"Are you black all the time or are you black some of the time?" — Dr Umar requests clarification from Drake on whether he is black or not

Psychologist and black activist Dr. Umar has called on Drake, asking for clarification from Drake about whether he is black or not. On Monday, July 15, 2024, the activist took to his social media to ask Drizzy if he only identifies that he is black when convenient. He stating:

"Are you black all the time, or are you black some of the time? Because if you are only black some of the time, I'm here to tell you—you're not black any of the time."

This statement followed Dr. Umar's appearance on iHeartRadio's The Breakfast Club podcast on July 10, 2024. During the show, he discussed black identity and issues currently faced by the community. When the conversation shifted to the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar beef, Dr. Umar explained that he wants both rappers to use their platforms to create a positive change in their respective communities.

He also addressed Rick Ross's attack at a Vancouver concert by Drake fans (for allegedly trying to play Lamar's Not Like Us). Umar explained that it bothered him that a Caucasian person, who had nothing to do with the beef, decided to swing on Ross. This prompted the hosts to point out that Drake was of a mixed race, which prompted Umar to seek clarification on his cultural identity.

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"He don't have to renounce his mother to be a black man" — Dr. Umar on Drake's racial heritage

While discussing K. Dot and Drizzy, Dr. Umar praised Lamar for being socially progressive and bringing the West Coast hip-hop community together (Pop Out concert) without any violence. He urged Lamar to have the same energy to fight gentrification in Los Angeles and neighboring cities, stating:

"Don't just bring out people together to party and support your beef with Drake, bring them together to protest, to mach, and to organize against gentrification."

Dr. Umar added that he wanted the Compton-born rapper to tackle high black incarceration rates in California and to build schools and hospitals to bring about systemic change. He then stated that the black community in Canada faces similar struggles and called on Drizzy to use his influence and platform to help them.

At this point, the activist noted that people need to have "boundaries around (their) culture," referring to the attack against Rick Ross in Vancouver. He argued:

"We have allowed non-Africans to get so comfortable in our culture that they would step to an artist and swing on them in the name of a beef that is all black, that ain't got nothing to do with them, and feel completely comfortable swinging on a black artist. That should not be acceptable."

This prompted co-host Charlamagne tha God to point out that Drake is not all black. Dr. Umar responded by saying that he is a black man with a white mother, adding that he believed Drizzy always identified as black.

This led Charlamagne to bring up one of the recent criticisms against the Hotline Bling rapper, which claims Drizzy is cosplaying (as explained in the episode, pretending to imitate black American culture).

To be noted, Drake was born to an African-American father and a mother of Jewish heritage. Umar, seeking clarification, questioned when Drizzy cosplayed. The hosts could not give a conclusive answer, leading the activist to state that the Toronto-born rapper needs to clarify his stance, stating:

"I don't have a problem with him saying that (he is Jewish and Black) 'cause he don't have to renounce his mother to be a black man."

Earlier in the interview, Dr. Umar stated that as long as one parent is black, he believed the person is black when asked about his views on people with mixed racial identities.

This is not the first time Drake's cultural and racial identity has been questioned. In his diss track Not Like Us, Lamar claimed Drizzy exploited Atlanta's rap scene for monetary gains and even called him a colonizer. The rapper has not responded to Dr. Umar's video.