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Two of the most controversial people in pop culture at the moment are R. Kelly and Jussie Smollett. Kelly, of course, was recently charged with ten counts of criminal sexual abuse. Meanwhile, Smollett is accused of faking an attack against him and has been charged by the Chicago Police Department for filing a false police report. Publicly defending either of these people right now could be considered a questionable move, but Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, has shown support for both of them.
In an interview with Variety about his new single “That On That,” Graham was asked for his thoughts on Kelly, and he responded, “He’s a good friend of mine. I wish him the best. I hate that it’s happening to him. There’s a reason why women come out after the fact. He has my support 100%.” He was then asked about Smollett, and he answered, “Jussie has been misunderstood. As a matter of fact, they know that. That story that came out about Jussie in Chicago is not true about Jussie. Jussie is a friend of mine, also. They have totally reconstructed his story.”
On a less controversial note, Graham talked about what Drake was like when he released his 2009 So Far Gone mixtape, saying, “Oh boy, he was just getting started. I went on his first tour with him. I have pictures of being on the tour bus with him. It was so exciting. With him signing to Young Money, and knowing he was on his way, and Wayne had his back, that was the most beautiful thing.”
Read the full interview here.