Lyrics in Canadian rapper Drake's new song 'Drew A Picasso' imply that Singapore-based artists do not get paid enough, and are poor. Photo: AFP
Canadian rapper Drake has included several slights and mentioned many places in his discography through the years.
Singapore has now been added to that list, appearing in his new song Drew A Picasso from his eighth studio album For All The Dogs, which was released on Friday (Oct 6).
In the 4min and 22sec song, the 36-year-old raps: “Artists hittin’ on you, broke as f***, I swear them n***** probably live in Singapore.”
The lyrics imply that Singapore-based artists do not get paid enough, and are poor.
According to Glassdoor – a website where former employees review companies – an artist in Singapore earns an average of $6,050 (RM20,903.30) per month.
The average additional income for an artist in Singapore is $2,700 (RM9,328.74), with a range from $675 (RM2,332.19) to $8,250 (RM28,504.49), it added.
The lyrics have garnered mixed reactions from Singaporeans on Reddit.
A user said: “I am broke and currently live in SG so, yeah, this checks out.”
Another user came to the five-time Grammy Award winner’s defence and said: “Interesting. I think it’s a wordplay on being broke and living in Singa‘poor’.
“What if he’s trying to say that those claiming to be broke artists and asking for donations are scamming because they are actually rich and probably live in Singapore, a very expensive city?”
There were also some who shrugged it off by simply commenting “Majulah”.
Singaporean singer Tabitha Nauser seemed to take the mention lightly as she took to her Instagram stories to post a screenshot of the lyrics with laughing emojis and said: “Choking. Crying.”
Drake’s latest 23-track album comes hours before his announcement on taking a break from music to focus on recurring stomach issues. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
