Spirit rapper Wale's dark complexion 'held him back' in the rap game

He may have once come under fire for only using light-skinned girls in his Pretty Girls music video, but rapper Wale says recognition in the rap game can be hard to come by if you are a little dark in complexion.

The star who collaborated with Kwesta on Spirit, took to social media last month to hint that being "dark skinned (not half white) rapper direct descent from Africa"  had prevented him from being mentioned with the likes of J Cole and Drake.

Speaking on popular morning radio show The Breakfast Club this week, Wale expanded on his sermon and said that sometimes not being racially "ambiguous" can make life hella difficult.

“Racial ambiguity helps in anything. That's just how it is. Racial ambiguity helps at some level. Even in acting, you can play Italian, Greek, this, that. If you’re Black, you're what?Black, Jamaican, African, maybe."

He added that he didn't mean the game was racist, only that if you were light-skinned you had more benefits.

"It could be for a lot of reasons. I didn’t mean it like the world is racist like racial ambiguity helps a lot, it’s a benefit, I think." 

J Cole also spoke about the struggles of dark rappers vs light rappers, once telling BET that he may have not been as successful if he was dark skinned.

"Those mental chains are still in us. That brainwashing that tells us that light skin is better, it’s subconsciously in us, whether we know it or not… still pursuing light skin women...But Barack Obama would not be President if he were dark skin. You know what I mean? That’s just the truth.  I might not be as successful as I am now if I was dark skin. I’m not saying that for sure, I’m still as talented as I am and Obama is still as smart as he is, but it’s just a sad truth."

Even Kodak Black caught heat when he claimed in a song last year that he was not about that dark skinned life.

"“Where them yellow bones? / I don’t want no Black b*tch / I’m already Black / Don’t need no Black b*tch,” he rapped on the song.