The True Meaning Behind TSU By Drake

Only a few days after Ye — formerly Kanye West — released his highly-anticipated album "Donda," Drake dropped his sixth album "Certified Lover Boy" in September, Pitchfork reported. Although some critics didn't think the record was one of Drake's best, some fans felt otherwise. 

In the first week of release, Drake outdid his already impressive resumé and made Billboard history. Five songs from the album occupied the top five spots on the Billboard Hot 100, which tied a record set by The Beatles. Even more, nine of the top ten spots on the chart were songs from "Certified Lover Boy," which beat out Michael Jackson's previous record of seven tracks from his iconic album "Thriller." The top spot went to the song "Way 2 Sexy," which reunited Drake with his friend and collaborator Future. More than just music, Drake also went surprisingly high art with his album cover of 12 emojis of pregnant women with different hair, skin, and shirt colors on a white background. The design was by Damien Hirst, the popular British artist who created similar works starting in 1986 with different colored polka dots instead of emojis, per Forbes.

One highlight on Drake's record-breaking album is "TSU," which debuted at the ninth spot on the Billboard Hot 100. At first, the song performed well but opinions may have changed after multiple controversies about the production and lyrics. Like other tracks in Drake's discography, "TSU" combines a few of his favorite things into one song.

"TSU" is the abbreviation for Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, and the song's intro features a shoutout to "TSU ladies," per Genius. The university even thanked Drake for his "consistent support" of Houston. But instead of college courses, Drake is talking about strippers in the song. The subject involves a pole dancer who left Texas and is working toward opening a business. Of course, she receives a little help from Drake in terms of financial and emotional support.

Drake also seems to relate to the protagonist, rapping, "Know we both came from a broken home, shawty / Mom and daddy didn't really get along, shawty." It's also possible the story is a personal one, as he says, "This is a story, it came from my life and I'm just recordin' this s**t." Is it possible Drake sees parallels between him and the stripper, as they both wanted something more than what they were given? Hmm.

Although the song was popular for its smooth vibes, "TSU" became controversial for its connection to R. Kelly. The controversial singer is listed as a co-writer because the track uses a sample of his song "Half on a Baby," per WhoSampled. It couldn't have come at a worse time because the disgraced R&B singer was in the middle of a trial for multiple charges, including sex trafficking and bribery, NPR reported. Drake's longtime producer Noah "40" Shebib noted the track's opener features a clip of DJ OG Ron C talking while "Half on a Baby" plays in the background. Shebib explained, per Variety, "We were forced to license it."

The Houston Press called Drake an "honorary Houstonian" as early as 2013, thanks in part to all his references to the Texas city on his album "Nothing Was the Same." Similar to "TSU," Drake also talked about a Houston area adult club called Treasures on the album. Years later, the rapper was still enamored with the Houston nightlife. 

For example, in 2017, Drake returned to Texas for his annual Houston Appreciation Weekend, XXL reported. While in town, he visited a strip club called The Shade Room and supposedly paid tribute to three of its most-popular dancers, Lira Galore, Miracle Watts, and Maliah Michel. Drake did this by hanging up basketball jerseys and retiring them, just like a sports team would. But Michel, one of Drake's rumored exes, was not happy about the gesture. She tweeted in response to HotNewHipHop's report about the rapper's "good-intentioned homage" to the ladies, "No f***ing well intentions... eat a d**k."

Drake later had another gesture that could be seen as well-intentioned but poorly timed. An Instagram post showed the Area 29 adult club in Houston with huge amounts of cash spilled on the stage and floor. In the video, several ladies say, "Thanks Drake," while collecting the bills. Though it could be hyperbole, the caption suggested Drake spent a million dollars at the club. That all occurred one night after Drake performed alongside Travis Scott at the tragic 2021 Astroworld music festival, The Sun reported.