Confidently treading in that still-undefined territory between Canadian and American hip hop culture, the rapper/actor/renaissance man/blogger known as Aubrey Drake Graham is primed to do very well for himself in 2009.
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But the name that is rising stock from the hood to Hollywood is simply Drake, a multi-faceted artist constructing a fast lane for himself on the road to riches and diamond rings, doing real big things in the entertainment industry that are rarely done by anyone north of the 49th parallel.
Rumors of receiving a Rolls Royce for his birthday aside, Drake “got a buzz like a building lobby” for a variety of reasons, some of which include unprecedented accomplishments like being the first unsigned artist to ever have a number one video on BET’s 106 and Park, with his Trey Songz-assisted Replacement Girl, or those persistently lingering rumors that Drake was the major cog in the ghostwriting machine of constantly clever music released by Lil Wayne in the last two years.
Not taking responsibility for the Herculean output that Weezy has been responsible for lately, Drake has stated he’s seen Wayne’s creative process first hand, and shared how their artistic chemistry was a natural fit from the first time they worked together. Meeting through a mutual friend from Texas, their chemistry on tracks like Ransom, Stuntin, and Man Of The Year, the grand finale on Drake’s sizzling mixtape Comeback Season, is undeniable.
Also, hearing the laid-back dominance, piercing wit, and veteran-edged delivery of Drake on recordings with Saukrates, King Reign, Andreena Mill, JD Era, Slakah the Beatchild, Promise, Little Brother, Travis McCoy, Mickey Factz, amongst others, will have even the most closed-minded listener opening up an ear.
The Toronto-born, Houston-bred dual citizen is also the only artist on earth who can go to bed tonight knowing that the one and only Lil Wayne, aka Biggest Rapper on Earth In 2008, performed one of his verses during the most recent MTV Music Awards show, when he could have easily just spat out his Billboard smash Lollipop.
Now in a high stakes bidding war involving Interscope, as well as a few other top feeding industry monoliths in the music business, Drake is poised to blow the fuck up, especially with the confirmation that Wayne will be executing producing his debut major label album.
And he can tell Wayne the same thing he’s telling the world: Thank me later. That’s the title of his debut album, coming in 2009, a project sure to alter the landscape of North American hip hop in ways that haven’t been seen before.
And to all you screwface haters out there unhappy with another hometown hero besides Kardinal Offishall to figure out how to escape the Canadian Matrix, Drake has this to say to you: “…that’s the reason why he lookin’ hard/ cause I done snatched the Chips Ahoy out his cookie jar/ he just mad cause his girl at my house with her tongue sticking out like a Michael Jordan rookie card!”
Listen to Best of Drizzy mixtape.
