That Pusha T diss track keeps making Drake's life harder and harder.
The Internet and music world at large has been marveling at the incredible escalation done by Pusha T in response to a Drake freestyle with a diss track that was… the harshest thing ever rapped over a beat, maybe? In the track, amongst other things, Pusha T tells Drake he has to fix his relationship with his son, the son’s mother (who he shouldn’t push out of his life because she’s an adult entertainer) and his aging father. The entire thing was illustrated with a photo of Drake wearing blackface and wearing a Jim Crow shirt. The conversation then took… a much more serious shift. While original conceptions of the photo were that it was for a fashion shoot, the designers of the shirt, Too Black Guys, released a statement on the shirt putting their support behind Drake and calling the shirt a work of commentary meant to make a statement by being worn by an black man. The shirt is from their Jim Crow Couture/House of Crow collection.
Drake then released a statement as well. He explained the photo to be part of his history as an actor from 2008 and was meant to explore the specter of blackface rather than celebrate it. Drake’s statement explains that the photo was part of a film exploring the kinds of roles that black men are often offered that are marginalizing, stereotypical or demeaning. The role and the photo were meant to show how little times have changed from the era of blackface
What do you think though? Does Drake’s explanation make his photo okay, or is this unacceptable even if done to make a point? Let us know in the comments!
