This is what's hard. He has some good ass lines. "Everybody does but not everybody lives" comes to mind. But a. We don't know if he wrote that and b. Top tier puts him in Elzhi, Monch, Mos Def, Jay Elec, Planet Asia, Nick Grant category and I've never seen him there. If I add rappers from the 90's and 80's, forget about it, he ,aye not be third tier of all time.
What did you think of Drake as alyricist before the ghost writer shyt surfaced?
- Thread starter Jordan>>LeFrozen
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This is what's hard. He has some good ass lines. "Everybody does but not everybody lives" comes to mind. But a. We don't know if he wrote that and b. Top tier puts him in Elzhi, Monch, Mos Def, Jay Elec, Planet Asia, Nick Grant category and I've never seen him there. If I add rappers from the 90's and 80's, forget about it, he ,aye not be third tier of all time.
He’s top tier because he found a sweet spot where he has all of those talents but not overly complex by using pointless words u find in the dictionary. Hypothesis, socrates, photosynthesis doesnt constitute top tier lyricism in my opinion.
Well the ghostwriting shyt was rumored pretty early so I always felt he was suspect and ranked him accordingly.
If you leave out the fact that he's had some nikkas hand up his ass most of his career, I'd put rank him about the same class as Ross, competent rapper who has created a strong consistent brand/vibe. And while I don't doubt Ross' pen, I've never been impressed with him, nor Drake which is kind of the benchmark for me if we talking about lyrics. Ain't nothing he ever spit make me be like "I wish I wrote that"
Jay, Scarface and Nas don't use words like that and are considered top tier by almost everyone. Same with Cole who's more lyrical. Who are some samples of top,tier lyricists to u? There's a good chance we just have different definitions of "lyricism".
BK The Great
Veteran
When I found out there was a reference track for this it was really disappointing. It made me look at Drake differently as an artist. At the time this was released I really thought it was all him writing this.
i thought he was nice. lyrically on the level of a 50 Cent with actually even more god level versatility & song writing ability than Fif. which is saying a lot. i pretty much knew he was here to stay since '07 when i was fukkin with Comeback Season on the daily
after the exposure i was disgusted. Quentin, Hush, Kia Shine and lord knows who else. but with that said i don't throw the baby out with the bath water. is he actually a non-writing Justin Beiber pop star who is unable to pen his own shyt? nah he can. hell, that's why Diddy smacked him up ain't it? he's a writer. but the multiple "collaborative" pens are steroids who made an All-Star Don Mattingly into a Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig
i still live for his music though and have remained a huge fan regardless. i just put him in that Biz Markie/Ol Dirty b*stard category. i love them both regardless of lacking singular authorship and the same goes for Champagne
after the exposure i was disgusted. Quentin, Hush, Kia Shine and lord knows who else. but with that said i don't throw the baby out with the bath water. is he actually a non-writing Justin Beiber pop star who is unable to pen his own shyt? nah he can. hell, that's why Diddy smacked him up ain't it? he's a writer. but the multiple "collaborative" pens are steroids who made an All-Star Don Mattingly into a Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig
i still live for his music though and have remained a huge fan regardless. i just put him in that Biz Markie/Ol Dirty b*stard category. i love them both regardless of lacking singular authorship and the same goes for Champagne
Piff Perkins
Veteran
I thought he was a good rapper but my issue was moreso that he raps the same most of the time. Nearly all his "real rap" tracks have the same flow.
Nothing Was The Same was perhaps his most straight rap album to that point. It was dope. I think IYRTITL is really good. But since then his albums have been extremely spotty. Scorpion's first disc is DOPE. Second disc is a disaster. It seems like he'll never find a decent balance, which is weird because people are gonna fukk with his music regardless. At this point I feel like he's using the "some people want me to sing, some people want rap rap" thing as a crutch.
Nothing Was The Same was perhaps his most straight rap album to that point. It was dope. I think IYRTITL is really good. But since then his albums have been extremely spotty. Scorpion's first disc is DOPE. Second disc is a disaster. It seems like he'll never find a decent balance, which is weird because people are gonna fukk with his music regardless. At this point I feel like he's using the "some people want me to sing, some people want rap rap" thing as a crutch.
blankstairz
Superstar
Thought it was Drake, Cole, and Kendrick in the top 3 of their era. 
Didn't really care much for his albums with all of that singing.
Good songwriter.
When he rapped, thought he was nice.
After the ghostwriting rumors, Drake's quality of bangers didn't really change...
Just wouldn't rank him as a top-flight rapper.
Didn't really care much for his albums with all of that singing.
Good songwriter.
When he rapped, thought he was nice.
After the ghostwriting rumors, Drake's quality of bangers didn't really change...
Just wouldn't rank him as a top-flight rapper.
ORDER_66
I dont care anymore 2026
I thought he sounded amazing in pop that song he killed that shyt on his verse, beat was fukking sick but then I heard he didn't even write his own verse on this shyt and I was just disappointed...
like how hard is it to write a damned 16 bars???
FruitOfTheVale
Superstar
Drake's ghostwritten pen >> those dudes
plus his production is a lot harder
this era of hip hop sad as fukk
Drake’s writers ain’t seeing Gates bar for bar period, stop it
Jay, Scarface and Nas don't use words like that and are considered top tier by almost everyone. Same with Cole who's more lyrical. Who are some samples of top,tier lyricists to u? There's a good chance we just have different definitions of "lyricism".
You didnt name them. You said, monch, mos def, planet asia, etc.
Waterproof
Warrior Lifestyle
I give Drake the benefit of the doubt, He admitted Miller co-wrote 4 songs and we have no other proof that he had multiple writer's through out the years, So until then I take him for his word, he was nice with his shyt
Mindfield333
Superstar
It’s easy to identify what he had assistance with though. He came off so different on IYRTITL when you compare it to his previous work. I wish QM never got exposed.... just think about all the bangers he Could’ve help with? Plus, he’d probably still have his leg
BK The Great
Veteran
Yea that album had a different feel to it, we never heard Drake as raw and aggressive as he was on that project. Plus his “pen” game wasn’t the same as his previous albums. I’m not gonna sit here and lie to say I wasn’t bumping it cause I was. Maybe he needed a new direction and that’s where the writers came in to help.
He was solid but I heard him declining. Each album he traded in more lyrical demonstration for more hitmaking because his C grade verses were being dikkridden. IYRTITL was the most hip-hop project he did yet he wasn't really saying shyt. The delivery/energy Quentin Miller gave him got him over.