Drake: The Art of Being Relatable in Hip-Hop
“Told me about all your insecurities, for what?
Dragged me like two hours to your family’s house, for what?
Said you need some time but I should stick around, for what?
Always felt like stickin’ ‘round’s the same as being stuck”
Scorpion has been out for almost two months now, and I've gotta say, for me, Side B has much stronger replay value than Side A, and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. Aside from the singles and a couple stand out tracks on Side A (i.e. Mob Ties), in my opinion, Side B is a lot stronger in terms of capturing an audience and really getting them in their feelings (pun intended).
I've always had a soft spot for Drake, but initially, I was surprised to see him slide his way to the top. Drake isn't the type of artist that we're used to seeing in hip-hop; he isn't hard and typically doesn't rap about drugs, guns, and trying to make it out of the hood. He's just a guy from Toronto who has experienced things that we all have, such as broken relationships, deteriorating friendships, and his parent's separation. Hip-hop has always leaned towards the masculine end of the spectrum, but Drake came in and erased that entire stereotype by putting all of his feelings out on the table.
Drake is the hip-hop artist that nobody knew they needed. As an avid hip-hop head, I love hard bars, punch lines, and dissecting complex lyrical content. When Drake came about, I found myself doing less of those things, and was given the opportunity to fully connect with Drake through his music. I enjoyed learning about his personal pitfalls and successes, and being able to see similarities between him and I. Drake's power is that he's relatable; he has the ability to touch on topics that most millennials have gone through. Not everyone can say they grew up in a rough neighborhood, but we all can admit that we've had our fair share of relationship troubles. Drake is a genius; his ability to make you feel as if he wrote a song specifically geared towards your personal life is amazing.
“My license been expired; I renew it after the weekend. Fuck, I know I said that shit the last seven weekends.”
NWTS was Drake's 3rd studio album, and is still my favorite album of his to date. In my opinion, it’s Drake's most cohesive project and has the most consistent sound throughout. Let me guess, you thought I was going to dive into Take Care? Yes, Take Care is a great album, and is extremely relatable. With tracks like Marvin's Room, Good Ones Go, and Doing it Wrong, there is no denying that. However, NWTS is more concise, and we saw a noticeable improvement in Drake's rapping and singing skills. Also, from a personal outlook, NWTS was more relatable to me when it first dropped considering where I was at that point in my life as opposed to where I was when I first heard Take Care.
Circa 2013: NWTS dropped in September; it was the beginning of my sophomore year in college. I was involved in a summer fling that developed into a rocky situationship. I remember the first time I heard this album. I returned home after my night class, sat on the leather loveseat in my dimly lit living room, and pressed play. The album opened up with “Tuscan Leather,” which is Drake’s best opening track on any of his projects (this is a fact, don’t @ me), and some argue is his best track in general. I’m not sure I agree with the latter, but I do think it’s a fair argument. Tuscan Leather is an unconventional rap song in its own right. It's a six-minute long track that incorporates multiple beat switch ups and has no hook. Towards the beginning of the record, Drake boasts about its unconventionality by admitting that Tuscan Leather wasn't made for radio, but due to his popularity, they'll play it regardless. Drake was absolutely right, and it was in this instance when I realized that Drake was never going to stop pushing hip-hop boundaries.
“This is nothin’ for the radio, but they’ll still play it though, cause it’s that new Drizzy Drake, that’s just the way it go.”
NWTS had its hard radio bangers (Started From the Bottom, Worst Behavior, and All Me), but a great portion of the album featured relatable records such as Furthest Thing, Come Thru, Connect, and Hold on We’re Going Home (just to name a few). I felt a connection to Drake when listening to these records. He didn't hold back when it came to exposing his relationship downfalls, family problems, and inner struggles. I felt deeply connected to Connect (haha). On this record, Drake recounts a toxic relationship that he can't seem to walk away from. Drake finds ways to justify staying in the relationship despite his girlfriend's constant disregard for his feelings. Drake continuously succumbs to the on-and-off again relationship although he's aware of its toxicity. He states that he'll always be there to "pick a million tiny little pieces off the ground." Connect was the perfect depiction of the relationship I was in at the time. We tried "for home run every time" despite knowing the relationship wouldn't last in the long run. I remember being in complete awe when I heard this song; I played it back...and then I played it back again. Relatable themes like the ones in Connect were widespread on NWTS, and I truly felt connected to Drake after listening to this album. He was able to put some of my deepest hardships and fears into words, and it honestly made me feel more open to expressing myself.
Drake openly expressed himself on projects before NWTS, and continues to express his himself on projects post-NWTS. Now, we're all listening to Scorpion, which is a dual-disc album that features an entire side dedicated to his feelings! Drake managed to pack multiple themes on this album: the dangers of moving too fast in a relationship, feeling used by a past partner, wondering if someone still loves you, the realities of co-parenting, etc. Drake has a strong understanding of this generation which is a huge triumph, as he is able to genuinely and positively reach a widespread of young listeners. I have no doubt that Drake will continue to tap into these types of themes, as well as inspire other artists to do the same.
While I won't say that Drake pioneered the idea of rappers being "soft" and exposing their feelings, because there are plenty of rap artists who have done it before him, but I will say that he definitely played a HUGE role in why it's so widely accepted now. We now have a plethora of hip-hop artists who are creating more relatable and self-expressive rap projects (I.E. Jaden Smith & Tyler the Creator). Hip-hop culture is without a doubt shifting, and I'm excited that we are now able to more closely connect with hip-hop artists and truly get to know who they are as people, what struggles they have dealt with, and how we can relate.