OPINION: "In Defense Of Drake" (Part II) by Chris Shaban
From FarBeyond Entertainment’s Footnotes blog!
Part II of Chris Shaban’s editorial piece “In Defense Of Drake”:
You’ll read this if you’re a real hip-hop fan.
Part II
Thanks for coming back here to read Part II at Cityonmyback.com. To be totally honest, I wasn’t expecting so many rap peeps to get at me, especially with cool sites like this one picking it up, so I have tried to make this edition a little more Hip-Hop than Part I (Which after reading it online sounded more like a biography on a person (me) that you’ve never heard of and probably don’t care about.) I got enough ‘Shabby, what the bloodclotare you talking about?’ to last me a lifetime. Because each site is different, I have worked with Ty to post it here in a unique way. To make it easier to read on this site, the FootNotes will actually appear right after the sentence in parenthesis and blue text. It makes its seem really LONG that way, but it’s super easy to read. If you want to view it in actual ‘FootNotes’, where you can roll over the word with your mouse and the blurb pops up in a neat little box, click the link above that says ‘FootNotes blog!’ right under the Drizzy studio picture.
As I previously mentioned, the idea for this article was originally two fold. First was to help the my company’s current and potential corporate partners understand a little bit about the benefits of investing advertising dollars in Canadian Hip-Hop (I guess it’s a little disappointing that we have much less issue acquiring support and booking shows for other genres, but still struggle with Rap. Now, of course, the blame isn’t 100% on the shoulders of the companies and schools for that. It is VERY fair to say that the quality of music and level of execution by many folks (but not all, mind you) who consider themselves to represent Hip-Hop on a boardroom level here in Canada just hasn’t been getting the job done. And that’s not really an opinion, right? Like Maestro Fresh Wes was more than 20 years ago, and we still really don’t have too much to show as far as financial or mainstream success goes in Canadian Rap music. However, within that fact, the companies and schools aren’t totally off the hook on the matter as there is still something to be said for being ‘ahead of the curve’. We still have a long way to go but I hope even this little blog and any other positive efforts for the cause will keep the forward momentum going.) The second being the need to relate to College & University Event Programmers in an effort to see an increase in the Urban shows at campuses across the country. That is why the original blog is still housed at blog.farbeyond.ca. But, hey, this bad boy can also be taken as strictly entertainment, and I’m ultra cool with that too…
Previous: OPINION: “In Defense of Drake” (HHC Editorial Piece)
Quickly, if you need to learn how to read the FootNotes or want to start at the beginning with Part I click here. When it comes to the FootNotes, it’s safe to assume that I’m not the first person to write an article this way, I just find it helps me to get the message across more persuasively (And some people think the idea is kinda cool too.) HHC.com reads differently than FarBeyond.ca which reads different than Cityonmyback.com, so pick the method that’s easiest for you. Just like last time, I would like to seriously stress that this blog is MUCH better when you take in the FootNotes as opposed to just reading the article. All the best stuff is in the FootNotes. Oh yeah, one last thing as we start getting into the actual meat of the essay: There is no doubt that this is an opinion piece, but please take it with a grain of salt. You see, I have based my ‘opinion’ on layers and layers of facts and I ask that you keep that in mind as you read. Be sure to digest this well before you post or email something that, in hindsight, you realize you might not agree with later on (Although I guess the feedback really does help me to try and write better!.) Anyway, let’s do it… Once again, In Defense of Drake (Big ups to a site called dopepenmanship.com that also had an article called In Defense of Drake from LAST MARCH. Now, while I didn’t see this article first, Cousin Geoff brought it to my attention on Sunday before week 5 in the RFL. I am happy to try and pick up the topic where this writer left off, and it just goes to show that some people are REALLY ahead of the curve.🙂
I can’t believe I’m writing this article…at least not seriously
