Wikipedia

The Story of Adidon

"The Story of Adidon" is a diss track written and recorded by American rapper Pusha T. It was released on May 29, 2018 on SoundCloud, amidst his feud with Canadian rapper Drake. The track is a response to Drake's "Duppy Freestyle".

"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 track reuses the instrumental from Jay-Z's "The Story of O.J.", which was produced by No I.D. and sampled "Four Women" by Nina Simone. Its lyrics target Drake, revealing the existence of his secret child, Adonis, and accusing him of hiding his son from the public while exploiting black culture for commercial gain. Pusha T also makes allegations about Drake's producer, 40, and his health condition.

"The Story of Adidon" was met with widespread acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised Pusha T's lyricism and fearlessness. Complex called the first verse the best rap verse of 2018, while other publications called it the most devastating blow in the ongoing feud between the two rappers. In 2024, Billboard named it as the second "Most Scathing Hip-Hop Diss of All Time". The cover art for the track, featuring a controversial image of Drake in blackface, added to its shock value and public debate.

Background

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On May 25, 2018, Pusha T released his third studio album, Daytona. The album's last track, "Infrared," contained alleged references to Drake and ghostwriting. Drake responded by releasing the diss track "Duppy Freestyle" a few hours later.[2] The song garnered significant media attention. Pusha T first responded that day on Twitter.[3] "The Story of Adidon" was released four days later.[4]

Synopsis

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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".[5][6] Pusha T revealed Drake had a child named Adonis with French former pornstar Sophie Brussaux.[7] Pusha T also attacks Drake's alleged insecurities regarding his race, and mocks OVO Sound producer 40 for looking frail due to his multiple sclerosis. The track was titled "The Story of Adidon" after Drake's rumored upcoming Adidas line, which would have publicly revealed Drake's son Adonis, who would have been used heavily in promotion and advertising. "Adidon" is a portmanteau of Adidas and Adonis.[8][9]

After a month of speculation, Drake confirmed he had a son with Brussaux in lyrics from his fifth album Scorpion.[10][6] He ultimately did not respond to the diss track.

Artwork

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The cover features a 2007 photograph of Drake in blackface taken by David Leyes. Drake commented on the cover, saying "the photo represents how African Americans were once wrongfully portrayed in entertainment" and how these frustrations had not changed since.[11]

Critical reception

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The track received critical acclaim despite its controversy: some praised it as a diss song for being vicious and harsh, noting it as victory for Pusha T in the feud, while others said it went too far.[citation needed] Pitchfork deemed "The Story of Adidon" as Best New Track that week and listed it as the 31st best song of 2018.[12][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] while Pitchfork described it as "at once a three-dimensional chess move and vicious sucker punch."[5] Doreen St. Felix of The New Yorker wrote that "is like a horror-movie psychiatrist, excavating a patient only to use deep-set pathologies against him."[6]

All-time lists

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Name of publisher, name of listicle, year(s) listed, and placement result
Publisher Listicle Year(s) Result Ref.
Billboard The 15 Most Scathing Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time 2024 2nd [18]
Complex The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time 7th [19]
The Ringer The Greatest Diss Tracks of All Time, Ranked 5th [20]
HipHopDX 100 Greatest Diss Songs in Hip Hop History: Ranked 6th [21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ France, Lisa Respers (May 31, 2018). "Drake explains blackface photo from Pusha-T single". CNN Entertainment. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Drake Disses Pusha-T and Kanye on New Song "Duppy Freestyle": Listen". Pitchfork. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  3. ^ "Drake Hits Back at Pusha T's Diss Track With 'Duppy Freestyle': Listen". Billboard. May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "The Story of Adidon by Pusha T". SoundCloud. May 29, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Pearce, Sheldon (May 30, 2018). ""The Story of Adidon" by Pusha-T Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c 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.
  7. ^ Haysom, Sam (May 31, 2018). "Drake responds to blackface criticism in lengthy Instagram post". Mashable. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  8. ^ Sargent, Jordan (May 30, 2018). "Pusha T Explains the Meaning of 'Adidon'". Spin. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  9. ^ Caramanica, Jon (January 23, 2023). "Drake: Rap's Biggest Fan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  10. ^ Baxter-Wright, Dusty (June 29, 2018). "Drake confirms he has a son with adult movie star Sophie Brussaux on new album, Scorpion". Cosmopolitan.
  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. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2018". Pitchfork. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  13. ^ Sheldon Pearce (May 30, 2018). ""The Story of Adidon" by Pusha-T Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 28, 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.
  18. ^ Scott, Damlen. "The 15 Most Scathing Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time". Billboard.
  19. ^ "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Diss Songs of All Time". Complex. May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  20. ^ "The Greatest Diss Tracks of All Time, Ranked". The Ringer. May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Wilson, Elliott (May 14, 2024). "100 Greatest Diss Songs In Hip Hop History: Ranked". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
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