Briona Bargerstock – Staff Writer

bnb5387@psu.edu 

On Friday, October 28, rappers Drake and 21 Savage released a collaborative album titled “Her Loss” that depicted a black female on the cover. The album was widely successful, topping the Billboard charts for the weeks following its debut. While that has brought about a lot of attention and news coverage, something more disturbing and complex has risen to the surface from this album that has lent a hand to bring about even more attention and news coverage. In the song, “Circo Loco,” Drake raps the line “This b*tch lie about getting shots, but she still a stallion/She don’t even get the joke, but she still smiling.” Calling out fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion who was shot in 2020 by Tory Lanez, another Toronto rapper. From the beginning of the investigation into the shooting, individuals have not believed Megan. The speculation around this shooting has proven to be very historically relevant.

Black women have a long history of not being believed. A history that dates to the 1800s when slavery was the most prevalent in the United States and the Reconstruction Era that immediately followed the ending of the civil war. There was a stereotype that was born during this time that made individuals believe that black women were inherently promiscuous and not trustworthy. This stereotype worked in the favor of both white men and women when it came to black women trying to gain civil rights. This stereotype is racist and was fueled by a need for white individuals to continue to feel superior. So, you can see how if black individuals, black men, in particular, were to start using this stereotype, the pain that came from hearing that statement may feel like a stab in the back. 

In the case of Megan Thee Stallion, she is one of many black women who have been subject to gun violence. Black women are more likely to be a victim of both gun violence and domestic violence in the United States and people do not talk about that enough. They do not even get the news coverage that black men do when it comes to gun violence. This has led to things such as the “Say Her Name” campaign that started in 2014 to raise awareness for black women affected by gun violence and police brutality. Drake’s words did not just harm Megan, they harmed all black women who are not believed every single day and are left to live in violence and abuse. Did he ever take a minute to think about how those women may feel hearing that line? He probably did not because this is not something that does not directly affect him. 

This case is not one of censorship, it is one of empathy. How can individuals have empathy for black men such as Takeoff who was recently shot and killed on November 1 and not have the same compassion for when black women are shot and, in some cases, killed? This issue goes beyond Megan Thee Stallion and Drake. It is about raising awareness for the vast amount of people who do not believe black women’s cries for help every day. People sit back and believe that black women should be resilient and not ask for help. This case needs to be analyzed for what it truly is, modern-day racism and sexism that is unfortunately accepted by many individuals both blindly and consciously.