Drake threatened to put hands on man who kept touching women at his show
Hip-hop star Drake recently threatened to get down in the Down Under when a male attendee apparently would not stop touching women during the rapper’s after party. Drake, who is traveling the world for his Boy Meets World Tour, set the record straight mid-performance in Sydney, Australia. The artist had the DJ stop the music as he pointed into the crowd with some advice. “If you don’t stop touching girls,” Drake said, “I will come out there and f*ck you up.”
His fans cheered after the first warning. But it appears that the man in the audience either offered a rebuttal, continued his behavior or did something else comparably offensive because Drake issued one more warning. “If you don’t stop putting your hands on girls, I’m gonna come out there and f*ck your ass up.”
When the video footage made its rounds online, mixed responses occurred. Some folks said they did not believe (jokingly or not) that Drake could actually beat someone up. However, more people seemed to champion his response.
Given the constant updates and continuous discussion about sexual assault, especially by men against women, this footage translates chivalrously. In that micro-moment, Drake used his platform to help people enjoy the show without some dude groping women who likely thought his actions were not seen or would just be tolerated. Men like the attendee in question often take correction swifter and more readily from other men, especially tall and/or big men, than they do from women regardless of our heights and sizes.
Sometimes when I go about my day, I ask a man to accompany me because of the various gendered aggressions that follow doing my thing solo. Without fail, when I have a male companion or “chaperone” of sorts problematic men leave me alone. And it really shouldn’t take all of that.
Society teaches too many men that they are entitled to whatever they want from women whenever they want it. As a result, many men lack the freestanding respect for women’s bodily integrity to act right. That’s where good dudes can help. Much like white folks who work toward anti-racism can intervene when other white folks inflict violence on people of color, more men can help nip gendered aggressions against women in the bud. Australian media reported that security removed the man after Drake put him on blast.