Is this a bad time?
I know that Drake is in the news due to his antics on the sidelines of the NBA Finals and not because of his music but regardless this felt like a good chance to talk about his rap legacy. Some people hate how he is acting with the Raptors. Others love it. This moment seems like the perfect microcosm of his career. People have strong opinions on Drake. He gets clowned a lot. Whether it’s the memes or the general corniness, people want to take shots at him. But like him or not, these antics should not take away from the fact that musically he should be regarded as one of the greats.
Drake simply hasn’t gotten his due and it solely revolves around him not being considered cool. But cool is fleeting so let’s talk about how his talent is what will keep him in rotation forever.
We could look at the numbers, because as legend goes, numbers never lie. But I believe numbers can be misleading. Record sales and streaming numbers are hard to compare over the decades and as listening habits continue to change it feels like every time a big artist drops their new album they subsequently break some previously held record. Like I think Cardi B has more number 1 records than the Beetles or some shit. I won’t fact check that though. We don’t do facts on this blog. We do hardcore, irrefutable opinions.
So how should we judge the entire cannon of music in order to deem greatest of all time. When it comes to hip hop, I think it comes down to the following three categories: Lyrical Ability, Catchiness, Versatility.
Lyrical Ability
It’s not talked about enough, but Drake can rap. Like really rap. This is generally overshadowed by his huge pop hooks but the dude lays bars. And I’m going to take it one step further. Tons of people can spit, switch in and out of different flows, but most of them aren’t saying anything. Drake’s raps have meaning. He’s obviously not the only rapper who raps with a purpose but this category is important to start to seperate the real artists from the junk that’s basically just screaming over a trap beat.
Anyone who belittles Drake’s lyrical ability is just jealous. And you know what they say, jealousy is just love and hate at the same time.
Catchiness
In the argument over greatest of all time it often gets lost that music is supposed to be, erhm, enjoyable to listen to. This should be quite obvious but if people don’t enjoy consuming your music than you can’t be considered great. This is where we knock off all of your music idols. Those guys who you speak of as prophets. I have huge respect for their spoken word poems said over beats but that doesn’t mean I want to listen to it. I won’t name names but… yes I absolutely will. Tupac’s music is boring. There I said it.
Somewhere along the way we started to associate boring with deep, dark, and sophisticated. As if to say, if something is catchy and enjoyable than it’s for the lowest common denominator. I literally couldn’t agree with this less. Making something catchy is as hard as making something sophisticated. Yes, I know you want to counter by bringing up generic pop songs but have you ever considered there are also generic “deep” songs. We’re not debating trash. We’re debating what defines the highest level of skill. Lyrics still matter (see: Lyrical Ability), it’s just not as impressive if it doesn’t also draw me back for some more.
Versatility
Times change, tastes change. You need to adapt to survive. I’m not suggesting that as an artist you need to change with every momentary trend but the ability to stay relevant in an evolving world is necessary for one’s legacy. Longevity is the name of the game. I think people often forget that. You can’t be one of the greats without growing up with the people. Without adapting you’re just a fond memory from someone’s high school or college years. But if you are able to continually put your honest take on an ever-changing music scene, then you have a shot at greatness. Drake is one of the few artists that has successfully pulled this off.
Love him or hate him, I think it’s about time we block out all the noise around Drake and just listen to his music.
