Wireless Festival at Finsbury Park on July 11, 2025, in London.
Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Drake quietly parted ways with the booking agent he shared with longtime rival Kendrick Lamar earlier this year, Billboard has learned, in a move largely kept quiet to avoid media scrutiny.

One source tells Billboard that Drake and former longtime agent Brent Smith of Wasserman Music have not worked together for most, if not all, of 2025 due in part to the fallout over last year’s feud with Lamar and the release of his Billboard Hot 100-topping diss track “Not Like Us.”


Drake had been repped by Smith for more than a decade; the two began working together at WME and continued their relation after Smith joined Wasserman Music in 2020, where he now serves as executive vice president and managing executive.

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Drake will reportedly be repped at CAA by a team led by Daryl Eaton, Billboard has learned. The news was first reported by Hits Daily Double.

Drake’s decision to split with Wasserman comes after Lamar and SZA grossed an impressive $358.6 million gross on their Grand National Tour, making it one of the highest-grossing hip-hop treks of all time, according to Billboard Boxscore, moving 1.76 million tickets. Drake is reportedly planning his own tour for 2026 with Live Nation, where he has long had an exclusive global touring deal.

The fact that Drake and Lamar shared a booking agent was a topic of intrigue in the music business, especially as the two rappers’ feud worsened. At one point, Drake even sued his record label Universal Music Group over the lyrics to “Not Like Us,” which Drake claimed were untrue and defamatory. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit last month, and attorneys for Drake have appealed.

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

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David Clayton-Thomas
Courtesy Photo

David Clayton-Thomas

FYI

Obituaries: Canadian Artists and Industry Figures Remember David Clayton-Thomas and Clive Davis

Last week, the music world lost two genuine legends. Here are tributes to them both from Canadian stars and industry notables.

David Clayton-Thomas (born David Henry Thomsett), the Toronto vocalist and songwriter who earned global success and multiple Grammys as frontman of pioneering jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat & Tears, died on June 24, at age 84.

An obit issued by publicist Eric Alper on his passing called Clayton-Thomas ''One of the most recognizable voices of his generation" while noting that he sold more than 40 million records and "helped shape the very sound of jazz-rock.''

He joined Blood, Sweat & Tears as its vocalist in 1968, prior to the release of its self-titled international hit second album. Blood, Sweat & Tears sold ten million copies worldwide, topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks, and remained on the chart for 109 weeks.

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