Feud Fallout: Macklemore Needs Damage Control, Drake Needs Free Publicity

Despite the success of his debut album The Heist, it’s safe to say that Ben Haggarty, aka Macklemore isn’t really the most beloved rapper out there. His Grammy win over the Kanye West, Drake and most of all Kendrick Lamar (whom it seemed like everyone was rooting for) only made the situation worse.

Maybe the rapper was trying to placate those same critics, by instagram-ing an “apology” text message to Lamar after the show, but the idea completely backfired. It could have come and gone and Haggarty’s reputation would have stayed relatively unscathed, only he had to go and commit the biggest sin for a celebrity – over-sharing.

So when he posted a screenshot of the text on his instagram, the reaction wasn’t quite what he had hoped. Macklemore’s biggest critic is fellow nominee Drake, who had a lot to say about sincerity and oversharing to Rolling Stone.

"I was like, 'You won. Why are you posting your text message? Just chill. Take your W, and if you feel you didn't deserve it, go get better — make better music,'" he told the magazine. "It felt cheap. It didn't feel genuine. Why do that? Why feel guilt? You think those guys would pay homage to you if they won?"

The tirade goes on like that for a couple of paragraphs, by the end of which two things are made obvious: A. Drake can put his point across really well and B. Macklemore better have a very good explanation for the open text message. At the moment, online news outlets are eagerly awaiting any response from the Can’t Hold Us rapper.

Meanwhile, his social media profiles have been deserted for about a week now, so maybe he’s working on a plan to win back some fan adoration. As for Drake, his comment came suspiciously late after the Grammys and the offending text. It also coincides with the kickoff of the European leg of his “Would You Like A Tour?” Not that we’re implying anything, of course.