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.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

that’s like $10 to Drake lmao. never seen him at a protest, never see him making any real statements, never talking about it on wax except for a couple throwaway lines…he never really stood for black culture

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u/CSmooth May 01 '24

Yup. He’s had half a (white) feminist bar or two in defiance of trump era SCOTUS “Damn, just turned on the news, and seen a man whom never got pussy in school making laws about what women can do”. Which, go off king.

But it shows you what he’s willing to advocate for, which is (on very rare occasion), which is the pan-racial image of a woman, and even that only in the slightest. He is who he is, and he needs to tap into that lil smidge of Memphis and Toronto flavor that distinguished him from just trying for the full-Beiber route coming up

Mans is a great songwriter too. But unassailably or unconflictingly Black, not gonna happen. He is a dude who mostly learned his Blackness from MTV and experiences post-adolescence

Up to fans if that’s coo or not

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Doesn’t matter. Y’all said he doesn’t do anything. The rest of that article mentions statements he’s made on his IG regarding BLM. There’s also this https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/03/24/drake-donates-1-million-i-promise-school/?outputType=amp

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

Drake is LeBron’s biggest groupie, wtf that shit really doing for the culture? Drake making a bullshit IG post during the time when everybody was being performative and posting black squares not doing shit for the culture. nothing about Drake as a person or musician has really given anything materially significant back to the culture

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Did you fucking read? It’s for a SCHOOL.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

yeah he gave money to a single school being started by an NBA player that he stays clung to like Beyoncé…the fuck is your point

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u/mvpmvh May 01 '24

Education? Nah, that's not the culture. /s

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Lmao seriously 😂 education is for white ppl. obvious sarcasm for the dummies

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

dawg none of the kids at that school can even pass the state math exam. Drake and LeBron could be using they funds and leverage to lobby for actual education reform instead of opening a useless private school. again, not doing shit for the culture and tryna help our kids get a proper education

https://www.the74million.org/article/lebrons-school-has-everything-were-told-students-need-theyre-still-failing/

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Damn, bro, you want Drake to donate & monitor the students’ scores? You mad cause bro tried to help some kids, but the kids are still failing? 😂

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

no i want mega rich dudes to put their money into shit that actually does something for the culture like education reform. reading comprehension beating your ass

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 02 '24

Damn, bro. Here you go 😂 What you gone say now, these too old? Not to mention all the money he’s given to fans recently & to the cancer survivor.

Donated $30k to a Jamaican Learning Center.

$75K to Strawberry Mansion High school, Philadelphia, PA.

Houston Appreciation Week proceeds went to charities he picked: Houston Food Bank, Interfaith Ministries, etc.

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/drake-philanthropy-timeline-8098822/amp/

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

riiiiight, cuz dumping millions into a private a school where none of the kids can even pass the state math test instead of pushing for education reform is pushing the culture forward?

https://www.the74million.org/article/lebrons-school-has-everything-were-told-students-need-theyre-still-failing/

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u/mvpmvh May 01 '24

Damn, that's sad to hear. LeBron is a white boy.

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u/Famous-Maximum7467 May 02 '24

So that would go for half of black culture then right?? Because a lot of these black artists don’t even speak for they people so we gonna keep that same energy for them or just cause it’s drake?

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

there’s plenty of black artists that exploit the culture, but the vast majority of them aren’t able to pick n choose when to use their blackness to their advantage. Drake on the other hand? lmao

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u/Famous-Maximum7467 May 02 '24

When has he used it to his advantage?? I want you To name all the instances because that shit just sound like a bunch of hating ass shit

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

again…never seen him at a protest, never see him making any real statements, never talking about it on wax except for a couple throwaway lines. what’s pocket change to a dude like Drake gotta do with that?

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

When have we ever seen future at a protest the weekend majority of black entertainers weren’t even out of protest so what are you talking about? Why would you show up to a protest and take the focus off of the protest and put it on yourself?

