Trajan
Veteran
For the simple fact that he is missing one of the key ingredients that make rap greats what they are: the ability to straddle the mainstream and still connect with the struggle/streets.
I feel like no matter how gifted you are technically, your subject matter and hence your art will always be limited unless you have faced some adversity. This is why we shouldn't be surprised that Drake's catalogue is an anthology of simp anthems. What the fukk else can he talk about? Growing up in Forest Hill? His time in Degrassi? Even cacs don't want to hear that shyt. They want reports live from the hood. Black people want shyt they can relate to and someone telling their story.
Jay Z can drop (Always Be My) Sunshine and then tell us how it is in Marcy on Where I'm From. Ghostface can tell us about picking roaches out of cereal boxes and everyone will be like ''That's real as fukk
''
Biggie can drop songs with R Kelly but still heat up the streets with the 10 Crack Commandments.
Tupac did the same thing. In fact I can't think of many universal Top 10 candidates that break this mould of straddling the two different spheres.
Eminem faced this problem his whole career even though he came up battling and paying his dues. He had mad talent but subject matter was limited to killing his mother and raping his wife. It's only so many verses of that we can listen to.
I think Drake realises this also. His attempt at struggle music was truly a struggle. There was NOTHING inspiring about Started From the Bottom. He literally didn't say anything about struggling or the bottom he was starting from.
Compared to:
Now my mom pimps a Ac with minks on her back
And she loves to show me off of course
Smiles every time my face is up in The Source
We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us
No heat, wonder why Christmas missed us
Birthdays was the worst days
Now we sip champagne when we thirsty
I feel like no matter how gifted you are technically, your subject matter and hence your art will always be limited unless you have faced some adversity. This is why we shouldn't be surprised that Drake's catalogue is an anthology of simp anthems. What the fukk else can he talk about? Growing up in Forest Hill? His time in Degrassi? Even cacs don't want to hear that shyt. They want reports live from the hood. Black people want shyt they can relate to and someone telling their story.
Jay Z can drop (Always Be My) Sunshine and then tell us how it is in Marcy on Where I'm From. Ghostface can tell us about picking roaches out of cereal boxes and everyone will be like ''That's real as fukk
''Biggie can drop songs with R Kelly but still heat up the streets with the 10 Crack Commandments.
Tupac did the same thing. In fact I can't think of many universal Top 10 candidates that break this mould of straddling the two different spheres.
Eminem faced this problem his whole career even though he came up battling and paying his dues. He had mad talent but subject matter was limited to killing his mother and raping his wife. It's only so many verses of that we can listen to.
I think Drake realises this also. His attempt at struggle music was truly a struggle. There was NOTHING inspiring about Started From the Bottom. He literally didn't say anything about struggling or the bottom he was starting from.
Compared to:
Now my mom pimps a Ac with minks on her back
And she loves to show me off of course
Smiles every time my face is up in The Source
We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us
No heat, wonder why Christmas missed us
Birthdays was the worst days
Now we sip champagne when we thirsty
cannot take your opinions on hip hop serious anymore