Drake defends wearing pink nail polish: ‘The world is being homophobic’

Canadian rapper defended his pink manicure after fellow rapper Lil Yachty commented on his appearance

Drake has defended his pink manicure after Lil Yachty commented on his appearance in a recent Instagram post.

The 36-year-old rapper, whose real name is Aubrey Drake Graham, recently posted several behind-the-scenes images from his It’s All a Blur Tour, which kicked off on 5 July alongside rapper 21 Savage.

“I don’t mind that we don’t talk. Rather be in your thoughts. Rather be on top of your list of ‘what ifs’ and not your list of ‘and what nots,’” he captioned the post, which included a photo of himself sporting pink nail polish.

In the comments, friend and fellow rapper Lil Yachty appeared to compliment the massive diamond earrings Drake was wearing in the photo. “Boy got them heavy hangers in his ear,” he wrote.

The “Nice For What” rapper then pointed out the negative comments he’s received for his nails in his response. “GET OUT MY COMMENTS YOU TOLD ME TO PAINT MY NAILS SO I STOP BITING THEM AND NOW THE WORLD IS BEING HOMOPHOBIC FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE RICH FLEX,” the Canadian rapper wrote back, referring to his hit song “Rich Flex” with 21 Savage, which was released in November 2022.

“Which wasn’t that long ago now that I think about it,” Drake added. “Wait is the world homophobic? Smh [shake my head].”

Lil Yachty appeared to jokingly respond to Drake’s comment when he replied: “Woo-sah brother, you’re not supposed to have these episodes in public, it’s fine. They just don’t get you bro.”

Earlier this week, Drake showed off his new set of pink nails on his Instagram Story. However, as a close-up photo of his manicure made the rounds on social media, many people weighed in on his appearance. While some users hit out at the “God’s Plan” rapper for wearing pink nail polish, others praised him for the manicure.

(Instagram / @champagnepapi)

“It’s crazy how these homophobic people on here talking about what ‘men should do or how men should be,’” one person commented under The Shade Room’s Instagram post.

“These comments scream insecure and toxic masculinity,” another person added. “Shut up, getting your nails done is not just for women, and it doesn’t make you any less of a man”.

(Instagram / @champagnepapi)

“All the people in the comments pressed about a man wearing nail polish…LOL go touch grass,”  a third user wrote, while someone else said, “@champagnepapi Continue to be an example of true masculinity…which is being able to also embrace your femininity as well”.

In November 2022, Drake released a collaborative album with Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage titled Her Loss. The track “Rich Flex” off the album instantly went viral as memes implied that Drake was flirting with his collaborator when he says the lyric, “21, can you do somethin’ for me?”

However, the Canadian rapper shrugged off the internet fodder in a video interview last December. “I understand after all these years that, I feel like I have a polarising presence,” Drake said. “I’m almost a character in people’s movies and therefore there’s a running dialogue. There’s jokes, you’re either the villain to some people or hero to some people. It is what it is, it just comes with the territory.”

Despite being the subject of online memes, the “One Dance” singer added that his newfound confidence allows him to brush away negative comments.

“I’ve always been able to laugh at myself, but I really do feel now that I mentally am able to separate the two,” he said. “So I just want to stay in that zone, that’s kind of my resolution. I feel really good right now.”