Drake-Thank Me Now

Thank him now; hopefully there will be a later…

I hear a lot of mixed opinions about Drake and his music.  For that, he should thank us, the listeners, because one of the undeniable truths in hip-hop is that being both loved and hated at the same time is an important step toward superstardom.  ‘Pac, Biggie, Jigga, Eminem, 50…. they all experienced it.  Receiving attention from both directions gives us twice as much reason to talk about you; when we start to ignore you is when an artist should worry.  I will admit that I have been a Drake skeptic – not because I dislike his music, but because I feared that premature fame would ruin him.  I’m glad to say that this did not happen on his Young Money debut, Thank Me Later.  Drake remained as true to his form as ever, and he put out a solid freshman project (if we can still call him a freshman MC).

Before I talk about the album, I want to share what I’ve noticed about how Drake handles the game.  I believe his foresight and wisdom regarding building his brand is why he became an overnight sensation.  First, let’s look at his mentor, Lil’ Wayne.  If you’ve followed Weezy’s career, you will know, unlike Drake, he did NOT blow up overnight, as a solo artist especially.  Yes, his first album, Tha Block Is Hot, went platinum thanks to the strength and buzz of his Cash Money crew, but Wayne wasn’t anywhere close to a bonafide superstar in those days.  Since he entered the game as a kid at age 9, Lil’ Wayne has been learning how to perfect not only his flow, but his brand, and he did so through years of successes and failures, emerging as the last man standing at one of rap’s most heralded record companies.  From the direct tutelage of Wayne, I believe Drake took heed from those experiences, and as a result was able to do in two what it took Weezy ten years to do.  Drake mastered the secret of the game faster than any other artist since 50 Cent; he built an authentic brand that people love.  In saying that, I think it’s important to note that Lil’ Wayne is proving himself to be one of the best mentors in the rap game.  In a convo with a friend of mine the other day, we agreed that Young Money is the best major label for a young artist to be, because Wayne has insight, and he’s not afraid to share it (ahem, Jay-Z, ahem).

On to the music now.  The first thing I like about Drake as an artist is that he is a fan first; I love fans-turned-artists.  Drake even refers to himself as a backpack rapper, and I almost agree because he draws on such a diverse musical background.  On Thank Me Later, he drops lines referencing acts like A Tribe Called Quest, Onyx, and Wu-Tang (“I’m the Osiris of this s**t right now…” – RIP to ODB).  You don’t come to know about groups like that by listening to top 40 radio, so Drake is obviously a connoisseur of the underground as well.  His punch lines don’t make me smh like Weezy’s do, but he makes up for a lack in lyrical dexterity with his knack for hooks and choruses.  I’m convinced nobody out there right now can construct the chorus of a song better than Drake (sorry, Dream).  And say what you want about his r&b dabbling, but the boy sounds good when he sings.  This is nothing like 808s and Heartbreaks or Rebirth; he’s got the talent to sing and knows how to write a verse that needs to be sung rather than rapped.  His October’s Very Own production team is legit, and with the added help of producer Boi 1da, this crew of Canadians knows how to make the kind of beats that expose the depth of Drake.  That depth is another characteristic that sets Drake apart from other superstars.  Drake raps extensively about his personal love life, and on personal perspectives of love and life in general.  (Check “Fireworks” featuring Alicia Keys for the blast on his relationship with Rihanna.) The only other rap artist I can think of who has been this personally reflective in his music is Eminem.  That’s not to draw a big comparison between Drizzy and Slim Shady artistically, but it is a big up to Drake for being unafraid to push hip-hop boundaries as a "new" artist and expose his true self just as much as his celebrity persona.  The second single, “Find Your Love,” is the only track on the entire album that feels forced.  I respect Drake’s desire to cater to another group of fans with this pop record (because, again, he does it well – it’s not a bad song), but it takes away from the album’s cohesion.

Thank Me Later is a good album – it’s safe to say that the hype surrounding this project, for the most part, was met.  Drake left me wanting more (in a good way), especially considering that he raps only one verse on half of the songs on the album (using feature artists or singing to fill in the gaps).  I’m looking forward to experiencing his career in music and his continued growth as an artist.