Prelude to a Legacy 9.18.09: Drake

Posted by Fred Richani on 09.18.2009

Believe the hype.....



In Jay-Z's newest album The Blueprint 3, he has a song titled "A Star is Born." It stuck out in my mind for a few reasons. Besides the fact it's an incredibly deep track about Hov applauding his rap colleagues that have done their thing against all odds, one line really stuck out in the lyrics: Drake's up next, see what he'll do with it. Drake? Drake?! Wait, you mean a guy whose government name is Aubrey (which should be reserved for only super-duper hot ex-Danity Kane members). That's what I would have thought hearing that, had Drake's music not grown on me these last few months. I have a feeling people that don't go out of their way to listen to his music probably had a reaction that features the acronym W.T.F.

You see, an artist has to have real talent when the Michael Jordan of rap (in this case, Jay-Z) shouts him out on his track, especially on a record as big as The Blueprint 3. Hell, Drake even collaborated with Hova on "Off That," which was one of the hotter tracks on the album. Now basketball fans will remember Michael Jordan once made Kwame Brown a number-one-draft pick. And for those who don't know what happened to Kwame Brown, let's just say Michael Jordan is a thousand times better than he will ever be—at age 46!

Anyway, back to Drake. This guy seemingly came out of nowhere, only to become hip-hop's hottest free agent (both figuratively and literally to women and homosexual males), signing a major deal with a big label, and being touted as hip-hop's next big thing. Surely, Jay-Z might have a miscue, as Drake could disappear soon—or will he? Unlike basketball where you have to take days, months, and even years at times to evaluate talent, rap happens to bring out talent (or lack thereof in some cases) almost instantly. Even if a rapper isn't the greatest in the world, he/she can always improve. Lil Wayne is a prime example of that. So for all of you reading, wondering who the hell is Drake, let's explore his life and music.

First off, Kardinal Offishall can forget about being rap's only Canadian. Drake was born as Aubrey Drake Graham on October 24, 1986 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to an African-American father and Jewish-Canadian mother. Needless to say, the youngin' definitely had a lesson in diversity. His father Dennis Graham was originally from Memphis, Tennessee, having spent time being a drummer for country music and rock ‘n' roll icon Jerry Lee Lewis. Unfortunately for Graham, his parents would divorce when he was the young age of five. He was raised by his mother a majority of his life from that point on, although spent quite a few summers with his father in Memphis.

When attending high school in Toronto, Graham began acting, despite not graduating. He did have a fallback, impressing enough people with his acting skills to network and make connections, landing him a role on the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. The show provided huge exposure for Graham, as it was aired on Canada's CTV and Nickelodeon's family of networks. The role he portrayed was of a basketball star by the name of Jimmy Brooks, who has a promising career that is cut short after being physically disabled via a gunshot wound by a classmate. It was a very powerful role for a teen show indeed.

In 2006, under the name Drake, Graham decided to take the Will Smith method in his acting career, participating in hip-hop. Let's not forget, his father has been a huge influence on his career, especially on the music side of things. In February 2006, Drake released his first mixtape that was humbly titled Room for Improvement. It was made available of his official site and MySpace. Unlike Will Smith who capitalized on an acting career due to his rapper status, Drake did the same—only the other way around. A few singles later and the buzz started to circulate that this dude on Nickelodeon/Noggin could actually be pretty good.

In 2007, Drake came back with a vengeance, releasing the mixtape Comeback Season to much praise and critical acclaim. In fact, he became the first unsigned Canadian rapper to be featured on BET via his music video for the song "Replacement Girl." If that didn't turn heads, then appearing with Lil Wayne on a remix of the track "Man of the Year" certainly did. Lil Wayne eventually became Drake's mentor, helping him with rhymes, marketing, and most importantly, making connections. Then again, when you're tight with Weezy, who needs friends?!

The year 2008 signaled the release of yet another mixtape, this time in the form of Heartbreak Drake, garnering minor buzz. It did however; re-cement the fact that the Canadian born rapper could also sing when he wanted to. Singing, rapping, good looks, acting ability, and being tight with Lil Wayne….it was all building up to 2009.

This leads us to 2009. This year has only a few months left and will be one to remember in hip-hop. It will be remembered as the year Eminem and Jay-Z came back to run this rap ish. It will be the year that Kid Cudi rocked the charts. On a bigger scale, it will be remembered for the emergence of Drake. Normally, being written off a long-running television series could temporarily set back an entertainer. Drake didn't get the memo, releasing the mixtape So Far Gone in February. So Far Gone was the mixtape that finally put him over the top with two breakout singles—"Successful" featuring Lil Wayne and Trey Songz and the chart-smashing "Best I Ever Had."

The success was far from over for Drake. Channeling sounds of Kanye West and his mentor Lil Wayne, he hopped on a number of tracks. "Every Girl" featuring the Young Money crew, which talks about engaging in sexual intercourse with all females in the world (Revolutionary, I know.). The song charted in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 charts, along with "Best I Ever Had", a track that's title is self-explanatory when it comes to the subject matter. In addition to working with the likes of Jay-Z, Trey Songz, Robin Thicke, Mary J. Blige, among others in coming weeks, he also wrote lyrics for Dr. Dre. Yes, THAT Dr. Dre. In even more good news, Drake confirmed that he had signed with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment. Sure, being "owned" by another artist isn't always the best scenario (Serius Jones is hatin' on DTP somewhere), but when you're an act gaining huge momentum and collaborate with arguably the most popular rapper not named ‘Ye or Hov, it's NOT a bad idea to sign with him!






Drake and his Young Money mentor

So Far Gone was re-released this week as an official album, so Drake can, you know, make money off of it. Plus, not everyone in "mainstream" America is going to go out of the way to look for a mixtape online. Going to Best Buy sounds like a better and much easier option for those still learning about hip-hop's newest import. iTunes is another option. Whether it's curiosity or the love people have for his talents, Drake is a rising star in the rap game, positioned to grasp the brass ring. Just listen to "Forever" featuring Eminem, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne. The guest list shouldn't misconstrue a thing. If the likes of Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Kanye, Weezy, and Eminem feel Drake is good enough to collaborate with them, then maybe this guy really is THAT good.



I think he is good and can't wait to see what he has to bring to the table with the 2010 release of his first official album Thank Me Later. With a title like that, it seems like he knows he has a lot to prove. If Drake can show the masses on a grander scale with Thank Me Later that he deserves the hype given to him by his colleagues, then he will be on track to one hell of a career and more importantly—a legacy.