Incel culture has seen a dramatic rise in the last decade. Hitting the mainstream with the 2014 Isla Vista killings and the 2018 vehicular attack in Toronto, the online phenomenon sees groups of men who are ‘involuntarily celibate’ banding together in comradery over their lack of sexual gratification in life. The idea of forming an identity solely on one’s inability to seduce the opposite sex, unsurprisingly leads to conflation of women as objects; a means to an end of no longer being an incel.  

the online phenomenon sees groups of men who are ‘involuntarily celibate’ banding together in comradery

This objectification that is common in the incel community extends past it to a general populace of men who, while not involuntarily celibate, hold the same prejudices towards women. One of these men is the rapper Drake.

Most prescient in his misogynistic outings is Drake gifting a fan $50k at a concert because his ex-girlfriend did not attend with him. Stating “She ain’t come with you tonight to the Drake show?! What the f*** is wrong with her?” Drake gifted the fan the money so he could “flex” on his ex. While he did say the crowd was being “a little aggressive” for chanting “F*** that b****”, he did validify their chanting by announcing “f*** that young lady.”

no matter the reason, if a woman breaks up with a man she will be condemned

While on the surface this could be interpreted as a meaningful gesture to a fan going through a particularly difficult time, the connotations and atmosphere bred by not only Drake’s statement but the chants of the crows are particularly misogynistic. Effectively, by having agency in her own life and deciding not to attend a concert with a man she recently broke up with, an unknown woman not in attendance became the object of ire to an audience of majority men. This sets a precedent for the atmosphere of Drake’s concerts going forward; no matter the reason, if a woman breaks up with a man she will be condemned by the attendees.

Drake’s attitude extends past his relationship with his fans and to his interactions with other celebrities. At a pool party hosted by Kylie Jenner in 2020, Tony Lanez reportedly shot Megan Thee Stallion in the foot, something that he is facing 10 years in prison over. Alluding to the situation in the opening lines of “Circo Loco”, Drake says “This b**** lie ’bout getting shots, but she still a stallion”.

Insinuating that Megan Thee Stallion lied about getting shot shows a blatant disregard for an incident that for most people would be incredibly traumatic and life-changing. Not only this but making the claim publicly 9 months before the incident went to trial can be viewed as Drake attempting to rally his fanbase against the rapper. Compounded by the follow-up”, “she still a stallion” objectifies Megan Thee Stallion for her looks; her lying is acceptable because Drake finds her attractive. Combining these three facts together, generates the idea that due to Megan Thee Stallion being an influential woman, Drake takes issue with her and her stances while still making it abundantly clear he would ‘give her a chance’ for lack of a better phrase.

Everything that Drake does that can be interpreted as misogynistic should be viewed in the lens of him being a public figure with a large following.

Everything that Drake does that can be interpreted as misogynistic should be viewed in the lens of him being a public figure with a large following. Having 144 million followers on Instagram and 86.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, it is a fair assessment to say Drake wields considerable power in the public sphere. Therefore, the fact that what he decides to do with this power to attack others, most notably women, should be taken into account when acknowledging the impact he has on those belonging to the gender. His influence will inevitably result in others who admire or look up to the star adopting these aggressive and misogynistic views to emulate him, likely resulting in a higher rate of those partaking in ‘incel culture’.

Is Drake the Incel King? To answer this Drake is very likely not an incel (it’s hard to tell what happens behind closed doors) but the consistent lack of respect for women posits that he has the energy of one. Therefore, by being such a public and influential figure, his commanding this power to disparage women for their mere existence posits him as the ‘Incel King’ even if he may not be a member of the community.

 

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