(ThyBlackMan.com) For years, I wasn’t too much of an admirer of the actor ceremoniously known as Aubrey Graham. Of course, it was more of his transition to “Drake,” the rapper-and-singer. Up until the fall of 2011, I always thought he was extremely overrated and over-hyped That all changed, when the song Headlines and his superb sophomore album, Take Care made me look at him purely as an artist and not a rapper.
When I say that, I believe that Drake put out his best complete work. He showcased his songwriting capability, he proved he could still make effective R&B and when it came to display his lyrical capacities, he didn’t step away from the pressure. These three factors make Drake efficiently the most talented artist in the game. That could be taken as opinion or fact. Let’s
quickly look at the three areas Drake excels at.
1. Songwriting ability. The definition of great songwriting means, can you write a song in terms of structure, precision, melody and lyrics. Drake is a maestro at composing, whether it’s a hook, instantly memorable lines, or an overall song. His hooks are catchy, his songs are filed with quotables and his overall song constructions are second to none.
Examples: Headlines, Best I Ever Had, Find Your Love
2. Ability to create R&B.
Of course, to hip hop heads around the world, the fact that Drake sings makes him abnormal and is considered blasphemous to the hip hop craft. Well, maybe it’s that he’s in his feelings when he sings it’s blasphemous. But regardless, Drakes’ R&B is well crafted. Is it the best in the R&B game? Not by a stretch, but it adds to his dimension as an all-around artist. Drake’s emo-themed and change-of-pace R&B (Doing it Wrong, Karaoke, Find Your Love) has resonated with his cult like following, while cuts like Marvin’s Room and Take Care found chart success. His versatility to translate to the R&B genre maybe hated on by some, but you can’t deny Drakes ability to make some R&B.
Examples: Take Care, Marvin’s Room, Doing it Wrong, Find Your Love.
3. Can be lyrical when he needs to.
Even Started from the Bottom couldn’t confuse those who may inquire Drakes’ lyrical validity. Take Care’s Lord Knows and his verse on Rick Ross Stay Schemin’ changed all of that immediately, instantly giving Drake the hip hop cred he needed. If you don’t believe me, listen to 5 AM in Toronto and tell me if he didn’t go in the whole time.
Examples: Stay Schemin’, Lord Knows, Uptown, Light Up, 5 AM in Toronto, The Resistance, HYFR (Hell Yeah, F*****g Right.)
Drakes Nothing Was the Same is to be released in September.