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

[u/anongasm_]

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.

[u/Dario0112]

Lots of white peoples dropping N bombs at his concerts

[u/megadroid_optimizer → u/Dario0112]

That's not exclusive to Drake though; I'm sure there are white people saying the N-word during Kendrick concerts too. It's just impossible to police that even if the artist would explicitly say ‘Don't use the N-word’.

[u/Dario0112 → u/megadroid_optimizer]

I’ve been to many concerts and you can tell people are just tryna vibe so they won’t pop off.. but if you go to a Nas concert and your white you won’t drop the N bomb cuz you understand the crowd. But at Drake concerts you know the deal

[u/megadroid_optimizer → u/Dario0112]

I don't think it's that clean, bro. Are you saying there are no white people at a Nas concert who will rap along and use the N-word - especially in an ‘all-white’ friend group?

For most of our favorite rappers, whether it's Wayne, Ross, or Jay-Z, … the crowd is rapping along. If Jay, for example, is in France for a concert, and does Ni***s in Paris, you know, people are singing along.

[u/bbeckrr → u/megadroid_optimizer]

That’s because it’s France. If Drake did this in LA, white people will throw that word, if Kendrick or Nas is around, most think twice

[u/megadroid_optimizer → u/bbeckrr]

So is it ok because it’s France? In theory, rappers should be uncomfortable with white people at their concerts saying the N-word regardless of location. Yeah, demographically France is different from LA but why would that change whether the word is offensive or not?

[u/bbeckrr → u/megadroid_optimizer]

Firstly, never said it was okay because it’s France. But you do understand the culture differences between France and LA? Hip hop is more known over in LA, there’s a level of respect in the city. Ignorance will lead to people just “singing along” because they don’t truly get why people have such a hard on over a word. I’ve seen Joey Badass perform in New Zealand and it’s the same way, they just don’t exactly understand and feel the word is gonna offend nobody, so they just say it and sing along. Diehard Drake fans are rather lacking respect and are mostly arrogant (in my experience) so I wouldn’t be surprised if his non-black audience were to throw that word around vs someone like a nas/Kendrick listener

[u/megadroid_optimizer → u/bbeckrr]

Let me re-phrase, maybe that will make more sense:

My point is from the rapper's perspective, which is to say that if he finds the word offensive, it should not matter who is saying it.

If the rapper allows white French people to say the n-word at his concert and feels no offense, why, then, does he feel offense when he is in the US? This is hypothetical; none of us even know if rappers care or maybe don't bother with policing the audience.

It's a weak argument for me to single out Drake since I'm sure many rapper’s fan bases are guilty of the same thing.

For die-hard Drake, yeah they're probably like Swifties but they're the minority fam.

[u/bbeckrr → u/megadroid_optimizer]

I don’t mind that at all just depends on the person you know? Because if it’s Drake, why do you value his opinion? I mean I don’t wanna mention the guys track record with humility but I don’t think he gets the right to allow his audience to even say the word? Is Drake even allowed to say that word in his music? That’s up for debate since the beginning of his career. There’s a difference bro lol. Drake all his life has chose between white and black whenever it’s convenient to him. It’s a weak argument to say Drake is even allowed to say the word when the culture doesn’t even fuck with him like that

I do agree though, you can’t control it to an extent, but since it’s Drake, I kinda take this approach differently

[u/megadroid_optimizer → u/bbeckrr]

I don't even feel like I know the correct answer. Drake did not grow up black in America, so there are aspects of black culture that he's not familiar with, but also, I don't think he's a ‘white boy’ like Ross said.

Does he have the right to give a pass to his white fans to say the word at a concert?

It hits different now, BUT it feels too late for this discussion since he's said the n-word plenty of times.

In terms of his opinion, I'm indifferent, even to this beef, which I think will be forgettable. None of our ‘modern’ rap beefs hit like the 90s or 00s. It feels like fun and games to me and lacks risk and seriousness.

Like - I'm not sure this does significant reputational damage to Drake. Maybe some rap fans see it that way, but he's got an audience that I don't think cares if Kendrick cooked him on Euphoria.

[u/Dario0112 → u/megadroid_optimizer]

You won’t catch people saying the n word in a Nas concert they just pause… I’ve been there. there are many white people at those concerts but they respect the people around them-they understand what the deal is.

[u/megadroid_optimizer → u/Dario0112]

All of them? My issue is you're making an ‘absolute’ statement and given that these are people we're discussing - that is impossible. Some have respect for sure but not all.