93
Lyrics 9
“And you know me as a Cris (Chris) bottle sender, check picker upper” We know Drake to be as dangerous as they come, as he’s incredibly witty with the way he puts words together, and is remarkably vivid with how well he paints a picture. A style that is far from complex, Drake can be classified as easy listening although sometimes you do have to catch what he’s really saying. Whether he’s rapping at you bar for bar or singing to your girl with effortlessly smooth ballads, Drake is a problem for many, and a lot of that has to do with the descriptiveness of his pen.
Delivery 10
"And shout out all my boss bitches wifin *****!, make sure you hit em with the prenup, then tell that man to ease up, I did another one I did another one, you still ain't did shit about the other one." Drake is a smooth operator on a track nothing less nothing more. Yet while he doesn’t hit you like Kendrick or Cole his lane is his own, and nobody can compete with him in that arena. Drake sounds so good on a track that he’s the preferred artist for both club patrons and even athletes getting prepared for competition, making it clear he can get you in the zone no matter the circumstance.
Content/Meaning 9
"She from the jungle, she from the jungle, I take somebody else's car, drive there undercover." 90% of the time Drake is telling you how wavy he is, which again is perfect for the lane he’s in. Yet the only time there’s any real substance in his music is actually when he’s singing, and often times the melodies are pretty damn good (Brand New, Jungle, Cameras, just to name a few). I’ve always felt that’s how Drake really demonstrates his artistry, all the while knowing his braggadocious raps aren’t comparable to the quality found in Kendrick or Cole. All the same the balance that he’s found really works, and overall Drake has more relative meaning in his music than most of the mainstream.
Structure/Songwriting 10
"Cause you're a good girl and you know it... you act so different around me..." Drake is a hit making machine, literally, arguably, unfortunately. Yet ghostwriting aside there’s no use even naming his hit records because there’s honestly too many. If anything he could use better cohesion for his albums (I’ve always said you can scramble songs from his first album to his last and you’ll still hear the same story) yet even that doesn’t take away from his songwriting ability that is second to none.
Self Made 6
“I did it with my own sound…” Which brings to mind the only blemish on his record. Before the revelation last summer it almost seemed too good to be true, as Drake was able to drop hit after hit as if he really was a machine. From hit records of his own, to features that he’d body every time, to countless other media endeavors that were always successful around the world, like he said himself he simply couldn’t miss, that is until the news broke that led anyone who loves Hip Hop to question everything. Not that he didn’t flex his muscles on Meek so convincingly that a diss record became one of his biggest hits, yet as it stands today the issue was never addressed, which leaves his standing in a precarious position. Facts - Runnin through the 6 with my woes was one of the most memorable moments of IYRTITL, and "Girl of your dreams is not a challenge" was what we remembered off R.I.C.O. Those reference tracks were damaging, and although he was able to save face it makes me wonder about the creative process altogether. That being said Drake has written many hit songs for others, which means he really does have something that you can’t ignore, he just needs to clean it up cause contrary to public opinion last summer wasn’t that smooth.
Image/Branding 10
“This is a gated community please get the fuck off the property” This is Drake in every way imaginable, the new Drake, the old Drake, Drake was always a movie star, and he never carried himself as anything but. Maybe on his early mixtapes when he was influenced by Little Brother was he more down to earth, but ever since that Young Money co-sign he’s been outta here! And minus one noticeable flaw he’s played this role almost picture perfect, becoming decisively the biggest name in Hip Hop out of the new generation. The go-to artist for endorsements and Hollywood publicity, Drake is the most likely out of the new legends to hit Jay or Diddy status, contingent of course that his business is right.
Sales 10
“I think I’m sellin a million first week, man I guess I’m an optimist” And he might’ve really done it if the RIAA didn’t shamefully change the rules to make platinum status more like a participation award. In fact with Views he actually might have done it, yet does anybody really know for sure? Why they didn’t make them two separate categories is beyond me, yet all the same Drake is a superstar and his sales reflect that. Next to Eminem he sells more than anyone in Hip Hop and at this point the end of his reign is nowhere in sight.
Ability to Rock an Instrumental at a Radio Station 9
“What your life like, this how mine feel, I like my seat back, I like my wine chilled, I look good smell better and i rhyme illll” Drake can rock an instrumental just fine, only it’s rather disappointing when he needs his phone to remember his rhymes, and even more discouraging when his phone doesn’t have enough rhymes in it [see his Funk Flex freestyles from the So Far Gone/Thank Me Later days].
Ability to Fuck Up a Rewind Button 10
“She used to soda and nuggets she really just out here thuggin” Drake can snap, period. On many occasions he has the ability to make you hit rewind for something he says, and perhaps even more likely is his ability to make you play his songs over and over. Records like Hold On, Controlla, and Hotline Bling have infectious melodies that you need to hear more than once, and add sharp lyrics on 30 for 30 and 4 pm in Calabasas and he’s the perfect balance for whatever you’re in the mood for.
Longevity 10
“Oh my god, oh my god, if I die, I’m a legend” And there’s no way to argue anything different. Like all Hollywood superstars Drake has a hold on the public’s interest that isn’t going away anytime soon. The ghostwriting and missing credits does hinder his legacy as a God MC in my humble opinion, yet I do look forward to him extending his fame with movies and more endeavors in the future, in which case being successful in multiple industries is a major look that anybody should respect.