Unreleased Kendrick Lamar song “Friends” addresses Whitney’s insecurity about not feeling “black enough"
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How?
DAT NICCA KELSO
Superstar
How can he not be black
Not Crodie
All Star
Fair to say op missed kendrick point and doesnt understand what being black mean
I’m black. You tell me what Kendrick’s point is.
Who are you fooling
Easy 1 star 
How is it still a mystery after all this time as to what is being questioned about Drake's "blackness"? Why do people still think it pertains most to the color of his skin?
It's been a year. A whole year of this beef. And over a decade of it being a criticism of Drake.
And we're asking this on TheColi? Where so many subforums on here discuss and dissect blackness and black culture CONSTANTLY?
The idea is that Drake is culturally black when its convenient. That he spent most of his formative years being raised within white culture, and that it feels inorganic, as if he's wearing a black skin when he puts on his Drake persona. Things like being on code, code switching, hood culture, street politics and the essence of hip hop being rooted in struggle feel as if they are things that Drake accessorizes with, shedding the pieces of it and picking them up at will.
I think there is a discussion to be had about how accurate this assessment is. There's a conversation to be had about blackness and whether or not being "black" should be pigeon holed into whatever definitions we're holding Drake TO.
There's a conversation to be had about how many people he's put on. And how much of that was him being altruistic, and how much of that was him transactionally trading his influence for black support, in order to purchase more authenticity and clout. But I don't think we should wonder about what is being meant by the allegations themselves.
"Not like us" doesn't pertain to skin color for the most part, and Drake reacting to the allegations that Kendrick, and the hip hop community have had towards him as if that IS what's meant FURTHER makes him feel out of touch. The history of black trauma raises a lot of apprehension and insecurities about people who come in and utilize the spaces we've created. There's a feeling that Drake's "protecting" of the space is self serving. There's a feeling that his using of that space to seem "tough" is inauthentic.
Things like "he's rapping like he's trying to get the slaves freed" and using Pac's voice? Make him seem closer to the white culture that has typically come in and abused those spaces.
Take it as you will. I would just say that the accusations shouldn't be confusing by now.
It's been a year. A whole year of this beef. And over a decade of it being a criticism of Drake.
And we're asking this on TheColi? Where so many subforums on here discuss and dissect blackness and black culture CONSTANTLY?
The idea is that Drake is culturally black when its convenient. That he spent most of his formative years being raised within white culture, and that it feels inorganic, as if he's wearing a black skin when he puts on his Drake persona. Things like being on code, code switching, hood culture, street politics and the essence of hip hop being rooted in struggle feel as if they are things that Drake accessorizes with, shedding the pieces of it and picking them up at will.
I think there is a discussion to be had about how accurate this assessment is. There's a conversation to be had about blackness and whether or not being "black" should be pigeon holed into whatever definitions we're holding Drake TO.
There's a conversation to be had about how many people he's put on. And how much of that was him being altruistic, and how much of that was him transactionally trading his influence for black support, in order to purchase more authenticity and clout. But I don't think we should wonder about what is being meant by the allegations themselves.
"Not like us" doesn't pertain to skin color for the most part, and Drake reacting to the allegations that Kendrick, and the hip hop community have had towards him as if that IS what's meant FURTHER makes him feel out of touch. The history of black trauma raises a lot of apprehension and insecurities about people who come in and utilize the spaces we've created. There's a feeling that Drake's "protecting" of the space is self serving. There's a feeling that his using of that space to seem "tough" is inauthentic.
Things like "he's rapping like he's trying to get the slaves freed" and using Pac's voice? Make him seem closer to the white culture that has typically come in and abused those spaces.
Take it as you will. I would just say that the accusations shouldn't be confusing by now.
Does trauma make you authentically black?
Does struggle make you black?
Do the pampered kids of successful rappers get to claim that they are culturally black?
I am laying out the allegations and why they have been thrown his way. I think you're dodging a lot of the reasons its been thrown at Drake specifically by ONLY bringing the things quoted up.
I would say those things are not prerequisites to being black, but disrespecting or manipulating, or wielding that trauma in a way that comes across as dishonorable to those who HAVE gone through it? May get you called out. Eminem has more of a pass within the culture than Drake does. There's a reasons for that.
That stuff, along with the criticisms of Drake that I mentioned that you left out? Have him being questioned, and ostracized. Do I PERSONALLY think that its ALL fair?
Maybe not. Do I understand it, and does the shoe fit to me in many ways? YES.
Sigh. I'm not jumping through hoops for you. I was trying to explain WHY people have come at Drake this way, and why its been so effective. Since you seem confused. If you disagree, which you clearly do, then that's really okay by me. I've seen you in Drake threads for a YEAR largely sticking to the same script up until the last month or so where you seem to be more accepting of that L.Are these kids black?
But I don't think THIS far into things that you should be mystified as to WHY people feel this way, even if you don't think its fair.
I think narrow conceptions of blackness is why you have guys like Big Sean having to rap like he’s Icewear Vezzo.