Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the very first #DRAKEWEEK post at KWT! Are you excited!? You seem excited. In fact, I'd say the excitement is palpable. This may also be the first theme week our site has ever done, but I'm no KWT historian. It should be a good time. If you're not a Drake fan, don't fear. The site is definitely not going to be taken over, and you'll still be able to find all the things that make you love KWT. You'll just notice a few more Drake posts than usual, and maybe a few more laughably bad pictures I made in Paint dope-ass pictures courtesy of Twaan.
If you're now noticing the propensity of hashtags, it's because we'd love for you to take part, both on Twitter and on here. Comments, thoughts, suggestions for things to cover, snide remarks, whatever. #DRAKEWEEK is a fun and interactive internet holiday! As a bonus, Twaan will get busy writing your bosses letters explaining why you can't come to work, if requested.
Either way, here is the inaugural post of the soon to be historic #DRAKEWEEK, in which we look at the first official Drake verse, off of his first official solo release Room For Improvement, from 2006. The verse in question below, and thoughts on it.
Uh look, I'm bold from the get go,
go by the title of Drake,
and treating me like the rest is a vital mistake,
I'm hopin' that ain't nobody else as special as you,
when I say I've been disappointed I'm addressing a few
I finesse then I groove,
while most of the 8 in 9's in my past,
now get a rating that's less than a 2,
it's true, I been talking to Aleshia, Keisha And Nadia
and Shadia, had to throw peace signs to a lot of ya's,
payback, to the same chicks from way back,
never call, now they wanna be where I stays at,
now they got the new boy, I'm trying to move forward
and pass me, classy, something like Drew Lord,
A new me, cool, see I never get around,
if I don't change now I don't think I'll ever settle down
even if I gotta travel a bit,
I'll go around the world and back,
cuz I know that once I have it that's it,
and uh,
This was back in the days. Acura days. Degrassi days. Canadian TV money days. ATF days. Not popping in Toronto or anywhere else days. Back before the bidding wars. Before platinum plaques. Before Wayne and Nicki. Before Kanye and Hov cosigns. Back when Mom was still sick and hadn't seen Rome. 40 wasn't making beats, Big Ghostface was a nobody, and Drake wasn't singing on records.
This was Room For Improvement, and it was a fitting name.
Nothing on this would shoot to the top of the charts. No record company would have packaged up seven of these songs, called it an EP and gone gold. Drake "got rich off a mixtape". This definitely wasn't it.
People that know about Room For Improvement deride it heavily, and their criticisms aren't unfounded. If you thought Drake name-drops old flings now, this will blow you away. There is also the matter of his voice. It's high and light, a sign of his age, but also used intentionally. Artists' careers are littered with old, discarded flows, and Drake's brings to mind that lispy, lazy lilt Kanye cast aside pre-fame. This mannerism pops up on Comeback Season, though it's employed less, and not at all on his breakthrough So Far Gone. Those trill, Houston inflections haven't made their way into his voice at this point.
2006 Drake is an entirely different beast. Without the crooning and lyrics that deal with raw, real-life emotion, exactly what is he? His content is atypical of the genre. Aspirations. Girls. Money he wants, and money he may or may not have at this point. Instead of being brought in to belt out hooks, he's bringing other singers in, ATF affiliates who were presumably cast aside when money showed up and he had to decide me, or them?
The magnificent soundscapes aren't there and you'll definitely notice that. It makes you realize just how vital it is that the artist we know as Drake exists truly as a combination of his vocal capabilities and 40's production. They are a package, as some writer pointed out, 40 being Drake's muse perhaps just as much as Drake is 40's muse. It's too early to say, too early in their story. But the fact that this has become a story, a winding, fascinating narrative about a group of kids from Toronto who became kings, makes this first verse so essential. It's the beginning.
Leave a comment in the comment section below. It's as easy as putting in an email, and picking a name for yourself. Any discussion is appreciated. Share it on Twitter & Facebook. Also check out my other work under the "SeriouslyTS" tab at the top, if you're so inclined.
No comments:
Post a Comment