I struggle to coin Drake as a talented MC. Yeah, his "So Far Gone" mixtape was leaps and bounds better than most label offerings. However, what struck me most about that project was his choice in music rather than his rhyming skills or his flow. His collaborations (if you can call them that) with Peter Bjorn and John, Lykke Li, and Santo Gold, Omarion, and Lil Wayne seems fresh and inspired on the project. However, since its is widely known now that Drake has signed with Young Money and therefore Universal Music Group and reppin a debut video directed by Kanye West, Drake has morphed into the premiere corporate poster child for the hip hop underground. Flossin fake, "Made it from the streets" candor by way of Toronto by way of Degrassi - but the truth of the matter is that his elevation to the "big time" hardly seems like a struggle at all. In fact, if you eliminate Drake entirely, it is one of the most effective label pushes for an artist I have seen in the better part of a decade. I didn't catch the Hot 97 freestyle session when it mades its debut in April, However, when you compare that video, with the spoof, what it essentially uncovers is the key problem with Drake "The Artist" - overhyped, unoriginality for those that like their hip hop nondescript (please watch the freestyle before the spoof for hilarity to ensue).
Hot 97 Freestyle
Drake Hot 97 Freestyle Spoof
No comments:
Post a Comment