Look Who’s Catching the Drakewave
By JON CARAMANICA
Published: September 18, 2013
A Sensitive Rap Star Toughens Up (September 22, 2013)
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Partynextdoor has emulated Drake’s sound.
That was probably the last moment in which Big Sean could take credit for beating Drake somewhere — the tables have inexorably turned. Listen to “Beware,” the biggest single thus far from Big Sean’s new album, “Hall of Fame” (G.O.O.D./Def Jam), a microscopically detailed look at a failing relationship. It’s an incontrovertibly Drake-like song, as is “Ashley,” another album highlight. For Big Sean, a Kanye West B-teamer, the only way forward, it seems, is to sound like Drake.
Drake, in his own way, saw this coming. “Every song sound like Drake featuring Drake,” he rapped on “5AM in Toronto” earlier this year, and while it was rapped in anger, you sense that Drake enjoys seeing how indelible his mark has become.
Call it Drakewave: the movement of artists who are adjusting their sound to better fit in Drake’s footprint, and the new artists who are arriving that way fully formed. They’re slowly remaking the genre — two, actually: hip-hop and R&B — in his image.
The Drake template is clear: a mélange of singing and rapping; a subdued, moody musical atmosphere; a fluency in feeling. The success of the Weeknd would be unthinkable without Drake. Future’s evolution into hip-hop’s on-call emoter is similarly a post-Drake phenomenon. Drake is touring this fall with Future and Miguel in what will make for the year’s best de facto R&B lineup; it would be second best had Frank Ocean not gotten sick and canceled his appearance on a bill with James Blake at Drake’s OVO Fest last month.
And then there’s OVO Sound, the Warner Brothers-distributed label led by Drake and his team that so far has two signees: the singer Partynextdoor, who’s like a burlier, less emotionally icy version of the Weeknd; and Majid Jordan, the dubby-disco duo that features on Drake’s single “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”
Drake’s presence is felt in hip-hop as well. Whether through guest verses on songs or by inviting them to open for him on tour, Drake has had a hand in the ascent of nearly every relevant rising rapper of the last two years — Meek Mill, Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, 2 Chainz.
In the case of Kyle, there’s no direct connection to Drake, but the borrowed DNA is clear. “Beautiful Loser” (Indie-Pop/Super Duper), Kyle’s whimsical and loose debut album, is equal parts mope and boast, all delivered with a softness that feels very familiar. Kyle’s extremely aware of the shadow he’s dodging: on “Keep It Real,” he raps, “They say I sound like Drake, I don’t.” But Kyle, who both raps and sings, doth protest too much. After all, last Sunday night, when the Drake album leaked online, he took to his Twitter account to tweet lyrics from it, just like all the other fans.
By JON CARAMANICA
Published: September 18, 2013
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A Sensitive Rap Star Toughens Up (September 22, 2013)
Connect With Us on Twitter
Follow@nytimesarts for arts and entertainment news.
Arts Twitter List: Critics, Reporters and Editors
A sortable calendar of noteworthy cultural events in the New York region, selected by Times critics.
Enlarge This Image
Ellenatural
Partynextdoor has emulated Drake’s sound.
That was probably the last moment in which Big Sean could take credit for beating Drake somewhere — the tables have inexorably turned. Listen to “Beware,” the biggest single thus far from Big Sean’s new album, “Hall of Fame” (G.O.O.D./Def Jam), a microscopically detailed look at a failing relationship. It’s an incontrovertibly Drake-like song, as is “Ashley,” another album highlight. For Big Sean, a Kanye West B-teamer, the only way forward, it seems, is to sound like Drake.
Drake, in his own way, saw this coming. “Every song sound like Drake featuring Drake,” he rapped on “5AM in Toronto” earlier this year, and while it was rapped in anger, you sense that Drake enjoys seeing how indelible his mark has become.
Call it Drakewave: the movement of artists who are adjusting their sound to better fit in Drake’s footprint, and the new artists who are arriving that way fully formed. They’re slowly remaking the genre — two, actually: hip-hop and R&B — in his image.
The Drake template is clear: a mélange of singing and rapping; a subdued, moody musical atmosphere; a fluency in feeling. The success of the Weeknd would be unthinkable without Drake. Future’s evolution into hip-hop’s on-call emoter is similarly a post-Drake phenomenon. Drake is touring this fall with Future and Miguel in what will make for the year’s best de facto R&B lineup; it would be second best had Frank Ocean not gotten sick and canceled his appearance on a bill with James Blake at Drake’s OVO Fest last month.
And then there’s OVO Sound, the Warner Brothers-distributed label led by Drake and his team that so far has two signees: the singer Partynextdoor, who’s like a burlier, less emotionally icy version of the Weeknd; and Majid Jordan, the dubby-disco duo that features on Drake’s single “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”
Drake’s presence is felt in hip-hop as well. Whether through guest verses on songs or by inviting them to open for him on tour, Drake has had a hand in the ascent of nearly every relevant rising rapper of the last two years — Meek Mill, Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, 2 Chainz.
In the case of Kyle, there’s no direct connection to Drake, but the borrowed DNA is clear. “Beautiful Loser” (Indie-Pop/Super Duper), Kyle’s whimsical and loose debut album, is equal parts mope and boast, all delivered with a softness that feels very familiar. Kyle’s extremely aware of the shadow he’s dodging: on “Keep It Real,” he raps, “They say I sound like Drake, I don’t.” But Kyle, who both raps and sings, doth protest too much. After all, last Sunday night, when the Drake album leaked online, he took to his Twitter account to tweet lyrics from it, just like all the other fans.