Drake is often criticized for being a culture vulture, implying he can never truly belong to the culture. But isn’t it ironic to call someone with a biracial background and a Black father a culture vulture, especially when he has four Grammy Awards, three BET Awards, and an impressive 34 Billboard Music Awards? How could he be bagging all these awards if he lacks originality?
“Drake does this with everything,” people say. “When he’s trying to appeal to a southern audience, he adopts a Southern style. When he’s targeting a Caribbean crowd, he rides the Caribbean wave. And when he’s going for a UK audience, he taps into UK trends. It’s like he’s constantly changing, adapting to whatever’s popular. You have to respect that he’s not just doing it for show; he’s genuinely versatile.”
Recently, Drake faced criticism again for being a culture vulture, this time linked to his feud with Kendrick Lamar. In a diss track, Drake used an AI-generated voice of Tupac Shakur. While Drake didn’t mention Biggie or use his voice, people still drew comparisons to the legendary feud between Biggie and Tupac. This led to backlash involving Biggie, whose mother was reportedly upset that her son was once again being dragged into unnecessary drama because of the ongoing narrative about Drake’s alleged cultural appropriation.
Is Drake really a culture vulture? Well, he’s definitely heard the chatter and has something to say to those he calls haters.
“I hate that people think that me being into music from these kids trying to make it and build a name for themselves is some culture vulture thing. What does that even mean? I don’t understand it. Would you rather I not acknowledge or support anything? That’s some real confused hater stuff. But it is what it is. I see it a lot, and I’ll never understand how supporting somebody’s song or even giving them a song or linking up isn’t viewed as admirable.”
Drake isn’t new to the culture vulture accusations, but the latest wave of criticism came after he released “Taylor Made” in his ongoing feud with Kendrick. Apart from dissing Kendrick and Taylor Swift, the track grabbed attention for its use of AI to create fake verses from Tupac and Snoop Dogg, two West Coast legends idolized by Kendrick. In the song, the AI Tupac vocals rap: “Kendrick, we need you. The West Coast is engraving your name in some hip-hop history. If you deal with this viciously, you seem a little bit nervous about the publicity.”
Drake thought it was okay to use Tupac’s synthetic voice in his song without permission from Pac’s estate. However, soon after the song’s release, Tupac’s estate sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding Drake take the song down. The estate’s attorney expressed their deep dismay and disappointment over Drake’s unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality, calling it a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and legal rights, and a blatant disregard for the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. They emphasized that this is something the estate would never have approved.
In addition, the estate claimed that the song caused significant economic and reputational harm by falsely suggesting that they and Tupac endorsed the lyrics of the imitation. In reality, they referred to Kendrick as a good friend to the estate, who has always shown respect to Tupac and his legacy both publicly and privately. The letter also pointed out that Drake himself has previously objected to the unauthorized use of his own likeness by others. Beyond the “Heart on My Sleeve” drama, which was quickly taken down from the internet, the letter mentioned a lesser-known federal lawsuit where Drake’s lawyers accused a website of using his image without permission. They demanded that Drake explain how the imitation was created, identify who was behind it, and provide all related recordings and data. The letter ended by saying, “If you comply, the estate will consider informal negotiations to resolve this matter. If you do not comply, our client has authorized us to pursue all legal remedies, including actions for copyright, publicity, and personality rights violations, and seek damages, injunctive relief, and attorney’s fees.”
Once Drake received this cease-and-desist, the song vanished from his Instagram and X account. But the use of Tupac’s AI voice by Drake led to many saying that Kendrick and Drake were trying too hard to capture the energy of Biggie and Tupac. This sparked renewed conversations about the Tupac and Biggie feud, with mixed reactions as usual. Biggie’s mother, Ms. Voletta Wallace, expressed her frustration at people constantly bringing up her son, as she is still dealing with the unresolved circumstances of his death. However, the bigger discussion was about how Drake continues to be seen as a culture vulture.
Drake has often been called a “culture vulture” for seemingly always being in the right place at the right time, collaborating with rising artists, and riding the wave of their growing fame. While these collaborations undeniably boost the profiles of these emerging artists, it’s usually Drake who benefits the most from the exposure. Additionally, Drake is known for adopting trending sounds to maintain his relevance. For example, in 2014, he immersed himself in the grime scene, but as that trend faded by 2018, he shifted his focus to afrobeats. By 2020, he was dabbling in UK drill, and his 2022 project “Honestly, Nevermind” included production from amapiano producers.
Drake’s use of various accents has also been a point of contention. Depending on the context, he might adopt a Canadian, British, Jamaican, or another accent, leading some to criticize his perceived lack of authenticity and further cementing his “culture vulture” label.
When celebrities echo the sentiments of fans, it lends credence to those views. This is the case with Drake. For instance, Earl Sweatshirt once posted and then deleted a response to Drake featuring Kodak Black’s “Skrt” on Episode 6 of OVO Sound Radio, suggesting that Drake can exploit young rappers for his gain. Earl’s comment was, “No hips to nothing. Drake can be a bit of a vulture on young rap ninjas, and I don’t want Lil Kodak to be a vic of it.”
Similarly, UK rapper Wiley has called Drake a culture vulture on social media. When Drake was asked about this, he expressed confusion over why supporting someone’s song or offering them a song isn’t seen as admirable. Kendrick Lamar also touched on this issue in his track “Meet the Grams,” where he accused Drake of various personal failings and highlighted the culture vulture accusation.
These instances show that the perception of Drake as a culture vulture is not just a fan opinion but is shared by some of his peers in the music industry.
“Listen, we’re keeping Drake away from the car show because it’s a family event. We can’t have someone with his background at the Promised Land.”
Kendrick also didn’t hold back on the culture vulture accusations with these lyrics: “You run to Atlanta when you need a check balance. Let me break it down for you. This the real challenge: You called Future when you didn’t see the club. Lil Baby helped you get your buzz up. 21 gave you false street cred. Thug made you feel like you a slime in your head. Quavo said you can be from the north side. 2 Chainz say you good, but he lied. You run to Atlanta when you need a few dollars. No, you’re not a colleague; you’re a colonizer. The family matters, and the truth of the matter is God’s plan to show you the liar.”
In essence, people are saying Drake copies sounds and accents without creating anything original. While other artists also jump on trends, many believe Drake doesn’t build on what he borrows. Instead, he waters it down and moves on to the next big thing. On the other hand, some strongly support Drake and argue that the claims of him being a culture vulture are completely baseless.
So, what do you think? Is Drake a culture vulture, or is he just a talented and versatile artist? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