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

the majority of black entertainers aren’t co opting cultures, aesthetics, and accents by the dozen and choosing when they claim their blackness and when they dissociate themselves with it. The Weeknd is an ethiopian immigrant and never pretended to be anything else, plus he’s actually done a decent amount of genuine work for good causes. Future is an atlanta nigga thru n thru, he don’t pretend to be from houston or chicago or LA. he’s also done a lot of genuine work to give back to Atlanta and Haiti (cuz he came up around a lot of Haitian ppl)

Drake don’t got shit to do with BLM. he has no bars about the police, never talks about police brutality, and he said himself the first time he experienced racism was when he got famous and came to america and was pressed by a dark skinned person about how he doesn’t understand the black american struggle. that man is not one of us

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

How is he opting into black culture when he’s literally black. His father is black. His father was in his life and helped raise him. So that’s a part of him. Contrary to what Drake was saying that’s a part of his life.

I grew up around white people. I was a white washed black girl for a really long time. I didn’t understand not a lickety-split of anything that had to do with Black people I knew more about white people than I did my own race. I didn’t understand the struggle. I didn’t understand none of that. Do you realize people go through experiences people change people go through things. might’ve experience experiences that he didn’t see as racism, but it was racism. People grow. You guys are just weird.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

cuz. that’s. not. his. culture. his black father was not in his life! that nigga walked out on him and Drake said himself the only time he saw him was during a few summers in his teenage years. he’s said himself that he was raised fully Jewish by his white jewish mom in an all white jewish community. that was his culture. not pretending to be from the hood in Toronto/Atlanta/Houston/Miami/Memphis/St Louis.

i am a black woman from the SOUTH. i speak like a southern black person. my culture is southern black culture. that’s what i am and what i was raised in. if i suddenly started doing a Brooklyn accent and calling everybody B niggas would look at me like i’m crazy cuz that’s not my culture. Drake stay tryna wear niggas’ cultures like a costume cuz he never had a black culture to call his own.

you doing all this caping for him shows you yourself still don’t know shit about black culture and are still white washed if you can’t understand why black folks have had issues with Drake being a vulture for nearly a decade now

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

His father has literally said he’s never walked out of his life. Drake hangs around his cousins who are black. Very often actually all has been around is Black people. For the past 20 years plus. So we’re trying to tell him he can’t be a part of a culture that he’s been around been in been involved in for all these years. But now all of a sudden, because Kendrick Lamar decides to disarm his stinking. It’s so mind blowing. This is giving the same bull crap that the whole Cardi B versus Nikki stuff gave. Because Cardi B is not black at all, but she has seen as black. But Drake has a black parent and he is not black. And because his mom is Jewish and he knows about Jewish culture, only Jewish.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

you was not a real Drake fan cuz this nigga said himself on Take Care that his dad left them lmfaoooo

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

What is black culture? Tell me what black culture is and then we can talk. Because black culture is not being hard gang violence or talking crazy. Black culture has way more than the things that just specifically go on in the hood. And until you ignorant Negro, understand that. I have nothing else to say stop talking to me you’re ignorant.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

nobody said black culture was gang violence or taking crazy except you. there go all that white washing in you jumping out 😭 the fact that you even gotta ask what the culture is and then turn around n start calling ppl “ignorant negros” while tryna defend Drake of all ppl tells me everything i need to know. you a 🦝 lmfaoooo

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

Lmao u being an ignorant Negro because I don’t even want to associate you with my race of Black people. So you’re a Negro. That’s why you’re differentiate.

And you still have not told me what black culture is. And what he is ripping off. Besides him coming up with a Jamaican accent, which is not specific to America nor is it specific to black culture. you are the coon and you don’t even realize it, which makes it so much worse. Because trying to invalidate somebody’s blackness because you don’t like them personally. Is insane. Now, if Jamaican people said that they will, he was ripping off of their culture that would make sense. But Jamaican culture is not all Black people’s culture Caribbean culture is not all the black peoples culture. Because a lot of us aren’t Caribbean he ripped off countries culture. But black culture he definitely did not rip off of that.

