JACQUES: In 2019, Drake is arguably the biggest musician on the planet.
Even after a highly publicized beef with Pusha T last year, the 6ix God’s reign continues.
The seeds for this dominance were planted a decade ago on Drake’s breakthrough effort,
'So Far Gone,' the project that introduced Drizzy to the world and changed the rap game forever.
In 2006, Aubrey Drake Graham was more known for his role on a Canadian teen soap than
for his lyricism.
For 8 years, Drake starred as Jimmy Brooks on the mid-aughts Canadian TV show 'Degrassi.'
Graham was fond of acting, but rap was his one true love.
AUBREY: I do music.
These are full from front to back of just songs pages and pages of lyrics and ideas...
something that I’ll probably never use.
Music literally runs in Drake's blood, and songs like Al Green’s "Let's Stay Together"
are part of his family's lineage.
DRAKE: My uncle wrote for Al Green, he wrote like “Let’s Getty Married” and some
of Al Green’s biggest hits.
My dad played drums for Jerry Lee Lewis, my Uncle is Larry Graham from Graham Central Station.
INTERVIEWER: Jesus Christ!
DRAKE: Yea yea!
JACQUES: In 2006, Drake released his first project, 'Room For Improvement,' with a sophomore effort,
Comeback Season dropping a year later.
The latter included his first widely released single, “Replacement Girl” with Trey Songz.
Back on set, Drake had trouble straddling the worlds of television and music.
DRAKE: I’m definitely starting to turn my attention and focus to music, I enjoy the
performing aspect of it, I enjoy stuff like this.
JACQUES: But later he revealed that trying to do both caused him to be fired from the
show and brought him to a crossroads.
DRAKE: It was like, is this rap thing going to work?
Like, Is this my choice?
Is this what I am committing to?
Around this time, Drake's MySpace page caught the attention of Jas Prince, the son of Houston’s’
Rap-A-Lot records founder, J. Prince.
JACQUES: Prince started a campaign to get Drake’s music in front of Lil Wayne, then
prepping his wildly successful album, ‘Tha Carter III.’
And according to Prince, Wayne wasn’t into Drake at first.
JAS PRINCE: He was like, ‘Jas don’t play me that shit no more he’s not good.’
JACQUES: But Prince was persistent.
He made another attempt which led to a fateful phone call.
JAS PRINCE: I played him another rap song, it was to a beat that he wasn’t supposed to have,
but it was one of Wayne’s beats.
Aye Jas, I’m gonna call you right back, I’m getting a haircut.
I said, ‘Hold up, hold up one second somebody wanna holla at you.’
DRAKE: ‘Yo what's up it's Weezy.’
And it ended up being Wayne and um, He was like, ‘I’m starting this thing called
Young Money and I really would love for you to be a part of it so I want to fly you out
to Houston and meet you.’
Young Money, then consisting of a few members most notably an upstart named Nicki Minaj,
was just beginning.
Tunechi later reflected on why he liked Drake.
LIL WAYNE: What I mean by that is the music was so honest...the music was so honest because
I wasn’t...we as listeners we weren’t used to that yet.
JACQUES: Drake flew out to Houston and immediately got to work.
Their early collaborations showed their chemistry.
JACQUES: Fans could not believe that the person who starred in ‘Degrassi’ was the same
kid keeping up with Wayne on these tracks, something Drizzy loved.
DRAKE: Wait, wait, wait, this guy is this guy?...
I always say, I wouldn't have it any other way, man.
JACQUES: All eyes were set on what his first project would be after Weezy’s cosign.
On his blog, Octobers Very Own, Drake fed a growing fanbase with constant updates.
In November 2008, Drake released a remix of Swedish artist Lykke Li’s pop song “Little Bit,"
which was unexpected at the time.
Drake’s foray into pop was shepherded by his producer and close friend, Noah ‘40’ Shebib.
The two first met in 2005 while working on a record for Divine Brown after an introduction
from rapper, Saukrates.
40: And he got Drake to come in and do a remix and Drake and Boi-1da came to the
studio and that’s the first day I met Drake.
DRAKE: Wow.
JACQUES: 40, an engineer, only began making beats for Drizzy after quote:
40 gave Drake’s music a wintery, muted feel and eventually became 'So Far Gone’s' executive producer.
