I am not a Drake fan. Not even a little. Aside from fleeting moments on Forever and Over, he’s inspired in me little more than indifference. Regardless, it seems like everyone has been caught up in his hype for the last 18 months. And unlike most Hip Hop upstarts in the aughts, he’s found a way to marry mass appeal to (alleged) authenticity. He’s one of very few to legitimately straddle the fence, fluently moving from collabos with ringtone-rap phenoms like Flo-Rida and Trey Songz to trading verses with lyrical heavyweights like Jay-Z and Eminem.

His rise to prominence completely bewilders me. I don’t understand it. I can’t accept it. Yet for some reason, I can’t completely dismiss it. There’s gotta be something behind it. Even old school Hip Hop heads I respect cosign on the Drake hype. His seven-track EP, So Far Gone, a collection of tracks from his mixtape, sold more copies than Only Built For Cuban Linx, Part II, an album I named in my Top Five of 2009. The buzz surrounding this man is incredible.

But, like I said, I’m not a Drake fan. His mainstream collaborations never held much weight for me. I’m the type of dude that prefers GZA over Jeezy and castration over a Nicki Minaj record. I grew up on that boom bap, mid-90s East Coast revival Hip Hop—Biggie, Nas and Wu-Tang. So all this radio play, club hit, female-centric “hip hop” doesn’t do it for me.

But first and foremost, I am completely in love with Hip Hop. I have been since I heard Slick Rick’s Children’s Story during recess in first grade. So if there is even a shred of legitimacy to this whole Drake thing, it deserves to be recognized. And in the name of Hip Hop, I’ve set out to uncover the Mystery Of Drizzy.

The Good

The best thing I can say about Drake is that he’s not dumb. He’s focused, well informed and knows his history. That alone is more than you can say about most of the young MCs trying to make a name for themselves.

From his So Far Gone till Thank Me Later and in between, he’s had a plan and he’s stuck with it. Understand your assets (pretty boy status). Accept your shortcomings (lack of street cred). Know your demographic (women). Build your base (pop-loving kids with Hip Hop inclinations). Earn credibility by working with established artists (Lil Wayne, Eminem, Kanye). Drake is to Hip Hop what Will Smith is to the movie industry. His career is well-plotted, with an end game in mind. Will Smith may not be the greatest actor. But he is fucking bankable and the general public loves him. Similarly, Drake isn’t the most talented MC or singer, but he makes bank and endears himself to the general public in ways most Hip Hop artists have failed to accomplish.

He also realizes that Hip Hop is more than just music. It is a movement, a lifestyle, a culture. Hip Hop has roots, a deep history and tradition that carries significant meaning for generations of people. Drake seems to understand and embrace this. While he may not represent the struggle from whence Hip Hop was born, he respects those that came before him. Shouts to Dilla, Wu-Tang, Onyx and biting quotes from dead prez evidence Drake’s appreciation for the history of the culture.

As far as the actual music goes, he’s definitely competent. Unlike a lot of the purported MCs out there (I’m looking at you Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em), Drake understands theme, cadence, wordplay and beat selection. Granted, his raw talent isn’t near the same level as many other MCs on the scene or even of his contemporary, J. Cole. He’s still worked with some incredible producers and knows how to ride a beat on occasion. When he rhymes, he says something of significance to him and his audience. Though he may speak of trivialities in comparison to artists like Brother Ali, Mos Def or Immortal Technique; his tracks have purpose.

These components combine to create, if nothing else, an interesting case study on the progression of Hip Hop over the last decade. Drake’s unique positive qualities are what has sparked many a discussion of his merits throughout the Hip Hop community.

The Bad

My issues with Drake are three-fold—lyrical content, style/skills and commercialism.

I struggle to find a Drake track to which I can sit back, bob my head and vibe to his lyrics. I’ve never heard him drop a verse that left me saying, “Word.” I just don’t feel dude. That’s probably because I am not his audience. Drake doesn’t make music for the heads. He makes music for the masses—specifically the female masses. And seeing as I have a penis, I’m not feeling his shit. I can’t get down with a 23-year old Canadian kid, who used to be on Nickelodeon, singing about relationships. If I want to hear want to hear a love song, I’ll listen to Marvin or Al Green.

Stylistically, Drake obviously understands the mechanics of MCing. However, his skills are modest. He rarely has those “Daaaaaamn” moments. His punchlines are adequate at best. He can ride a beat, when he wants. But it’s generally the same, Lil Wayne-esque, staccato flow. He shows some dexterity on a track like Show Me A Good Time, yet those moments are infrequent. There is something to be said about creating a recognizable voice and style, but it does not excuse sameness and repetition. Drake’s a one trick pony that keeps pulling out the same played-out metaphor pattern. His idea of adding variety to a track is singing his own hook. This wouldn’t be too awful if he were Quan. But he’s not. His singing is barely passable. If that’s his go-to move, Drake desperately needs to step his game up. As a result of these limited skills, Drake tracks end up blending together. Individual cuts get swallowed up in their own redundancy.

Most of all, his unabashed commercialism just rubs me the wrong way. Between his Degrassi roots and the Sprite commercial, everything about Drake strikes me as the antithesis of Hip Hop—or at least my Hip Hop. Can you imagine Chuck D doing a Pepsi commercial? Or KRS-One guest starring on Gossip Girl? That shit is ridiculous. His whole persona represents my biggest beef with modern Hip Hop—its transformation from culture to commodity. It feels like he’s shitting on the legacies of Hip Hop legends that he shouts out in sixteens. I expect far more from someone as well-versed in Hip Hop history as Drake.

The Conclusion

Is Drake worthy of the adulation being heaped upon him by the masses? Is my pseudo-haterism justified? I don’t know. It is extremely difficult to find legitimate reasons to hate Drake. There is nothing explicitly wrong with the man. But to say Drake is the next great MC is delusional. There are scores of superior MCs flying under the radar. If you threw Drake in a battle against Vado, Jay Electronica or Diabolic, he would get utterly destroyed.

To really understand and appreciate Drake’s place in Hip Hop, you have look at his work in context. Drake knows who he is:

He’s not Raekwon:

“I avoided the Coke game and went with Sprite instead.”

He’s a commercial, pop artist, focused on success above all else:

“Yeah. I want it all, that’s why I strive for it
Diss me, you’ll never hear a reply for it
Any awards show or party, I get fly for it
I know that it’s coming, I just hope that I’m alive for it I want the money, money and the cars
Cars and the clothes, the hos. I suppose
I just wanna be, I just wanna be successful”

And he’s unapologetic:

“What am I doing? Oh, that’s right I’m doing me. I’m doing me. I’m living life right now, man. And this what I’ma do till it’s over. But it’s far from over.”

He’s not claiming to be anything he’s not. That, in itself, is respectable. You have to judge Drake in the context of a Top 40, pop artist as opposed to an MC. That’s not a crutch or an excuse pardoning his less than spectacular mic skils. It’s just the reality of who he is and who he is trying to be. His image and career will not be built by the streets. He won’t climb to the top through diss tracks or social commentary or raw, unadulterated spit. Drake’s success will be defined by album sales, Twitter trends and MTV Video Music Awards.

Is there anything wrong with that? That depends on your views on commercialism. Personally, I won’t be buying any Drake records. I completely agree with Jay Smooth’s take on Thank Me Later. Shit’s just not for me. I can’t relate to him in any meaningful way. And for me, music, and Hip Hop especially, is about a personal connection. There are obviously tons of people out there who do feel Drake’s music—good for them. And if Drake ends up being their gateway drug to vast world of Hip Hop—good for him.

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