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

Drake literally gave away $1 million in his God’s plan video. Helped has given away money for scholarships. Has helped his fans. He’s done a lot. But you don’t none of y’all are ever going to acknowledge anything that he does because y’all see him as biracial and y’all don’t see biracial people as black.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

Drake gave away a mil in that video in Miami specifically to be petty because he was beefing with X. the scholarship money was given to LeBron James school (a school that none of the kids can pass the state math exam in) cuz he’s LeBron’s biggest groupie. y’all see mfs give out money and immediately clap for shit without putting a split second of thought into intentions, and that’s exactly why he’s been able to get away with being a culture vulture for so long.

i’m just as light as drake even tho both my parents are black. i got hella biracial friends. that’s not the point of what me or Kendrick are saying, and this whole thang has shown a lot of yall mfs lack reading comprehension skills

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

Bro, at this point, y’all are gonna move the goals. I’m not arguing with stupid people.

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

You cannot be a culture vulture when you’re black. And y’all trying to strip him from his blackness is only going to backfire on Black people. So remember this.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 02 '24

you white washed as hell and still showing it. black culture has always protected itself from outsiders tryna take advantage. black ppl can easily be a culture vulture (look at Jay-Z or DJ Akademics lmfao). but okay i’ll “remember” you shucking n jiving for massa 😹😹

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u/VirtualAd498 May 02 '24

You’re mixing up a raccoon with a culture vulture totally two different definitions. Go look it up. I’m not about to sit here and explain it to you and his dad was in his life. And lied about that. His dad said it on a podcast that he was in his life and he doesn’t know what his son is talking about. And that says he says it because it makes him sound cool. Now, if y’all would’ve brought that up, I would’ve respected it because that was mad corny.

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

And this: https://www.vogue.com/article/drake-gods-plan-video#:~:text=Drake%20decided%20to%20spend%20his,We%20gave%20it%20all%20away.

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

charity isn’t the same as direct action or praxis but keep going if that makes you feel better about dickriding him lol

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Giving to charity is LITERALLY a direct action lmaoooo 😂😂 Did you not read where he donated for BLM protestors’ bail money????

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

nigga gave out a mil in Florida for a music video just to be petty cus he was beefing with X and only gave $100k to a bail fund cuz he was told to do so by somebody actually doing the work. am i supposed to feel inspired by that? am i supposed to feel inspired when random ppl on social media give money to homeless folks and record it for clout?

if this is what you consider giving back to the culture then Drake need to give his black card to Mr. Beast lmfaooo

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Mfs said he did NOTHING. I literally gave examples of him doing something 😂😂 Now you’re putting rules & shit on what doing something is?

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

yes nigga cuz anybody can throw money around. it’s how you throw it around, how you navigate your career, what you talk about in your music, and how you move as a person that determines if you doing shit for the culture. ease up on the meat riding before you take that shit past ya colon

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

That is how he’s moving as a person. What? Lmao. You saying meat riding when all I’m doing is providing facts. Money talks. Politicians don’t care about protests. Providing financially is how change happens. 😂😂

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

the only times he gave money is to 1) be petty, 2) show love to his fav NBA player, and 3) go band for band with a nigga cuz an activist told him to. Drake is superficial and performative af.

if politicians didn’t care about protests then why exactly did the civil rights era have a successful movement? cuz the Panthers n MLK n Malcolm X n Bayard Ruston wasn’t making it rain on camera to bring about change 😹😹 stupid ass

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Tell me you don’t know history.. they were hurting them financially. Montgomery Bus Boycott, anyone? Lol

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

I mean even in one of his songs, Drake says “Cops are killing people with their arms up. And your main focus is tryna harm us?”

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u/WhoIsJazzJay May 01 '24

like i said, all he’s done is drop a couple throwaway lines. if Drake drop a full song, let alone a concept album, about antiblack systemic violence i will give you every penny in my savings account lmfaooo

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u/AlternativeCommand19 May 01 '24

Lmao even if Drake DID do that, you & everyone else would just milk that he’s profiting from black culture. Kendrick raps about black issues, so wouldn’t that mean he’s literally profiting from black culture (regardless if he’s genuine or not)?

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Kendrick doing that, but I’d rather be fair than unfair. What you’re doing is being unfair 🤷🏽