Drake's Blackface Photographer Defends Image

The most shocking thing about Pusha T's "The Story Of Adidon" attack on Drake may be the cover art: Drake in blackface.

David Leyes took the photos in 2008 while working with the Toronto-based brand Too Black Guys. It was part of the brand's "Jim Crow Couture” look book, which was meant to spoof racism, not engage in it. Leyes defended the photo in an Instagram comment.

"Hell no!! For sure I took it!!," said Leyes when asked why he didn't deny taking the shot. "I’m proud to be part of a strong statement made by a black man about the fucked up culture he is livin in."

Lupe Fiasco also added context to the photos. Although he then deleted the Tweets, suggesting he wasn't fully behind the explanation.

How do y’all feel about Lupe’s thoughts on the Drake blackface picture? 🙇🏽 pic.twitter.com/RUu1WXFM12

— Savage Shrizzy (@TheRealShrizzy) May 30, 2018

 “Yes it’s two pictures of 6 in blackface… The one Pusha has as the cover is connected to another one but it’s cropped off. The one you saw is happy, the other is dark and sad. Both together actually presents a powerful duality of representation and race and its expectations on art," Lupe wrote.

Fiasco also said it was "mistake" that Push presented the one photo without context, especially since Push's DAYTONA album cover is a tabloid shot of Whitney Houston's cracked out bathroom.