In the Greek tragedy that is the Cash Money/ YMCMB empire, Drake emerges triumphantly as the requisite anti-hero and is in the first place as the voice of the millennial generation. Because of Aubrey Graham, much of the Facebook generation is very familiar with the lyrics “smoking weed under star projectors/ I guess we’ll never know where Harvard gets us”. And in the States, the Canadian rapper became a beacon of light to post-Bush era graduates, openly revealing his beginnings in his mother’s basement. His artifice for optimism was especially apparent in “Started From the Bottom”, as was his loyalty to those whom befriended him during his humble beginnings. But with his surprise mixtape release of “If You’re Reading This, You’re Too Late”, there is an obvious exit from Drake of old, an exit that probably should have been expected.
It isn’t very often that rappers will use colloquial exit salutations to title their albums, but with the aptly titled LP “Take Care” Drake seemed to hint that there would soon be someone/something to miss. His follow-up release of “Nothing Was the Same” provided more evidence to a future strategic fall from grace, and his single “Worst Behavior” provided ample indication that we would soon miss the “old Drake”. In recent years, the “Champagne Papi” has become subject to social media criticism (those dreadful memes) because of his enlightenment and superior emotional intelligence (yes,”soft”). It is quite possible that a prudent departure from his Babyface-style songwriting may result in his desired reclassification and blur the line between lovelorn hero and nonchalant villain.
With his latest release, “If You’re Reading This, You’re Too Late”, a still contemplative Drake departs from the contagious romanticism of mixtapes prior and opts for a much more darkly reflective direction. The brooding, introspective Drake now raps to his mother in mild yet coarse language on “You & the 6”, “I pulled a knife out my back and cut they throat with it, mama”. Apologetically growling further to her, ‘I’m Game of Thrones with it Mama/ I’m Home Alone with it Mama….I really hate using this tone with you Mama.” If this is any testament to his character, Drake is clearly aware of his anti-hero status and now struggles with the initially deliberate amalgamation of hero and villain, especially in his mother’s eyes. Much like the calculated character development of famed comic book anti-hero V (yes, as in “V for Vendetta”), Drake has made immense use of his own moral ambiguity leading to an interesting diversification in his fan base. Because of this, It is possible that we can expect more love-fest tracks like “Hold On, We’re Going Home” in the future because of the commercial success that pop-Drake (if you will) garners.
S/N: Drake’s purposeful fall from grace is reminiscent of Anakin Skywalker before he joined the Sith and became Darth Vader; and because we are reading this, we are probably too late.
