"The Story of Adidon"
The cover features Drake in blackface in a picture taken in 2007.[1]
Song by Pusha T
ReleasedMay 29, 2018 (2018-05-29)
RecordedMay 2018
GenreHip hop
Length3:09
Lyricist(s)Terrence Thornton
Producer(s)No I.D.

"The Story of Adidon" is a diss track by American rapper Pusha T aimed at Canadian rapper Drake, released on May 29, 2018.[2] It reuses the instrumental track from Jay-Z's "The Story of O.J.", which was produced by No I.D. and sampled "Four Women" by Nina Simone.[3][4] The diss track received significant media attention, while Drake received criticism.[5] The track revealed that Drake had a son, Adonis, and brought him into Drake’s life.[6]

Background

On May 25, 2018, Pusha T released his third studio album, Daytona. The album's last track, "Infrared," addressed allegations regarding Drake and ghostwriting. Drake responded by releasing the diss track "Duppy Freestyle" a few hours later.[7] The song garnered significant media attention, as well as a response from Pusha T on Twitter.[8] Pusha T responded to the track by releasing "The Story of Adidon" four days later.

Synopsis

In the diss track, Pusha T raps over the instrumental of Jay-Z's 2017 song "The Story of O.J." from his 13th studio album 4:44, which itself features samples from Nina Simone's song "Four Women". Pusha T alleges that the rumor that Drake had a child named Adonis with French model and former porn star Sophie Brussaux is true, calling Drake a "deadbeat" who is "hiding a child." Pusha T also attacks Drake's alleged insecurities regarding his own race, and mocks OVO Sound record producer 40 for looking frail, which may be due to having multiple sclerosis. The track received high praise for being vicious and harsh, as well as for revealing Drake had a secret child that he was hiding from the public eye. After a month of speculation, Drake finally confirmed he had a son with Brussaux, in lyrics from his fifth studio album Scorpion.[9][4]

The track was titled "The Story of Adidon" after Drake's rumored upcoming Adidas line, which would have publicly revealed Adonis to the world and used him heavily in promotion and advertising. Adidon is a portmanteau of Adidas and Adonis.[10]

Artwork

The cover features a 2007 photograph taken by David Leyes of Drake in blackface. Though Drake has never responded to the diss track, he has commented on the cover, saying "the photos represented how African Americans were once wrongfully portrayed in entertainment" and how these frustrations had not changed since.[11]

Critical reception

Upon release, Pitchfork deemed "The Story of Adidon" as Best New Track[12] and later listed the track as the 31st best song of 2018.[13]

"The Story of Adidon" was named song of the year by Noisey.[14] Complex listed it fifth in its songs of the year list,[15] and praised the first verse as the best rap verse of 2018.[16] The Tampa Bay Times ranked "The Story of Adidon" at number 10 on their "50 Best Songs of 2018" list.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ France, Lisa Respers (May 31, 2018). "Drake explains blackface photo from Pusha-T single". CNN Entertainment. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Story of Adidon by Pusha T". SoundCloud. May 29, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  3. ^ Pearce, Sheldon (May 30, 2018). ""The Story of Adidon" by Pusha-T Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  4. ^ a b St. Félix, Doreen (June 1, 2018). "How Pusha T's "The Story of Adidon" Viciously Undercuts Drake's Celebrity". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  5. ^ Haysom, Sam. "Drake responds to blackface criticism in lengthy Instagram post". Mashable. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  6. ^ Caramanica, Jon (January 23, 2023). "Drake: Rap's Biggest Fan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Drake Disses Pusha-T and Kanye on New Song "Duppy Freestyle": Listen". Pitchfork. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  8. ^ "Drake Hits Back at Pusha T's Diss Track With 'Duppy Freestyle': Listen". Billboard. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  9. ^ Baxter-Wright, Dusty (June 29, 2018). "Drake confirms he has a son with adult movie star Sophie Brussaux on new album, Scorpion". Cosmopolitan.
  10. ^ Sargent, Jordan (May 30, 2018). "Pusha T Explains the Meaning of 'Adidon'". Spin. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  11. ^ Lars Bandle (May 31, 2018). "Drake Opens up on The Blackface Photo Pusha T Used For 'The Story of Adidon' Artwork". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  12. ^ Sheldon Pearce (May 30, 2018). ""The Story of Adidon" by Pusha-T Review". Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  13. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2018". Pitchfork. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  14. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2018". Noisey. December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "The Best Songs of 2018". Complex. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  16. ^ Kiana Fitzgerald; Khal; Shawn Setaro; Frazier Tharpe; Carolyn Bernucca; Angel Diaz (June 26, 2018). "Best Rap Verses of 2018 (So Far)". Complex. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  17. ^ Jay Cridlin (December 27, 2018). "The 50 best songs of 2018". Tampabay.


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