Let me preface this article by stating that first and foremost, I am a fan of Drake. However, often times, being a fan means being able to look at a celebrity and see them for what they are while being able to criticize them because bias can’t cloud your better judgement.
So yes, even Drake can make mistakes.
Last week, Drake released new songs on his birthday. His song, ‘Two Birds, One Stone’ created a large controversy for lyrics that seemed to be aimed at Kid Cudi who recently checked himself into rehab for depression.
The lyrics in question happened to be:
“You were the man on the moon
Now you go through your phases
Life of the angry and the famous”
He then goes on to say,
“You stay xanned and perked up
So when reality set in, you don’t got to face it”
And then he raps,
“Look what happens when you talk to me crazy…
Is you crazy?”
These lyrics clearly have several problems. First of all, they go on to mock Kid Cudi for his public announcement where he told fans that he has been depressed for a while and was going to rehab to get better. They also belittle his depression as a “phase” and as simply being part of the life of “the angry and the famous.” They make it seem like depression is a cause of not being in reality and that people with mental illnesses are “crazy.”
There was mention that those lyrics were written before Cudi made his announcement but they are so specific that it makes it questionable, as well as the fact that even if it was done before, the song shouldn’t have been released with knowledge of Cudi’s condition.
Many fans took to Twitter to express their anger at Drake, including many of his own fans who were upset that he would take such a cheap shot at Kid Cudi.
The real issue with Drake’s lyrics is that he has such a large platform. While many of his fans were outraged by his lyrics, there are probably many who were not. Drake, who holds a really impactful position in society, able to change and shape the views of many young and impressionable people, should be using that to better society, not perpetuate stereotypes. The idea behind diss tracks like this one are so terribly focused on being masculine, strong and better than everyone else in the industry. Artists that create “diss tracks” ignore that there can be real issues that arise from rhyming a few words together.
As a Drake fan, I was upset he’d put something like this out. Celebrities should be held to a higher standard, they shouldn’t be able to make comments and create tracks like this one without being held accountable.