Sure, if I was Jesse and I owned hiphopcanada.com, I’d be writing 16 Drake articles a day. I know Ty and Rez at cityonmyback.com understand he’s popular and that his content will drive search engine traffic; why not post anything and everything Drizzy (I think it’s time that we try and get a new nickname for Drake. I’m sure one will come up soon, but I have to say as a I writer its tough to be creative and not sound ultra repetitive when I can only refer to my subject with 2 names. I know there are others out there, but they just aren’t that catchy. It’s also the dilemma of having your government name and stage name the same.) related regardless of quality? Okay, first of all, both sites are too dope for that. Second, the people who surf those webpages want to hear about ‘real Hip-Hop’, right? (I myself, in addition to HHC.com, cityonmyback.com and 1loveTO.com, also check for sohh.com, worldstarhiphop.com, hiphopdx.com, allhiphop.com and sometimes nahright.com) So then let me pose this question to you my friends: who or what is the authority on whether someone or something is ‘serious’, ‘authentic’ or ‘real’ Hip-Hop? (Oh, I think I see KRS-One raising his hand in the back – anyone else? Please??? All jokes aside, maximum amount of respect to the Blastmaster) Remember readers, this is still Rap music where wild and completely untrue lyrical claims are as common as Lonnie Lynn (Who, funny enough, represents the exact opposite of those wild and completely untrue claims.) Now with that in our minds, I am going to use my humble opinion to try and answer the question at hand. If you want to make it with authentic Hip-Hop music, you have to make sure you’re on point in 3 crucial areas (Please note, I am referring to what true Hip-Hop heads will be looking out for and NOT the reasons I wake up every morning to ‘Turn my Swag On’… LOL 🙂 . Here they are in random order:
Honesty (Your word was everything, so everything you said you’d do, you did it; Couldn’t talk about it if you ain’t lived it) – You Gotta Show It
Trends (Because they like to follow the words, the style, the trends, the records I spin, again and again and again, yo, you on the other end.) – You Gotta Start It
Lyricism (Spike Lee couldn’t paint a better picture. Oh ya, and: Dead in the middle of little Italy little did we know that we riddled some middleman who didn’t do diddily) – You Gotta Spit It
And just for the record, to test out the validity of this theory, think of your favourite rappers, and apply these 3 topics to their lyrics and lifestyle (For example, and I know that I will get KILLED for this, but when a rapper tries to start a trend and it doesn’t catch on, to me it hurts their creditability. I’ve never ever once referred to a drop top by saying, ‘the titties is out’. I’ve also never asked a female if she was interested in partaking in ‘Oochie Wally’ (or however you’d proposition that). However, and I may be wrong on the genesis of this term but I don’t have a conflicting reference point (maybe someone can help me with one), it does seem that calling Jigga a ‘camel’ did become a trend. So I guess God’s Son didn’t completely strike out. Yes, I said it and meant it..) If they fit, they’re legit (Sorry, ultra corny, but, I mean, if it worked for OJ……….)
Let’s start with Honesty…
See, I’m the kind of guy that hears an artist say, (1) ‘I’m responsible for everything you listen to (‘Still Fly’ Dubplate) and immediately thinks, PROVE IT. I’m mean, I’m reading Billboard more than the Neilson Company, so if you’re bold enough to say, (2) ‘Check the Soundscan, you can see that I’m the last hope (‘Swagga Like Us’ Dubplate) and you’re not… well, you’re worth as much to me as the paper you write on (Or BlackBerry you read from.) Heck, imagine the balls it takes to spit (3) ‘I just did my own thing, now I run the game, you stupid muthasuckas (‘Uptown’) Run the game? Really?
I don’t know if it was first duplicated on a tweet from hustleGRL or if it re-premiered as an update on octobersveryown.blogspot.com, but I know the actual genesis was on the Billboard Rap Charts. When the September 5th edition of Billboard Magazine hit the newsstands and was posted online, Drake had made Canadian music history by occupying positions 1, 2, and 3 on the aforementioned list (With credit going to Young Money for the song ‘Every Girl’ at #2.) Part of me feels compelled to not even complete this exercise, but I know there are some important readers out there that don’t watch Arrested Development (TVs Greatest Intellectual Sitcom. ‘Illusions dad, whores turn tricks.’) or read Malcolm Gladwell books (You need to read these 3 books in order: 1. The Tipping Point 2. Blink 3. Outliers. But really pay attention; these works must be digested like food. Add this to the To-Do-List that you actually DO stuff from.) so lets do a quick reference check with the 3 Drake quotes above:
- Okay, if you want to be technical, not EVERYTHING you listen to, but at least the three most popular songs. And heck, if you live in Toronto and listen to Flow 93.5 – some make a strong argument that the station is just one long Drake song (Listen, that is NOT a slight, if I were Wayne or Duce, I’d be doing EXACTLY the same thing. The New Flow 93.5 – Playing the Drake that Moves You (even though I don’t think I’ve heard one interview with him since he’s takin off. To be honest, I don’t really listen to the station that much, so I may have just missed it). And to any rappers out there that are salty about it, come with some hit records so that Jeni and Chambers can actually play your joint at lunchtime for the office ladies. It makes everybody’s job easier. If you want a good starting point, just make the chorus easy to remember and repetitive. I understand that we all know this, but why isn’t anyone DOING IT?.)
