Time after time, Drake comes out with a super hit song that speaks volumes to the world. As Drake says, “got me in my feelings” that same feeling resonates to his listeners. From his first album, “Thank Me Later,” to his current hot hit album, “Scorpion,” Drake is constantly reinventing himself and his music. Is that the secret to Drake’s massive success? The constant innovation, talking about his feelings, but still being a hard hitting gangster? In this article, I explore how a man like Drake, who talks about his feelings, who is so unexpected, keeps destroying the music charts.
Looking back on Drake’s career, each of his albums were different. Obviously, most artists try to do something different. They try to expand their horizons but when it comes to Drake, there is a clear understanding- he is changing the game every time an album is released. For example, you cannot compare his album “Take Care” to “Nothing was the Same.” There is a clear distinction in the genre and his rapping style. Sometimes, he is rapping in a song, where as other times, he is singing. There is a level of versatility, which is something we do not see often in mainstream artists. It is for that reason, he is successful on the radio and streaming devices.
However, one thing remains the same in his music- love and loyalty. With every album, it speaks about those two themes. Love for his former and current relationships, love for his mom, loyalty he has for his friends, and vice versa. In the beginning of his career, people would joke and make memes about him being emotional when it came to love. Instead of hiding away from those comments, Drake took those criticisms and ran with it. He knew that even though people made fun of him for being an emotional lover, it is for that same reason, people listened to his music. This helped make a distinction between Drake and other rappers.
No one really knows what they are going to get from a Drake album. It can be a hard rap album, a true R&B meets pop album, or an album dedicated to his love of Jamaican culture. However, everyone knows he is going to talk about his love and loyalty for the people around him. Even though he raps and sings about the same things, he is always doing it in a new beat and a new style. Hence, that is how Drake gets us in our feelings and dominates the music industry.
Snow, Shane. “Drake’s New Hit Is A Masterclass In Innovation. Here’s Why You Should Care.” Medium, Augmenting Humanity, 30 Apr. 2018, medium.com/the-mission/drakes-new-hit-is-a-masterclass-in-innovation-here-s-why-you-should-care-cb78a1533045.