Drake has been criticised by fans for a lyric in ‘Slime You Out‘, his new single with SZA.
The song, which is the first released off his upcoming album ‘For All The Dogs’, contains a lyric in the first verse: “You got my mind in a terrible place/ Whipped and chained you like American slaves.”
Fans have taken to social media to express their concerns about the line. “Nobody in the studio told Drake that line was awful??” wrote one fan, while another criticised SZA for the collaboration: “sza heard drake say ‘whipped and chained you like American slaves’ and said ‘yeah, I need to get on that!’”
“Whipped and chained you like American slaves..” nobody in the studio told Drake that line was awful?? pic.twitter.com/bzd1i3zNt5
— International Sleep⁷ 시차 (@SleepDeez) September 16, 2023
sza heard drake say “whipped and chained you like American slaves” and said “yeah, I need to get on that!” pic.twitter.com/O5RpMdaSlx
— uncle vaun. (@_Vaun) September 16, 2023
See more reactions below.
Drake criticism tends to get overblown and silly on here at times but man that “slave” line really is gross lmao… I think it’s the “American” clarification that really does it
— Frazier Tharpe II (@The_SummerMan) September 17, 2023
“Whipped and chained you like American sllllaves”-Drake
40 and/or Lil Yaucty should have pulled him aside and said pic.twitter.com/N90kbzH0Eu
— Aaron Busby 🏁 (@MrBusby4o8) September 16, 2023
Omg. That Drake line wasn’t AI?! He really said that?!
“whipped & chained you like American Slave…”
— muva.✨ (@kayyvella) September 17, 2023
“Whipped and chained you like American slaves”??? @Drake https://t.co/jh6YfjsXOg pic.twitter.com/sATwBDPcv5
— William Carter, IG: InquisitiveCarter (@wcarter1020) September 16, 2023
Drake nor SZA have responded to any of the online commentary at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Drake has caused controversy elsewhere in recent days. The rapper and singer has used a photo of actress Halle Berry for the cover art for ‘Slime You Out’, which she claims was issued without her permission.
After the single was released Berry shared a post on Instagram that read, “sometimes you have to be the bigger guy, even if you’re a woman.” In the comments section Berry was asked how she felt about Drake using the photo of her for the single.
“Didn’t get my permission,” Berry wrote in response. “That’s not cool I thought better of him!”
She added: “hence my post today. When people you admire disappoint you you have to be the bigger person and move on!”
Drake recently pushed back the release of his eighth album ‘For All The Dogs’ owing to schedule conflicts. He said that his “dilemma” was either cancelling some of his remaining live shows to “finish the album” or wrap the shows and drop the record at a later date.
The rapper eventually decided that he will now release the album on October 6, a few weeks after the initial date of September 22.