Drake Explains That Questionable Blackface Photo Pusha T Dragged Up With A Perfectly Reasonable Summary

Rarely, if at all, in the history of modern culture has painting oneself in blackface been a good idea, so the photo of Drake donning said blackface that Pusha T used for his Drake diss track “The Story Of Adidon” was definitely not a great look.

Now, however, Drake has offered an explanation for the photo, saying that it’s from 2007, when he was focused on acting. In an Instagram story posted last night, he writes that the photo comes from “a project that was about young black actors struggling to get roles, being stereotyped and type cast,” and that it was meant “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 has not changed much”:

“I know everyone is enjoying the circus but I want to clarify this image in question. This was not from a clothing brand shoot or my music career. This picture is from 2007, a time in my life where I was an actor and I was working on a project that was about young black actors struggling to get roles, being stereotyped and type cast. The photos represented how African Americans were once wrongfully portrayed in entertainment. Me and my best friend at the time, Mazin Elsadig, who is also an actor from Sudan, were attempting to use our voice to bring awareness to the issues we dealt with all the time as black actors at auditions. 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 has not changed much.”

Drake and Pusha T’s current feud began when Pusha T took shots at Drake on his Daytona track “Infrared,” which prompted a quick response from Drake on “Duppy Freestyle,” which was followed by “The Story Of Adidon.”

Read our review of Daytona here, and a look at the diss track as a disappointment or a fitting execution.