Debunking the Misconception of “Old Drake“
Graphic by Rhys Conybeare
Rapper, singer, and newly acclaimed “Certified Lover Boy,” Drake, has had the most successful career of any artist in any era of music. 32 BET Awards. 47 Grammy nominations. A record-breaking 27 BillBoard Music Awards. These are just a few of the trophies littering the walls of Aubrey “Drake” Graham’s $150 million mansion.
Getting his start on the popular Canadian TV drama Degrassi, Drake’s love for music persuaded him to write lyrics and even rap on the show. Ten plus projects later, Drake became the highest streamed musician in history, amassing over 50 billion streams on Spotify in January 2021 alone. In 2020, the Toronto native overtook Madonna and The Beatles for the most number one singles ever in Billboard chart history. Though, to his fans—OG or newly inducted—the singing and rapping Canadian-American’s success is not limited to the numerous awards he has won or the records he has broken.
I fell in love with Drake at a young age. At eight years old, I started listening to Take Care, two years after its release. This album—against my parents wishes—stayed on repeat. And, for my age, I was about as OG of a fan as possible. Next came Nothing was the same: a 15 song masterpiece displaying Drake’s rap ability on long and short verses, fitting melodic features, and intensifying his sensitivity in his music, while maintaining a “success and celebration” mentality. It instantly became my favorite. By the time I was 10, I had listened to all of So Far Gone, Thank Me Later, Take Care, and Nothing Was the Same. This was the Drake I thought I fell in love with.
This era is considered to be “Old Drake,” and it’s something I have heard everywhere for years. It is an outlook illustrating Drake’s current state as a mere product of pop culture, fame, and money. Drake receives extensive criticism, from fans and critics alike for his stylistic fluctuations during his career’s progression. They say Drake no longer makes music for the people: he is now making hit-oriented songs that are created for the sole purpose of debuting at number one and getting radio time.
So, I used to fully agree with this angle portraying Drake’s current music, but my perspective has shifted, seeing through the arbitrary misconception. “Old Drake” fans, like myself, got to watch Drake’s early evolution. After his first five albums—proving himself as a rapper and dabbling in singing and other more expressive musical characteristics—Drake reached his pinnacle. What I truly fell in love with was not the music he was releasing during this period, but his growth within the music was releasing. Constantly waiting for his next project, I dreamt about how it would be better than the last. He evolved as an artist so rapidly during this time period.
I watched Drake improve, until improvement was no longer achievable. Drake’s growth and evolution early in his career solidified greatness as indisputable, but this created unrealistic expectations.
These unrealistic expectations fabricated themselves in my mind as a longing for more. When he didn’t continue to develop and release original music, I shamed him, declaring Drake a pop culture washout and a product of fame and money. This mindset was not unique during the time. I now realize—better late than never—that this was an unfair conclusion.
In actuality, Aubrey Graham is an adaptive chameleon who has been able to shape his stylistic components throughout his entire career. This versatility is what has allowed Drake to capitalize at such a tremendous level and soar above his competitors.
Despite this new conclusion I’ve drawn, I still do prefer his older music. Take Care and Nothing was the
same—with iconic songs such as “Headlines” and “Started From the Bottom”—are artistic geniuses. But the misconception and bias, which I no longer hold, is that this genius has faded. It has not. My viewpoint was simply obstructed from witnessing the greatness of evolution.