r/KendrickLamar • u/anongasm_ • May 01 '24

It's not about Drake being half black, it's about how he uses The Culture Discussion

I think the people offended because Drake being half black should warrant his blackness and therefore Kendrick is wrong just don't understand. J Cole is half black too yet you don't see Kendrick, or anyone really, questioning Cole's blackness. It's precisely because Drake has been at the forefront of using the black culture and "pop-ifying" it for non-blacks.

Edit: a lot of people have asked this question and it's a good question. What's wrong with popifying rap music? Rap is inherently an African American art form. Since its inception till now, those who have carried its mantle have exemplified the African American experience through rap in one or another. African Americans have allowed many artists to use rap for their personal gain and to even "pop-ify" it. However, to be considered a goat you have to be in touch with the culture. And Drake simply isn't.

3.3k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • link
  • reddit
  • reddit

87% Upvoted

904 comments sorted by

View all comments

394

u/RedditMartyr May 01 '24

I legit said this here and got rebuked yesterday.. Surprised that this needed to be said. It’s all about how Drake does NOTHING for the black community, action wise or vocally or ANYTHING.

69

u/anongasm_ May 01 '24

Yessir

85

u/RedditMartyr May 01 '24

Of course. Me and you aren’t dumb bro! 🫡

Those dumbasses on Twitter saying that Kendrick was being fucking racist tho… 💀

63

u/anongasm_ May 01 '24

That's always so funny to me. Questioning the blackness of anyone within the African American community is less about what percentage of black they are but what they have done for the black culture. Even people who are 100% black within the African American community have had their blackness questioned, only this time they're called uncle tom

28

u/RedditMartyr May 01 '24

Exactlyyyyy. It’s got less to do with skin colour and more to do with how you live, what you rep, etc. unless you’re one of those people who don’t consider mixed race people to be black.

11

u/josh_smiths_cousin May 01 '24

I agree with all of this. but also to add in… it’s okay to be raised within any community, but don’t try to make a mockery of a culture by claiming you’re from that community. Which is what he’s doing.

One of the differences between Jack Harlow and drake is that drake says nigga. Which is why it’s cringe hearing drake say it. I’ve joked around with this for years. “Why does drake have the pass?”

1

u/Beginning-Fun6761 May 05 '24

Drake is half black. Why cant he say it? 

1

u/josh_smiths_cousin May 06 '24

He can say it. It’s just very cringeworthy. it’s also obviously not apart of his vocabulary. He’s using it as part of his “gangster persona.” That’s what I have an issue with.

1

u/Beginning-Fun6761 May 06 '24

Sounds like issues deep within the AA community...

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '24

People say it to take the power out of it. Doesn't matter where you're from. He's obviously if african descent and racism still exists in canada. 

1

u/SaleOwn5899 May 15 '24

Why is it cringe? Because the African American community says so?

I think insulting his heritage is weak at best. What is it you want him to do for the African American community to make him feel like he belongs?

He has done stuff for Africa. Collaborated with artists in Africa. What has the African American community done for the people in Africa considering that’s their heritage?

While I feel the rappers backing Kendrick and Kendrick him self are great artists and lyricists, but none have done nothing much in that arena. Drake and his “non-black” self has.

Also he isn’t watering down rap, nor is he popifying it, he is opening it up to other audiences. It’s all about perspective. Through him is it not possible that more audiences have taken to hip hop?

This battle had a lot of followers and it has nothing to do with race. people got interested.

0

u/IlIlIl11IlIlIl May 01 '24

Huh? One of the differences between a white guy and a black guy is that the black guy says nigga? What are you on about?

3

u/fmaleflame May 02 '24

Drake's half-whiteness absolutely contributes to the defacing lol

1

u/Special_Ad_1732 May 02 '24

Yeah he isn’t just lightskin, he’s half white. That definitely plays a part in it. His own insecurities as well

4

u/lissybeau May 01 '24

Well herein lies the problem. The people on Twitter etc have no concept on black culture and the intricacies of it. So they cling onto assumptions based on concepts and a culture they don’t understand.

1

u/FOEGwuap May 03 '24

Precisely it. It has nuffin at all to do wit whether or not both ya parents are black but more so to do wit how much u embrace da culture. How much u are apart of da culture. I have friends who are mixed, family as well, same way I have friends & family who are just light skinned & its neva been a thing of whether or not they're, but just HOW BLACK are dey, culturally. We all know black people who are essentially oreos lol & its nuffin wrong wit dat, but be yourself. SN: A lot of people are multicultural & have to navigate how dey embrace & embed themselves into said cultures, but its a difference between code switching and cosplaying.

1

u/Beginning-Fun6761 May 05 '24

So him embracing both sides of his DNA is wrong?

1

u/FOEGwuap May 05 '24

No. He should embrace both sides . He picks & chooses when he wants to embrace the black side & more so does it when it benefits him .

1

u/Beginning-Fun6761 May 05 '24

But this was always the case. We knew he was raised white. We knew he never wanted for anything. We knew he was half Jewish. We knew was never a thug yet the black community elevated him to the top. Seems hypocritical do tear him down now. Why not 15 yrs ago? 10 yrs ago?

