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Rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar, currently engaged in a rap beef, reportedly share the same booking agent, Brent Smith. While the artists are going back and forth at each other with one after another diss tracks, they seemingly have one factor in common.
Smith has not just represented Drake and K-Dot but has a huge list of other celebrities he has worked with, including Childish Gambino, Pharrell Williams, Kid Cudi, and Calvin Harris. Smith once worked for WME, which he had to leave after alleged "behavioral issues" in 2020.
He then joined Wasserman Music, where he has been working as an executive vice president and also the agent for celebrities like Drake, Frank Ocean, John Legend, and Kendrick Lamar.
Amidst the intense beef between K-Dot and Drake, they share a common link through their agent, Brent Smith
Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake have been involved in a rap battle where they have been dissing each other since March 2024. It all started with Kendrick's Like That. The conflict escalated so much that the two artists began taking a dig at each other's families and personal lives. Amid all this chaos, it has been discovered that they share the same booking agent - Brent Smith.
Smith is known to be a veteran agent and has worked for several celebrities apart from Drizzy and K-Dot. Page Six reported speculation by an agency rival, who amusingly questioned if Smith now has to choose sides in the middle of this popular rap beef.
The veteran agent had been working for WME with a strong clientele base before he had to exit the company over certain issues, reportedly on his part. An article published by Variety on September 22, 2020, revealed that the music agent was suspended and an internal investigation was ongoing.
While news outlets tried to reach out to WME to get a comment about Brent Smith's suspension, no response was provided from their end. No official reason behind such an investigation was revealed back then. However, some insiders then told Variety that there had been "behavioral issues" on Smith's end.
The agent had been working in this industry for more than 20 years. He began his career after getting employed at Frontier Booking International. He was then working for American talent agent late Ian Copeland. This phase of his life was shortly before he joined WME.
Brent Smith was let go from WME for reported "behavioral issues"
In 2020, Variety published an article on October 9, confirming that WME was letting go of the veteran music agent. The agency reportedly said,
"Following an investigation based on complaints of bullying behavior by Brent Smith, WME and Brent have mutually decided to part ways."
Smith had quite a popular clientele after he joined WME, where he became a partner eventually. However, he joined Casey Wasserman's company in 2021 after leaving WME. An article published by IQ, on July 7, 2021, revealed that Casey Wasserman addressed the staff.
"As many of you know, the senior leadership team and I have been spending time with Brent Smith, and today I am pleased to share that he is joining Wasserman Music as EVP and managing executive."
Wasserman further described Brent Smith as a "professional" man and added:
"We have come to know Brent as a smart, genuine, professional team player who always puts clients first and is ready to embrace the Wasserman value system and culture."
Wasserman added that he was proud of the team and the essence of discipline they had. He further hoped the company would do even better with the team while talking about the veteran agent.
In February 2023, Wasserman Music posted an update on its Instagram account, according to which four managing executives, including Smith, made it to the "2023 Billboard Power 100 list of the most impactful executives in the music industry." Smith was a part of the 2024 list under the same category, as confirmed by an Instagram post uploaded on April 29, 2024.
Wasserman Music, where Brent Smith is currently a part of, is a company formed after the North American music assets of Paradigm Talent Agency were acquired by Casey Wasserman. Some of the biggest clients of this agency are Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, and Jimothy Lacoste, among several others.
Meanwhile, rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake are constantly dropping diss tracks, trying to take a dig at each other, even at personal levels. Amidst this, the shared agent factor has not failed to strike the eyes of fans, who are continuously updated with the hip-hop rap battle and the rappers on both sides.
