Drake has explained the infamous blackface picture used as the artwork for Pusha T's 'The Story Of Adidon'.
Pusha T released the internet-shattering track earlier this week, containing some lethal blows aimed at the Canadian rapper.
The artwork featured Drake in blackface, a photograph which was seemingly genuine, albeit one that dated back some years.
Drake has now responded: “I know everyone is enjoying the circus but I want to clarify this image in question…”
The photograph was taken in 2007, and was part of a project to highlight the difficulties facing young black actors.
The rapper says he was "working on a project that was about young black actors struggling to get roles, being stereotyped and type-cast" before adding:
“This was to highlight and raise our frustrations with not always getting a fair chance in the industry and to make a point that the struggle for black actors had not changed much.”
Drake speaks on “blackface” photos circulating. pic.twitter.com/y3SrOl9DcQ
— Word On Road (@WordOnRd) May 31, 2018
Canadian clothing brand Too Black Guys have also weighed in – their clothes are used in the shoot, and frequently play with imagery from this era:
“The collection featured several graphics that highlighted the painful and dangerous period of the Jim Crow Era. Too Black Guys has a history of representing the black experience in an unapologetic way. Although this was not an image from any of our photoshoots, we feel that Drake, who is a long-time friend of the brand, was brilliantly illustrating the hypocrisy of the Jim Crow era.”
here’s Too Black Guys, the Canadian streetwear brand Drake is wearing in the blackface photos, on those blackface photos… pic.twitter.com/IJ5SzizaSz
— Joe Coscarelli (@joecoscarelli) May 31, 2018
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