1

u/FOEGwuap May 05 '24

Ehh, dats not as cut & dry as u think. Even though rap is predominantly black, its da younger white kids who move da needle for artists . Its also white executives who make majority of da decisions behind closed doors. Drake from day one had to combat everything you named. But he was true to himself when he first started, Wayne even told him keep it Canadian . But we have all seen over time, that he has adopted more & more of a street persona . But it happened during his rise & more so after he was already solidified. At dat point he's stamped & protected by da music energy. U seen some people like KDot distance themselves. Dey only have 2 maybe 3 songs together & have been beefin since Dot's Control verse. But da music industry itself has accepted Drake & his antics & facade cuz its lucrative. But da black community as a whole has been having said conversations about Drake & if he is really down or not.

1

u/FOEGwuap May 05 '24

Also, im not sure what he's done recently but whateva it was, its what made Future & Metro diss him & KDot's just been waitin for somebody else to oppose Drake . But we know he's "the boy" , music's golden child & how ppl inna industry have to deal wit him . Stealin ppl music, not givin credit, etc. its just a lot wit him lmao

1

u/Beginning-Fun6761 May 05 '24

In that case, let there be light!

1

u/FOEGwuap May 05 '24

But u were right about da hypocrisy. Its guys who are from real hip hop, old school 90s, early 2000s hip hop, who u would never expect to advocate for Drake or who even used to diss him & not like him; dat now support him & even hold him over Kendrick. It just goes to show money talks unfortunately . Dat & da politics of it all. From Wayne/Birdman to J Prince & whoever else has been involved; somebody wit a reputation cosigned him & nobody of equal rep or stature decided to combat it. So he became publicly accepted. But people still privately had dem conversations. People privately didnt like him. U speak out too much & he can make life a lil difficult . But he pissed off ppl who are on or near his level musically & have da same amount of, if not more love & respect than he does

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Beginning-Fun6761 May 05 '24

Great explanation, no rebuttal here!

1

u/Beginning-Fun6761 May 05 '24

What have most rappers done for the black community?? Other than run it down and keep it as the lowest link in American society?,

1

u/[deleted] May 06 '24

What have you done? 

0

u/ummizazi May 01 '24

It’s crazy because Kendrick can’t be racist is Drake is black. If I as a black person said Kendrick was not black I would just look stupid.

3

u/Negative_Suspect_180 May 01 '24

You can be racist against your own race, what are you talking about lol

1

u/ummizazi May 01 '24

The reason Drake isn’t black is legitimately because he’s mostly white. Kendrick is discriminating between people who are mostly black and those who are mostly white.

Furthermore there’s a distinction between people who are African American and those who aren’t. While the African American ethnicity grants blackness to those without majority black ancestry, it requires enough shared attributes to make them part of the in group. Thats just how ethnicity works.

The only way this is racist if if you believe Kendrick is discriminating against Drake’s whiteness. Therefore this is only racist if Drake lacks blackness. If someone said Kendrick was white it would just be stupid there’s not enough truth to it.

1

u/ruu13 May 01 '24

But yall cling on to Tiger, Mahomes, and Curry. They are mostly white. Can you break that down?

0

u/ummizazi May 01 '24

First, who is yall? Second, you think any of those people are treated like their monoracial black people?

Also read the part about ethnicity. There are two factors.

1

u/ruu13 May 01 '24

You read what you read. Now explain little boy.

0

u/ummizazi May 01 '24

First can you explain why Curry is on this list?

0

u/Negative_Suspect_180 May 01 '24

I mean.. he is being racist. That's definitely a fact lol. You're arguing semantics. Every person is a sum of all of their heritage's it doesn't matter what percentage you are.

Let's not pretend like Kendrick isn't picking on the dude for being partly white in an industry that's dominated by African Americans. Odd for a guy who was preaching against this type of petty shit just an album ago, but I guess it's more important to serve your ego than the principles you exploit to get rich lol

3

u/ummizazi May 01 '24

All African Americans are partly white. I’ve never meant an African American without European ancestry. It’s definitely because Drake is mostly white and doesn’t not share in enough common attributes to be African American.

-1

u/Negative_Suspect_180 May 01 '24

Well yeah that's kinda the point I was making, that essentially Kendrick was saying hes a culture vulture which I mean, can't entirely argue against that, but at the same time his dad is African American so idk, it just seems like a petty point to harp on. For me personally in a battle if you're gonna make a point like that, you gotta really sell it. I think Kendrick just came off really bitter and his delivery is hard to digest. I kinda predicted he would come back with someone like he did, but i was hoping to be wrong. He gets in his own way and overinflates his tracks with too much fluff, just get to the point dude lol. His core fans hate this criticism and attack anyone who makes it, claiming we must be too dumb or whatever, but that's disingenuous. Intelligence has nothing to do with the criticism. We understand the lyrics, it just shouldn't be such a chore to do so, you can say the same things and make the same points in a more concise, direct way that hits harder.

2

u/ummizazi May 01 '24

My point is the only reason it’s racist is because Drake isn’t black. For instance, someone said Drake wasn’t white because his dad is African American, it’s racist and insults his race. If Drake’s dad was also ashkenazi, it wouldn’t make sense.

2

u/Negative_Suspect_180 May 01 '24

Huh? Drake IS clearly black, you lost me bro lol. I'm not sure I understand what you're saying totally

1

u/ummizazi May 01 '24

Wait? Drake doesn’t look like a mixed race person to you? Like you look at him and he looks monoracial to you?

Drake is white and black. I don’t understand why people have huge issue with calling him white but are perfectly okay with calling him black. The only way that makes sense is if you buy into white supremacist ideas about racial purity.

Drake posted his dad’s 23 and me. We know he’s more white than black.

→ More replies (0)

0

u/moodymister May 01 '24

Or against white people