Drake has found himself at the center of controversy after being nominated for a Kids’ Choice Award. The nomination has triggered a wave of online jokes and criticism, largely stemming from Kendrick Lamar’s past allegations that Drake is a sexual predator targeting underage girls.
Drake, the Canadian superstar, was nominated for Favorite Male Artist, competing against Post Malone, Travis Scott, Usher, and former friend turned rival, The Weeknd. The public will have to wait until July 13 to see if Drake secures the award, but the online backlash began almost immediately following the nomination.
On social media, the reaction was swift and severe. One user commented, ‘The KIDS CHOICE AWARDS is the last place drake needs to be.’ Another quipped, ‘WHO UP FOR THE WHAT CHOICE AWARDS!?’ while sharing a clip from Kendrick Lamar’s diss track ‘Meet the Grahams.’ A third remarked, ‘I mean… the jokes write itself.’ Another individual edited an image of Nickelodeon’s studios with red markers from a sex predator tracking app, a clear reference to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ artwork.
Drake has publicly denied these accusations. In his rebuttal track ‘The Heart Part 6,’ he addressed the rumors head-on, rapping, ‘I never been with no one underage but now I understand why this the angle that you really mess with/ Just for clarity, I feel disgusted, I’m too respected/ If I was fucking young girls, I promise I’d have been arrested/ I’m way too famous for this shit you just suggested.’ He continued, ‘Only fuckin’ with Whitneys, not Millie Bobby Browns, I’d never look twice at no teenager.’
In response to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘A minor’ taunt from ‘Not Like Us,’ Drake fired back with, ‘Drake is not a name that you gon’ see on no sex offender list, Eazy-Duz-It/ You mentionin’ A minor, but n-ggas gotta B sharp and tell the fans, ‘Who was it?’/ You thought you left D flat, D major.’ Despite his efforts to clear his name, the song was widely criticized and seen as an admission of losing the feud, eventually leading to its removal from social media.
Drake’s nomination for a Kids’ Choice Award has opened up old wounds and reignited public debate over Kendrick Lamar’s allegations. Only time will tell how this affects his standing, both in the public eye and within the music industry.
