Kanye West was rightfully skewered for collaborating with Marilyn Manson, DaBaby, and Chris Brown on his new album Donda. Not to be outdone, Drake’s newly released album, Certified Lover Boy, includes a songwriting credit from R Kelly.
The accused sexual predator, who currently stands trial in a New York federal court for sex crimes he allegedly committed against underaged girls and boys, is credited as a composer and lyricist on Drake’s CLB song “TSU.” At the moment, it’s not clear whether Drake simply interpolated one of R Kelly’s old songs, or included newly penned lyrics from the disgraced singer. Either way, it’s a bad look. Update: Billboard reports that Drake samples Kelly’s 1998 single “Half on a Baby.”
And that’s without mentioning the fact Drake is a devoted fan of the late Aaliyah, who Kelly infamously groomed, impregnated, and married at the age of 15. By including Kelly on CLB, Drake is not only disrespecting Aaliyah’s legacy, he’s also opening the door for renewed scrutiny over his own allegations of grooming.
Elsewhere on Certified Lover Boy, Drake imagines himself as a lesbian on the song “Girls Wants Girls.” He raps, “Yeah, say that you a lesbian, girl, me too/ Ayy, girls want girls where I’m from/ Wait, woah, yeah, girls want girls.” And on “You Only Live Twice,” Drake raps, “Not sure if you know but I’m actually Michael Jackson.”
Certified Lover Boy, Drake’s sixth album to date, was officially released on Friday. It also features collaborations with JAY-Z, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, Lil Wayne, Future, and Young Thug, among others.