- For those that don’t know, a simple explanation of Soundscan’s main function is that it is a tracking system that supplies Billboard with information regarding sales of music. That in turn is used to help determine song positions on the weekly charts. Positions like 1, 2 and 3.
- Geez, if the top 3 rap singles don’t count as running the game, then I guess his multi-million dollar record deal (and accompanying bidding war) in a music business drought and sharp economic decline where he keeps his masters should put the icing on that cake (Because I don’t want to lose whatever interest you have left, if you need more back-up post or email and I can combatjack some additional info. However, this recent proclamation by MTV that he is the 3rd Hottest Rapper in the game while still working his second official single is pretty dope..)
Now on to Trends…
This is one of the most important parts of Hip-Hop. Straight up. Take it from a corporate-ass, suit-wearing dude. EVERY company that wants to be current and cool looks to Hip-Hop to bring out popular trends. For example, here at home I think that the Marc Ecko Watch Collection has done an excellent job of branding itself within the Canadian Urban community and, in some cases, FarBeyond that into other areas as well (You need to go and check for yourself. www.marceckotime.ca. Big ups to my man Jesse and the excellent job that he and his team are doing over there.) . As further support to the point, and mostly because of my age, the example that hits closest to home for me is Tommy Hilfiger (Now, I don’t know how many people have actually seen what Tommy looks like, but to have Grand Puba rock the shit, then add the wardrobe to complement the verbal intercourse for one of the greatest Rap albums of all time and finally dress Snoop up for his first ever Saturday Night Live performance, it’s safe to say that that white boy knew what he was doing. Plus, in grade 10, when our class ‘pharmacist’ showed up to Science dipped from head to toe in Tommy, I knew it was poppin..)
Now, walk with me for a minute as I use the Jay-Z song ‘Off That’, assisted by Drake, from the Blueprint 3 album, to help explain. The point of ‘Off That’ is to do exactly what the song title suggests, get off of a current, played-out trend (Cause We On To The Next One). Now Jay is arguably the most consistent artist in all of music at establishing and, subsequently abolishing, popular fads (I went to Turks & Caicos for my honeymoon strictly because at that time Jay had just name-dropped it in ‘What More Can I Say’. Not in a dick riding way, but because I truly believe that he values his reputation above almost anything else. That’s why he’s one of the world’s greatest pitchmen. You can’t sell a product you don’t believe in, and Jay is no exception to that rule. His honesty makes you trust him, whether he’s paid to name drop or not. So when he says ‘Benz paid for, friends they roll, private jets down to Turks & Caicos’ – that’s as good as a full marketing campaign where I come from. It’s also just another example of the value that authentic and honest Hip-Hop can bring to the corporate world. In the same way Bob Seger can sell you Chevy Trucks or Justin Timberlake can hock you Mickey D’s.) His credibility couldn’t be higher among those in the know (That is a polite way of saying, people who count.) Anyway you slice it; he’s not the kind of guy that is interested in damaging his reputation. So with that in mind, why would a calculated business man like Jay put an unsigned artist on his BP3 album to assist him in evacuating the current trends in Hip-Hop that he feels need to be deaded? (Yes, I also recognize that there is a connection between Drake’s representation and Jay. And by connection I mean, Jay pretty much opened the door for Gee and Hop to really get in the music business. That said, you could try and create an argument that that is the main reason why Hov would work with Drake. So to rebut the notion that Jay-Z is all about supporting the roster at HHS78 I’d say, How’s the new Jay and Saigon record coming along?) Cause real recognizes real (Remember when that actually meant something?) and Jay knew he was working with another trendsetter (‘Walk into the room and you can smell the Clive Christian scent’ anyone? Head to Yorkville if you need a point of reference, but bring your black card if you’re planning on paying for it…. I don’t have one either.) that shares his Maven (Check your boy Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘The Tipping Point’ for that) status. Deeper now, take this in (ibid deading of pause): Drake receives writing credit on the song. What does that mean? Well, it means that he wrote (or assisted in writing) the chorus, thus himself helping dead Timberland boots, car rims and making it rain in the club. If you choose to believe otherwise, perhaps you’re suggesting that he helped Jay write his verses? Maybe he helped Timbo compose the beat… the melody? Right…. Canada, your boy Drizzy is Hip-Hop’s new trendsetter (Even check, ‘A Star is Born’ from BP3, where Jay mentions, ‘Drake’s up next, lets see what he does with it’. Hey, Jigga doesn’t want to fall behind on the new trends, he knows what’s up..)
