“That’s cap.”

Translation for those not in the know: you can’t be serious.

That’s how I would sum up Vinney Wong’s piece, Drake quarantine content is tone-deaf, that ran in the Star last weekend. It depicts an overarching issue about how quickly a person of colour is brought down in comparison to white counterparts that are seen as doing the right thing during this time of COVID-19.
The piece begins listing the various ways that Drake has shown love to Toronto and helped put the city on the map. It mentions his 15-year reign over the industry, his OVO festival, and the fact that he photoshopped the CN Tower on his 2016 album “Views,” which went quadruple platinum and further introduced the world to the city. On top of that, Drake’s OVO brand also helped boost the country’s workforce — generating lots of jobs and revenue for Canadians.

These aren’t minor feats just meant to be piled on, one after the other, when a writer is trying to fill their word count. These are accomplishments that have shifted the tectonic plates of the music industry globally and brought Toronto and Canada to a global stage, which as a result has helped our economy in tremendous ways.

To then minimize these efforts amid claims of his content being tone deaf is extremely unfair. Further, for many young people of colour who feel heard or represented by an artist like Drake, it’s disheartening to read about — especially when the information is inaccurate.

While Wong’s piece claims that “Drake has never put Toronto first when the city needs him the most,” the same day the piece was published, Drake mentioned in an Instagram Live session with P. Diddy on Sunday a donation to COVID-19 relief efforts, which included collaborating with CargoJet to donate equipment to health-care workers.

On Thursday, Drake also joined other celebrities who are donating their time for the “All-in” fundraiser challenge to raise money for COVID-19 relief by offering a prize to a lucky donater that starts with a flight on his $200 million private jet.

Beyond the donations, which weren’t advertised to generate mainstream press, Drake’s “Toosie Slide” video and dance is keeping fans and young artists inspired and engaged during these dreary times when we are all dealing with a pandemic.

While I applaud celebrities like Ryan Reynolds and Seth Rogen for their donations, using them as a comparison to Drake is tasteless. It’s not only extremely unfair, but is in fact tone deaf with young people of colour as well as artists throughout the country. It brought down a person of colour without any factual basis or understanding of the culture.

Right now, instead of alienating one another and calling out celebrities, we need to start supporting one another instead of pointing fingers.

thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/04/19/drake-deserves-credit-for-his-contributions-to-toronto.html

dumb b****

So do you just look for articles like this?

While I applaud celebrities like Ryan Reynolds and Seth Rogen for their donations, using them as a comparison to Drake is tasteless. It’s not only extremely unfair, but is in fact tone deaf with young people of colour as well as artists throughout the country. It brought down a person of colour without any factual basis or understanding of the culture.

Drag him king