Who is Brian Steel, the lawyer mentioned in Drake’s new song?

Just a week after his name was referenced by Kendrick Lamar during one of the most controversial Super Bowl halftime shows of all time, Drake is back with a fresh album.

Among the most interesting takeaways from the new album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, which features fellow Toronto-area rapper PartyNextDoor, is the ninth track which is titled simply “Brian Steel.”

This is an ode to the attorney who represented Young Thug during his highly publicized racketeering trial in 2023. Steel is a prominent defense attorney in the Atlanta area, where he’s been practicing since 1991.

Responding to news of the track’s name, Steel told New York Times reporter Joe Coscarelli that while he was unaware of it, he expressed that he’d had the “honor and pleasure” of meeting Drake, real name Aubrey Drake Graham, adding that he was “so kind considerate, generous, inspirational, [and] intelligent.”

He concluded by stating that the Drizzy rapper was “a true leader and [a] great model for our community”, according to an X post by Coscarelli.

The Canadian duo’s provocative album, suitably released on Valentine’s Day, features a multiplicity of racy, romantic, and illusive lyrics, but the lead-up to the launch has been anything but smooth. Rather, it has been overshadowed by layer upon layer of Drake’s legal tumult.

During the Super Bowl last weekend, Lamar made a blatant reference to Drake's 2024 lawsuit against his music distributor, Universal Music Group, for their promotion of his song "Not Like Us," stating, "I want to play their favorite song, but you know they love to sue."

Drake sparked a legal petition against the distributor and Spotify U.S. last November when he alleged that the two music giants worked together in an illegal ”scheme” to artificially inflate the number of streams of "Not Like Us" while Drizzy amid the feud with Lamar.

According to court papers, he believed that the companies sought to “saturate the streaming services and airwaves” by deploying bots and pay-to-play agreements. Ultimately making the song go viral.

Lamar also dragged Drizzy’s name through the mud when he recited the "a-minor" line during his “Not Like Us” performance and flaunted an "a" chain – a quip that fans were quick to suggest was a nod to the previous allegations Lamar made against Drake suggesting that he had a string of sexual relationships with underage women.

Drake vehemently denied the allegations in May 2024.

However, the reference to Brian Steel represents a more positive symbolism since Drizzy has sought to support Thug, real name Jeffery Williams, after he pleaded guilty to six total counts, including possession of drugs and firearms in October 2024.

During the trial, Steel, spoke on his choice of aggressive song lyrics stating “Yes, he speaks about killing 12 [...] and people being shot and drugs and drive-by shootings,” but, such violent rhetoric, he argued, was a product of the environment that Williams’ grew up in.

He argued in the rappers’ defense: “These are the people he knew. These are the stories he knew. These are the words that he rhymed”, according to The New York Times.

Williams also pleaded no contest to two additional counts of leading a criminal street gang and conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, as per The New York Times.

But the attorney’s reference was made blatantly and misspelled as “Brian Steele” in the album’s release – though Champagne Papi appeared to correct it as per a track list featured on his Instagram.

Ahead of his release from Fulton County Jail following his guilty plea, Thug attempted to dampen the flames between Drake, producer Metro Boomin, and rapper Future after the pair added fuel to the Lamar and Drake Feud that erupted last March.

“@Drake @1future @MetroBoomin we all bruddas. Music ain't the same without us collabin,” Thug posted on X in a now-deleted post seen by Billboard in October.

The Independent contacted the Steel Law Firm and Drake’s agent for comment.