The Univ. of Kentucky has "issued DRAKE a cease-and-desist letter" after the entertainer's appearance at the school's Big Blue Madness event "because he took photos with some recruits," according to Kami Mattioli of SPORTING NEWS. Kentucky's compliance office "self-reported the impermissible communication between Drake and three potential student-athletes (PSAs) on April 27." After informing the three recruits in town for Big Blue Madness that they "were not allowed to have contact with Drake," athletic department staff "went as far as trying to coordinate who would be in the hallways to ensure that they did not cross paths." Four-star SG commit CHARLES MATTHEWS approached Drake and "requested a picture" following the event. The photo request was "considered a Level III (non-suspension) violation" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 7/22). UK coach JOHN CALIPARI tweeted, "There are no issues with @Drake and UK, and Drake is and always will be a part of our Big Blue family. I hope to see him on campus soon (TWITTER.com, 7/22).
WALK-UP JAMS: BILLBOARD's Trevor Anderson reported Drake is the "most common artist among the walkup tracks" for MLB players this season. Drake "appeared 17 separate times as a lead artist." Rock band AC/DC "nab 14 appearances" and are followed by country musician JASON ALDEAN's "13 occurrences." Rappers JAY Z and BIG SEAN "round out the top tier" with 11 and 10 appearances, respectively (BILLBOARD.com, 7/21). ESPN’s Michael Smith said this shows Drake is "still killing the game” (“His & Hers,” ESPN2, 7/22). Songs by two of the artists among the top five are also listed as the would-be walkup tracks for execs in this week's Going Off The Grid (THE DAILY).
