Saturday, November 12, 2011

A Quick Note on Drake

As November 15 quickly approaches, hip hop star Drake seems poised to make a splash in the music world by delivering Take Care, his second major studio album, and one that could potentially earn him his first Grammy Award. Since the release of two mixtapes in 2006-7, Drake has moved steadily towards the top of the heap in today's hip hop and popular music scene. Through the release of So Far Gone, a mixtape turned LP, and Thank Me Later--his first critically acclaimed studio album, in which he collaborated with many of the music community's most impressive names--Aubrey Drake Graham has positioned himself in the middle of hip hop's bustling epicenter.


Like his close friend and mentor Lil Wayne did by winning 4 Grammys with the release of Tha Carter III (2008)Drake has the opportunity--as a Canadian--to make his own distinct mark on American music. Having grown up in Toronto with his mother and spending time with his father in Memphis, Drake began rapping as an outsider to the American music scene. Still more intriguing, he started out his career as an actor on the popular teen TV show Degrassi: The Next Generation. But besides the gigantic career that has opened up before him, the (only!) 25 year-old Graham has a deeply contemplative and introspective facet to his music. While collaborating successfully with industry giants like Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Eminem, Rick Ross, and consistently with Lil Wayne, he makes music genuinely, in his own voice. He makes music he wants to see be made. 


In public, he handles himself with near-perfect grace, displaying a strong figure nowhere close to the out of control, dangerous lifestyles his peers sometimes live. From him, I get the sense that he has a reached a distinct level of maturity and perspective, and this is admirable. I get the sense that he thinks hard about his music, and I love that he doesn't rap strictly to make money or keep industry executives complacent. 

Besides an entertainer and a businessman, he's a socialite, a thinker, a social commentator and socialite. He's a fascinating mix of different interests, pursuits and personalities--held together by a mixture of good old fashioned hip-hop ambition, and a unique capacity for emotional introspection. I can't help but be amazed at the seamless, confident way he has collaborated with so many of the past decade's musical titans, and I can't help but think that he's talented and driven enough to eventually place himself on top. Listening intently to his lyrics that wind, burst, leap, and scrutinize, I have high expectations for Drake. 




If you're interested in further reading, I found this interview (published yesterday) with GQ to be revealing and intriguing: http://www.gq.com/entertainment/music/201111/drake-take-care-interview-gq 

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