The Culture
I loved Hip-Hop from the inception of the recorded music aspect of it. I was 4-5
years of age when Rapper’s Delight hit. I have been a passionate, die-hard fan of the
music ever since. I watched the music evolve from its inception. There were so many
groundbreaking acts to whom praise and love must be given. There are so many clever
artists fighting to carve their names in the historical tablet as the greatest. The debates last
forever – Kool Moe Dee vs Grandmaster Cas, Whodini vs Run-DMC, Big Daddy Kane vs
Rakim, DJ QUIK vs MC Eiht, Biggie vs 2Pac, Jay-Z vs Nas, Lil Kim vs Foxy Brown etc.
The debates continue because of our love and passion for the art form. While most of us
agree that either 2Pac or Notorious B.I.G top the greatest of all time list, they met their
unfortunate demise over 25 years ago. In that time other great artist have carved their
names in the tablet. Young Drizzy Drake’s name is amongst those carved deep in the
granite.
As the rap game evolved there was mixed opinions on the standard of greatness.
For every LYRICAL giant, there were those with the greater understanding of mass
appeal. The latter knew how to make huge hits, pack stadiums, and become mega-stars.
Yes, Kool Moe Dee was “nice”, but LL Cool J was a multi-platinum megastar. Yes, Kool
G Rap was “nice”, but Heavy D was a star. EPMD was “nice”, but Public Enemy was a
global phenomenon. In addition, there were subconscious “sub-genre” in Hip-Hop. There
was so called “gangsta rap”, “conscious rap”, songs that “rock the party”, “battle rap”
and/or “mix tape rap”. Every diehard fan knows the difference. Each sub-genre had its
individual greats. Greats have challenged themselves to make songs to satisfy diverse
audiences, but it was not easy. One man came along and seamlessly mastered the balance. -Tupac Amaru Shakur.
Pac Had It Mastered..
2Pac mastered the balancing act. When he is “conscious”, there was no rapper
more compelling. Songs such as Brenda Had A Baby, Keep Your Head Up or Dear
Mama were masterpieces. When he was on his gangster flow, there was nobody harder. I
must refer you to Souljas Revenge, Death Around The Corner or Life Of An Outlaw.
When it came to spittin’ game on the chicks, check out Rather Be Your N.I.G.G.A or Just
Like Daddy. 2PAC knew how to rock the party with joints like I Get Around, How Do
You Want It? or Toss It Up. If you want clever wordplay, check out If I Die Tonight.
2PAC could do it ALL seamlessly and effortlessly. He was the master.
It was 2pac who convinced Biggie to be more round and musically balanced. Biggie’s success influenced the whole coast. Henceforth, the standard of greatness was accepted as mastery of “the balance”. Greats like Jay-Z, Big Pun, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, Cam’Ron, The Game and others all personified the magic
balance. Drake took it to another level.
The Boy Drizzy Drake
There are some of you who took a peek at his good looks and thought that he was
a “media creation” from the start. Here was a good looking, French-Canadian, Jewish,
mulatto, soap opera store rapping for the ladies. A lot of us rolled our eyes. Drake proved
to be the perfect beast at the perfect time.
Drake is not from a grimey hood. No, he is not from South Philly, Compton, Brick City, Queensbridge, Fifth Ward Houston,
or Chi-Town. Drizzy is from Toronto Canada. He started as Jimmy Brooks on the soap Degrassi: The Next Generation. Drake released some amazing mixtapes- Room For Improvement, Comeback Season, and So Far Gone. So Far Gone was an
artistic masterpiece. It featured the songs Best I Ever Had and Successful which became huge hits. He eventually signed a record deal with Young Money/ Cash Money and then……..all hell broke loose.
After the success of Best I Ever Had, we wanted to know if the boy can spit spit. Drake got off on Eminem’s Forever. He got off alongside Lil Wayne or Miss Me. Drake rode Money To Blow alongside Lil Wayne and Birdman.
Finally, he dropped his first album Thank Me Later. It was a masterpiece. He raised the bar. Drake was singing just as wonderfully as he was spitting bars. It was magical. He went platinum, became the biggest star in Hip-Hop and never looked back.
Why Drake Is The One
Drake went on to enjoy 7 multi-platinum
albums, 170 million total records sold, a
platinum joint album with Future, and some hot mix-tapes. Drake has 5 Grammy awards, 6 American music awards, more #1
hits than any other Hip-Hop artist streams, YouTube views, digital download sales etc.
than any other rap artist in history. However, it’s not just what Drake did. It’s also HOW
he did it.
Drake brought the house down with impeccable balance. He had house inspired
joints such as Text Go Green, A Keeper or Sticky that rump in the house clubs all over the world.
Drake has released ballads Find Your Love, Marvin’s Room, and Come Thru. Those records were fire.
He made these magic records while simultaneously spitting fire on 0-100, Believe Me, Miss Me or 30 for 30. Drake had no
problem swapping diss records with Meek Mill (who is as hardcore as it gets). There’s nobody that disputes that Drake is a king. Although we have watched the reign of multiple kings, Drake is the one!!
