First off, No. Aubrey Drake Graham is not queer (as far as I know if you know something different please slide into my dms with receipts).
This is not about Aubrey. This is about the image and music of Drake the rapper and how queer it is. Is this ridiculous? Definitely. But that?s the point.
His Instagram
Similar versions of all these pictures were definitely taken by some white daddy on Fire Island this summer. Every single one of these pics is screaming masc top in the streets, bottom in the sheets. Which mirrors a lot of Drake?s appeal. He?s the sensitive rapper who acts tough. He?s goofy and dorky and no matter how masc he tries to present he will always seem that way.
Speaking of, Drake?s Instagram is hilarious. He must be in on the joke and sometime?s it?s obvious he is.
Other times, I really can?t tell. Is he serving pouty lips for days because he knows it?s funny (Drake?s smile is always the most natural look on his face) or is this supposed to be his ?I?m a real nigga? face because sis if it is, it ain?t working.
I mean who hasn?t seen a gay Dominican dude make this face on social media.
At the end of the day, Drake?s Instagram is decidedly not queer. It?s just a mix between aggressively heterosexual and yet comfortable with playing with his masculinity (to a point). Drake?s not afraid to play with the idea of him being the sensitive emotional rapper. Masculinity when presented with such awareness of how fake it is can always seem queer. Drake is overdoing it the same way a lot of gay men over do it.
His Music
Yeah, Drake?s music is really straight and there?s not much queer reading to do here.
In fact, compared to other rappers Drake?s music is boringly straight. For all this talk about rap music being super homophobic there are a ton of famous rappers who have verses about or alluding to fucking dudes (check out the last episode of Atlanta.)
Drake?s got nothing like that. He already has to deal with the sensitive rapper thing he?s not going to add any fuel to the fire. DMX and Lil? Wayne and even Meek Mill can rap about getting head from a dude or alluding to it without getting too much shit for it because they?re very masculine dudes who actually started from the bottom. Drake?s rap career has alway been him trying to prove his seriousness against his Degrassi upbringing.
So yeah Drake makes straight people music.
The Actor
Wait one second can we talk bout how gay Drake?s SNL photos are?
I?ve seen both of these looks in Grindr profile pictures, I know it.
Anyway, Drake the Actor is him at his freest. He can be whoever he wants to be without losing respect. Drake is more a professional actor than anything else. He acts in his rapping, he acts on social media and he act like he can sing.
In conclusion
Drake?s not queer. Duh. But he plays with masculinity in the same way that a lot of drag performers do. He is so over the top with it that it becomes so cartoonish and laughable. Instead of masculinity being this overbearing political idea that has destroyed lives, it becomes a silly fucking joke.
Queerness is relative to whatever culture a person is living in. In America, these pictures are queer. They?re not the usual masculine ideal. I want to make it clear that all men should be able to express themselves this way and there?s nothing wrong with anything Drake is doing. But it is interesting.
