DRAKE: INTERNATIONAL
The Lowdown On His Latest, 'DL 184'
Drake is an international superstar. His music had gone platinum, using artists like Lil Wayne and Rick Ross to acquire fame. He’s become a paria because of the scandalous sex he’s been involved in, but his music’s greatness is ubiquitous. The new project he just released, DL 148, is a mishmash of excellent hip hop combined with features from some of the best voices in the genre. The entirety of his body of work is essential to his style, pioneering a sound that is altogether strong and intimate. The characteristics of hip hop are shaped by the allowances of a few artists–such as Drake who define the mainstream and negotiate an image for the genre through media. The range of music Drake brings unlocks this spectrum of sound that repaints the hip hop genre, facilitating growth in the experience of listening to music–essentially he promotes change in his listens and the musical category he performs under.
The experience of Drake is one that invites introspective thought. You listen to him and become engaged in a world that is universal but subjective. His new anthem “Toosie Slide” has made headways in big parts of the world such as the US and UK. Moreover, his fanbase has grown tremendously from his mixtape days. Drake now has a fanbase of millions, putting him at records such as Most Songs sold on Billboard. The difficulty of showcasing an artist’s work like that comes from inability to discover and pinpoint where to look exactly for it. The greater area of his music comes from R&B over the hip hop genre. So, it’s easy to pinpoint how his work experienced such a critical acclaim. He opened up a new sound through mysterious vocals and synths. His world was dark and obscure.
The minimalism in Drake’s beats put forth an excellent rhythm for the advent of a rap style. His fast paced lyrics delivered pitchy vocals which circumvented the process of writing 24 bar cyphers that other rappers did. Drake cyphers became public, however, the depths of the artist’s character showed through his music. The skill he possessed opted for a stronger sense of self as he continued to evolve his image with songs like Hotline Bling.” Drake’s song selection and choice of which trends to take hold marked him as an artistic force over that of a one lane artist.
Drake’s discography is exciting and makes for a powerful presentation of different genre style and material. Nothing Was the Same is a quintessential album that brings together these genres of hip hop and soul fusion clearly. The depths of its character is good–but the project lacks the finish and polish of a Take Care. His oeuvre is powerful and serves as a good example of what is supposed to be a dynamic of hip hop genre. Overall, Drake’s edge and poise make up a good portion of hip hop’s genre building over the last few years. Sometimes he opens with song rhythms, using the production of Beats by 40, or he’ll go into a flow–but always Drake’s energy and stardom is alive on each track. PROVOKR loves Drake and encourages you to indulge in his music as well, starting with his latest release, DL 148.
