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Drake released his new single 'Slime You Out' on September 15, 2023 as a lead up to his upcoming album, All the Dogs, releasing soon. The single, featuring SZA, has been facing intense criticism for its opening lines.
"You got my mind in a terrible place / Whipped and chained you like American slaves," drake sings.
The lines, in conjunction with the rest of the lyrics, draws uncomfortable allusions to the pre-emancipation slavery and the practice of abuse of female slaves in particular, and is not being taken lightly by netizens. One fan went as far as to term the rapper's lyrics a hate crime.
"this is a hate crime actually," the fan wrote.
Netizens fire at Drake for his lyrics choice
Netizens were quick to react to Drake's lyrics choice, taking to social media, particularly Twitter, to express their feelings on the lyrics. Many expressed shock, proclaiming that the singer had lost his mind. Some questioned why the studio allowed such lyrics to be released in the first place.
Others pointed out the double negative connotion of a song that is demeaning towards women, with lyrics pointing to the singer treating them like slaves, as well as the allusions of the slavery coming from a bi-racial singer.
Others were enraged by the lyrics, while some stated that the entire song was gross, including the way the Canadian rapper used Halle Berry's image without her consent.
Here are some fan reactions on Twitter:
'Slime You Out' is already under criticism for Drake's use of the image of Halle Berry from her attendance at the Kid Choice Awards in 2012 against her wishes and consent.
Drake's songs have been noted for their mysogyny before, with frequent mentions of lovebombing and gaslighting, as well as being a sign of the larger commodification of women in the music industry without consent.
Drake also has a history of dismissive and demeaning behaviour against women. In 2014, singer-songwriter Ericka Lee filed a lawsuit against the Canadian rapper for contractual breach on the song 'Marvins Room'. The singer claimed damages from the rapper for failing to provide her with her rightful share of copyright credit and revenues. The lawsuit was ultimately settled in an out of court settlement.
Similarly, the rapper generated controversy over his mention of Megan Thee Stallion's shooting by Tony Lanez on the song 'Circo Loco' in the album Her Loss featuring SZA.
As noted by Megan Thee Stallion following the release of the song in an column in The New York Times, Drake's as well as other rappers' behaviour towards their female/queer counterparts points to the larger intersection of gendered violence and sexism that is prevalent in the pop culture industry.
"I’ve realized that violence against women is not always connected to being in a relationship. Instead, it happens because too many men treat all women as objects," she wrote.
As of now, the rapper's new album All the Dogs has been pushed back from its original release date, with the new date for the release set at October 6, 2023. It remains to be seen whether the rapper will respond to the criticism of his problematic lyrics.
