The Drizzy Dilemma: What Happened to Drake?

Are We Witnessing The Rise and Plateau of Drake's Musical Career?

Image Source: Facebook.com/Drake

If you are of a certain age, you remember what hip-hop during the 2006-2010 era of rap felt like. Wayne was the number one name in the game, and after him there were some legacy artists and a few folks rising, but no one had put out a project that shook up the game in a while. Sure, Snap and Crunk were still dominating the radio waves, but for a lot of people (I am the people) most of the artists, and their songs were starting to sound the same. 

Then out of nowhere, some awkward Canadian actor best known for his role in the teen drama, “Degrassi” starts to make a buzz with his second mixtape titled, “Comeback Season”. Early on, a lot of us didn’t take Drake seriously, most folks dismissed him as another actor trying to make a quick dollar with a gimmick album. We were wrong, and Comeback season felt like a response to that. Suddenly, “Wheelchair Jimmy” was the hottest new rapper out, and ready to change the game. This is not an exaggeration of history, before Drake, most rappers (credit to Andre 3000, and Kanye)  were not singing on their records. Drake did a phenomenal job of combining his rapping with solid R&B vocals. It created the universe for a whole new world of songs and artistry in hip-hop.

With tracks like, “Successful”, “Best I Ever Had”, and “Fall for Your Type” Drake had me and millions of others locked in musically. And while some in the industry tried to clown him, we all felt connected and inspired by the artist who was willing to be vulnerable, afraid, and introspective in his songs. When he dropped  “So Far Gone” it solidified his place as a rising star. After that, "Thank Me Later" made him a household name and the front-runner for the best rapper out."It wasn’t long before you heard a laundry list of artists either attempting to copy his style or requesting features. After the release of his second (and best) album, “Take Care”  it was clear that Drake wasn’t just the biggest star in rap, he was a superstar. 

When I started listening to Drake, I was entering my senior year of college and wasn’t sure where life was headed. At the time, it felt like he and I were on the same page; hopeful for the future, a little confused about where to start, but excited about the opportunities. Somewhere along this journey, something for him changed, or maybe it was me. After being a mainstay in my playlist, and an artist whose projects I looked forward to, I was beginning to find myself unable to get through an entire album. I remember putting on Views, expecting to hear my favorite artist at his strongest. After dropping the mixtape classic, “What a Time to be Alive” What I got was a collection of songs that weren’t horrible, but for a project with 20 tracks, felt hollow.

I could be wrong, but I doubt it, especially since I’m not the first person to say this. A few years ago, Hip Hop Journalist, Derrick Dennis Jr. wrote a phenomenal piece about his musical relationship with Drake. Saying;

“When I listen to Drake — and I do — I hear someone who is still speaking to 22-year-old kids, and my connection to it is fleeting at best. There’s surprise in that, and sadness, and maybe some guilt. But there are questions too. Why have I moved on? Why hasn’t he?  

So what changed? That’s difficult to explain, I do not know Drake, and I don’t know what goes into his song-making process, or what he’s trying to accomplish,  all I can go on is what I see, and what I have I see from the man who was once one of my favorite artists, is the behavior of a cornball who makes mall music. Don’t get me wrong, lyrically, he’s still a strong rapper, tracks like “Churchill Downs” and his verse on "I'm on one” show that the skill is there. You’ll get amazing songs like the two mentioned, and then he’ll randomly put out a dance album that feels rushed and uninspired.

If he insists on being viewed in the same way as legends like Jay-Z, Andre 3000, and Biggie, his music has to grow. They all evolved, Jay-Z with 444, and Andre 3000 at every point in his career, have shown growth. Not all of that change has been well received, but the willingness to grow shows an artist who is still looking to improve. Drake puts out a lot of music, he has released an album almost every year for more than ten years now, but very few could be called stand-outs, and only one should be considered a classic (Take care). As powerful as he still is, he will eventually be replaced. When that time comes, how does he want to be remembered, what does he want his impact to be? Is this as good as it will ever get? I hope not.