What do you think hit Drake harder? The vicious and ultra personal lines in Pusha T’s diss song “The Story of Adidon” or the photo he used for the cover, which shows the Canadian rapper in blackface?
It’s a question that’ll probably be answered in time but for now, the image continues to cause Drake some real problems.
Because according to Bossip, the Savannah chapter of Black Lives Matter wants Adidas to end their business relationship with the rapper and if they don’t, they want people to boycott the brand.
“Black Lives Matter Savannah is asking that Adidas brand refrain from working with music artist Drake because of his insensitive and derogatory pictures of appearing in Blackface,” reads a statement. “BLM Savannah believes that the Black community, who has supported Drake’s career, deserves a public apology by the artist and that the shoe and clothing brand not work with the artist until such a full public apology and renouncing of the photos is made.”
BLM’s statement actually came before Drake posted a message about the image and explained why he took it in the first place. In the post, he explained the picture was taken in 2007 during his acting days, and it represents how Black people have been portrayed in entertainment.
But since there wasn’t an apology in that explanation, BLM Savannah said they won’t call off the boycott, and they still want Adidas to sever all ties with the rapper.
Meanwhile, Pusha T responded to Drake’s statement about the blackface photo, and he said his words meant nothing to him.
“That doesn’t change my view at all,” Pusha told Big Boy on the Los Angeles station 92.3. “You are silent on all Black issues, Drake. You don’t stand for nothing. You don’t say nothing about nothing. That’s just what it is. You have all the platform in the world. You were so passionate back then? No, you weren’t. That’s number one. That’s what I know.”
Adrian Aitcheson, who founded the Too Black Guys clothing line, also addressed the blackface photo since Drake wore one of the company’s Jim Crow shirts in it.
Aitcheson wanted to make clear that the picture wasn’t taken during one of his photo shoots, but he stands behind the idea and concept of it.
“The collection featured several graphics that highlighted the painful and dangerous period of the Jim Crow Era,” he stated. “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 photo shoots, we feel that Drake, who is a long- time friend of the brand, was brilliantly illustrating the hypocrisy of the Jim Crow Era.”
So far Adidas hasn’t addressed the photo or whether they’ll keep working with Drake or not. And there’s no word from Drizzy about the BLM Savannah boycott either.