As I sit here counting down the hours to the release of Drake’s highly anticipated album Take Care, I put on some headphones to listen to surprisingly some of my favorite R&B music (which ironically is some of Drake’s favorite music) while reading Drake’s article in The Source Magazine. I was excited to say the least just to buy the magazine because the cover sold me at first sight. When I first seen it about a month ago I posted it on my blog with this anticipation to just be able to look inside and read the article about this (let me choose my words wisely) ever so brilliant singing rap artist but even more amazing 25 year old human being, Aubrey “Drake” Graham. A secret that only a few people know and I usually do not tell because I’m still embarrassed by it, I actually did not like Drake at first. In fact I remember turning the radio off when he would come on because he was on heavy rotation all of the time. I remember telling my best friend who is a well known hip hop blogger “I hate this dude Drake and I am so sick of hearing him”, her response surprised me she said “that’s good I haven’t really heard anyone say that, but it is good that everyone doesn’t agree on the same artists”. Eventually something started to make me want to listen to him and that was when I had realized my opinion of this musical genius was so pre-judgmental. I could not have been more wrong about music and a particular artist than I was about Drake and his music. This terrible judgment of mine was almost like someone meeting someone for the first time that eventually they would fall in love with but hated at first. That is exactly what happened with Drake, I hated him at first but over time he grew on me. After listening to him and the complex musical artist that he is I was smitten. I fell completely in love with his music, the artist he is, his demeanor and the vibrant human being that he is. This article in The Source Magazine made me realize why someone falls in love with hip hop to begin with and why I continue to fall in love with it over and over again.
The article started by telling the story of a young Drake who took a summer trip from Toronto to Memphis with his father for a summer visiting trip, a trip that would actually prove his father to be supportive by giving some very constructive advice. His father told him that he has to sing and rap or it would never work and that he would have to do both to change the game. An unconvinced Drake eventually became that singing lyrical rap genius with an undeniable gift and love for the game years later which brings us to the present. Drake’s journey has taken him to different heights from the So Far Gone mixtape, to his first album Thank Me Later, and now to his sophomore album Take Care which will chronicle that of what he describes as “what was, what is, and what will be through a variety of stories and his thoughts”. Drake names Loon and Mase as two artists he wanted to sound like when he first entered the industry, and the only other artist that he knew of who ever sighted Mase as an inspiration was Kanye. When he was a young kid starting to rap he described Yeezy as being the artist he related to the most. He now says that in the future he does not want to be as good as Kanye but BETTER than Kanye. Drake tells the world that he is very in touch with where he is at in life at this very moment and has embraced the person he has become. For the ladies he is aware that his lifestyle is not copasetic for a relationship but says that he wants to find the right one before he is 30. Until then Drake is on a never ending journey that has and will allow him to live a life that will give him substance to create those vital pieces of music that he makes known as hip hop. The ways in which Drake has changed the game will be given to the world the way he wanted the world to hear it when at midnight he delivers Take Care, just like he said he would on November 15th. Pick up The Source Magazine and read Drizzy’s article, it is definitely one to read before the album. Also BUY Take Care tomorrow…. See You Soon………OVOXO <3
