"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 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
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
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
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
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
Name of publisher, name of listicle, year(s) listed, and placement result
