Drake Covers Vibe Magazine's "Race Issue"
In the next issue of Vibe magazine, Drake gets personal about what it's like growing up biracial. "Jewish kids didn't understand how I could be black and Jewish," he said. "… It was just stupid, annoying rich kids that were closed-minded and mean."
The Toronto-bred rapper graces one of two covers of a special edition "Race Issue," which looks at "America's fear of a black planet."
"I’ve been hesitant to go to Memphis [where his father is from]," he said. "It's tough there. I have a lot of family that I love very deeply, but it's tough to go around people who could use your help and you can't help everybody ... [But] Instead of just running from it, I just went and embraced it and shot this incredible, beautiful video ["Worst Behavior"] with my beautiful family, and helped out as many people as I could while I was there. Now I can't wait to go back. I feel I'm on good terms, and it's one part of my life I have to accept that'll never change. It's always going to be tough."
"Although America is more progressive, race is still very much a hot button topic," Vibe Editor-in-Chief Jermaine Hall explained in a press release. "It's been an overlying theme of 2013 when you factor the Trayvon Martin tragedy and proceeding verdict as well as varying stances on stop and frisk."
The entertainment industry provided a lot to talk about this year, too, Hall added. "Hollywood films such as Fruitville Station, 12 Years a Slave, The Butler, and Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom also took a look at historical and present day race relations. And with twerking going mainstream, this was a good time to explore how far race relations have really come."
Elsewhere in his Q&A, Drake also speaks about double-standards in rap, says that really responding to "Control" would be like Michael Jordan playing pickup to prove he's great and adds that Kanye West is his only competition. "He's, like, the best," Drake said. "What an era to be a part of. I wouldn't want my competition to be anybody else. My competition is nobody else, by the way. It's just me and 'Ye. I still have work to do, but that's what it is right now."
Of course, with all this real, rap, raw going on, Kevin Hart is featured on Vibe's second cover.
The issue hits stands in January.
Click here to see who else is Black and Jewish in America.
BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.
Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
(Photo: Vibe Magazine, January 2013)