This was around the time Kanye West released his polarizing album, 2008’s '808s and Heartbreak,'
known for its melodic auto-tuned sound, and it became one of Drake and 40’s biggest inspirations,
specifically, “Say You Will.”
In fact, Kanye once told 40 quote:
Drake spoke about how fans received his poppier records.
DRAKE: For the fans of hip-hop who feel like, ‘Aw man Drake's not really hip-hop,’ it's like,
well, in this world I’m the closest thing you’re probably going to get to hip-hop.
JACQUES: 'So Far Gone’s' cover was a flip of an ad for The Economist.
Drake said the title was meant to illustrate, quote:
On February 13th, 2009 'So Far Gone' hit the OVO blog as a free download, taking hip-hop
by storm.
SWAY: Drake's 'So Far Gone' mixtape had the greatest impact of any street CD in 2009.
'So Far Gone' spawned two Billboard charting singles, “Successful” featuring Trey Songz,
which peaked at no. 17,
And “Best I Ever Had” peaking at no. 2,
with a music video directed by Ye.
The then 23 year-old rapper demonstrated that he had the pulse on trending music from different
genres like remixing tracks from Swedish rockers Peter Bjorn & John,
echoing Kanye's "Young Folks” remix in 2007.
To the singer Santigold.
As well as remix of “Say You Will” called “Say What’s Real.”
“Say What’s Real” was an early example of what is now known as Drake’s calling card,
moody introspective lyrics on the trials and tribulations of fame - something we also
hear on "The Calm."
As well as pure R&B songs like “A Night Off” featuring Lloyd that drew on both 40
and Drake’s love for Jodeci and stood out as Drizzy’s favorite song.
'So Far Gone' also contained a sign of Drake’s affinity for Houston through his
connection to Jas exemplified by “Uptown” featuring Bun B and a remix of DJ Screw’s
classic, “June 27th” called “November 18th,” named after the day Drizzy received
his call from Wayne.
With 'So Far Gone,' Drake became hip-hop’s most promising rookie, drawing on his idols’
respective talents, from Wayne’s lyrical delivery to Kanye’s pop sensibility, and
elevating them.
DRAKE: Maybe I don't have to be the next 'Ye.
I don't have to be the next Wayne.
I can just be the first Drake
That summer, Drake announced that he officially signed with Young Money/Cash Money Records,
which was distributed through Universal Records, and re-released 'So Far Gone' with fewer tracks,
due to sample clearance issues, and began creating his debut album, 2010’s
'Thank Me Later.'
'So Far Gone' changed a few things, notably the perception of a mixtape.
The tape’s 18 tracks were a slickly produced original look at who Drake was as an artist,
showcasing all of his skills.
It forced his peers like J. Cole, then months away from his own breakthrough mixtape,
'The Warm Up,' to switch it up.
Cole said, quote:
Cole was not alone - in the years that followed, free albums disguised as mixtapes were co-opted
by other acts like Wiz Khalifa, A$AP Rocky and the late Mac Miller.
This door may’ve closed, since today, most listeners stream their music which requires
samples to be cleared.
Drake’s honesty throughout ‘So Far Gone’ turned his life into lyrical fodder.
which allowed fans to incorporate his words into their own identities.
DRAKE: The amount of people that took the time to download it, listen to it, quote it
put lines in their Twitters and Facebooks and all that stuff.
Finally, Drake’s merging of R&B melodies and lyricism, sonically aided by 40, and in
the shadow of Kanye, Bone Thugz and Lauryn Hill, created a unique sound, and demonstrated
an artist willing to take risks.
DRAKE: But to get my feelings out, sometimes it can’t be rap.
Sometimes I really have to sing because the emotion is too intense or too genuine
JACQUES: This splitting of his talents continues, with the success of his 8th album, 2018’s 'Scorpion,'
which includes both the gritty, flexing track "Nonstop" alongside the bubbly, R&B-friendly
"In My Feelings," where the stand-out is Drake singing the hook.
He also showed folks how to transfer fame from acting to music, not the other way around
DDG: The reason I know Drake is from 'Degrassi,' I used to literally watch ‘Degrassi’ every day.
If he could do it, and be at the top for 10 years who says I can’t?
I’m Jacques Morel with Genius News, bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.
Peace!