Drake is drawing controversy over a resurfaced old video of him kissing and touching a 17-year-old girl that he had brought up onstage at one of his concerts.
The clip, which went viral just before this weekend, was filmed in 2010 and took place at a show in Denver, according to a YouTube user. Drake mentions Colorado onstage in the video. The age of sexual consent in that state is 17.
Drake’s rep declined to comment on the video.
In the clip, the rapper, then 23 years old, slow-dances with the girl, then rubs and kisses her shoulder and hugs her around her chest while standing behind her, as she smiles.
“I get in trouble for s–t like this,” he tells the audience, then asks the fan, “How old are you?”
“Seventeen,” she replies, as he expresses dismay, prompting the crowd to go wild.
“I can’t go to jail yet, man,” he says. “Seventeen? How do you look like that? You thick. Look at all this.”
“I had fun,” he adds. “I don’t know whether I should feel guilty or not, but I had fun. I like the way your breasts feel against my chest. I just want to thank you.”
He then kisses her hand, both her cheeks, her forehead and her lips, as the audience cheered and clapped.
“It’s OK, I’m only 23,” Drake said. “I can do s–t like that right there.”
Many people took to Twitter to voice criticism of Drake over the video, with some also mentioning his controversial friendship with 14-year-old Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown.
Drake, now 32 and a former teen actor himself, has not commented on their remarks.
The rapper, like many male artists, occasionally takes time during his concerts to sing to and interact with an excited female fan selected by a crew member.
R&B singer Akon drew controversy in 2007 for having simulated sex with a 15-year-old girl he pulled up on stage during a show in Trinidad. A video of the onstage romp went viral, and was one of the first celebrity videos to go viral. He later apologized, saying he didn’t realize she was underage. The controversy spurred Verizon to drop its sponsorship of a Gwen Stefani tour, which had featured Akon as the opening act.
In 2017, Drake made headlines when he stopped a concert to call out a handsy audience member for groping women.
“Stop that s–t,” he said into his microphone. “If you don’t stop touching girls, I’m going to come out there and f–k you up.”