(This part is really more targeted at Canadians, but you’re all encouraged to read) Talk about trends, he is also the first rap artist to actually do what every other rap artist here in our great country says they’re going to do; Leave Canada and blow in the States (I have mad respect for Kardinal for what he has done abroad and here at home (I even booked him at Seneca College 10 years ago just off of the Beat Factory compilation and ‘Husslin’, so I’m not frontin at all), but let’s keep it real, although ‘Dangerous’ was a HUGE international hit record, it still took 15 years+ to get there. You can also put ‘Beautiful’ in the mix if you want, because that did crack the Top 20 on the Hot 100 in America. However, the downside to the inclusion of that record is that you’d have to concede that both his big songs have had Akon on them. And I’m not hating, I’m just saying it will be tough to come out of that shadow for him. Unless a hit record happens without Akon on it, that will forever be the knock against him whether we like it or not. To be fair to one of our own, those joints are not really the best representation of Kardi’s skills, and he mos-def has his lane here…. But from a US perceptive, if that’s called ‘blowing’, then I’m going to request that we reinstitute pause..) Just to be clear, as much as there are many instances in which we model ourselves after our southern brother, the idea of ‘blowing’ in the States is more based on financial reasons than cultural ones (Speaking of culture, Snow was the first to take what many consider to be ‘Toronto’s style’ (blending raps with Jamaican patois) to the States with success. While ‘Informer’ was a monster single, spending almost 2 months at the pinnacle of the Billboard Pop Charts, Snow was no Vanilla Ice. I mean, he isn’t from Jamaica, but I don’t feel like HE himself was a gimmick. That said, Snow would be considered more of a Reggae artist, with MC Shan providing the rap. Since then the blending of the two styles, although it has been done ad nauseam, just doesn’t seem to work right when it comes from Canada. However, it was the only song he ever had that reached the global masses, so, even though he is Snow, he can’t be considered as ‘blowing’ either. Although it’s important to point out something we did learn from Snow though, it’s not about conforming, but informing – nice one, eh? -). Also, because more often than not, our country is behind on developing trends, the ones that do survive ply their trades on greener international pastures (Celine Dion, Mike Myers, Jack Kent Cooke, Lorne Michaels, Wayne Gretzky, Jim Carrey, Pam Anderson, Conrad Black, Steve Nash, James Cameron, Shania Twain, ETC.) Now, I don’t know how many readers are into Canadian Content regulations on music, but to make it ultra simple and ultra vague, Canadian media instruments function on a government regulated programming slate where 30% – 40% of the content played must be what they deem Canadian (Each station agrees to their percentage at the time they are awarded their license. And these rules are hardcore. Like, they don’t count Shania Twain as CANCON anymore for F sakes. Obviously they’re doing this to help protect our Canadian heritage, so whether or not you find fault in the system, you have to respect the fact that they are looking out for the country’s talent..) So why did ‘Best I Ever Had’, with it’s high percentage of Canadian Content, (Shout goes out to 1da, who puts his relationship with God ahead of the mind-blowing success he is about to achieve. I hope he doesn’t’ mind me saying that, but it is something to be very proud of.) chart on US Radio a full 6 weeks before it charted here in Canada? (The song also carry’s a sample from a US song ‘Fallin in Love’ which ironically was playing in the background the night Drake fell on stage and re-tore his ACL (insert ‘falling’ joke here)… so it’s not 100% CANCON. You may also recognize the original from such exciting places as the Dentist office or in an elevator.) That is a whole other can of worms involving many facets (Including the poor quality of the Canadian Rap music that came before it, the lack of stations willing to play rap music, some levels of racial divide (yes, Canada too), and just plain ignorance.) but the fact remains, it was a bigger song in the US than it was in Canada, and that is a major first step for a Canadian rapper. Just as a final nail in the coffin, the song peaked at #24 on Canada’s pop charts and reached #2 in the States. Nuff said…
Oh yeah, he was nominated for the Best New Artist at the 2009 MTV Video Awards and just scooped up the 2009 Rookie of the Year Trophy at the BET Awards… No big deal.
And since Jay and Kellz ain’t doing their thing no more, I guess he and the boy Songz the replacement (You know it’s true.)
So there you have it, Part II in the books. I hope that the sun may be peaking through the clouds for some of our friends sharing an opinion that is contrary to mine. Be sure to post or email your comments so that I can make sure I haven’t put you to sleep yet. Check back in Friday October 23rd as I’m going to attempt to dissect some lyrics in a final effort to sway the jury. I promise to keep it flowing like a slit wrist, no bandage.