Drake and the Death of the Culture (Part 1)

Comments · 5

• AR

  @ariw9405 · 1 month ago

  In my opinion Drake was beloved for his vulnerability. He fell into the patriarchal trap thinking he had to be “hard” to be a rapper. He also doesn’t realize he’s DRAKE! His confidence and validation were not commiserate with his success. He’s been chasing the approval of other men rather than embracing his own success. Once hip hop became a driver for capitalism all roads led to a Drake.

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• JO

  @jordancathleen · 1 month ago

  Great work on this! Can’t wait for part two

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• AU

  @AudreyA1999 · 1 month ago

  Excellent analysis.  I hope this gets more exposure.  You really held up a mirror to the culture, and to reveal how Drake and many others became so popular in the first place.

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• GI

  @gibbzehd8538 · 1 month ago

  Interesting take, but I think you’re conflating “the culture” with “the industry.” Once the industry became involved, it increasingly dictated the direction of Hip-Hop—limiting the visibility of certain subgenres while heavily promoting others. Gangsta Rap, for example, received far more industry support than Jazz-influenced or conscious Hip-Hop.<br><br>That conflation also makes it difficult to fairly criticise the culture based on what the industry chooses to promote. If artists want to be commercially successful, they often have to bend to industry expectations. Some do so reluctantly, while others are perfectly happy to do it—hence the emergence of “hard” Drake when that image became commercially useful.<br><br>Drake is almost perfectly built for the industry. He’s a decent rapper and was genuinely interesting to listen to at the beginning, but he’s also commercially adaptable and has an image that won’t “scare” mainstream audiences, if you know what I mean. In my opinion, his mixed heritage has helped rather than hindered him, allowing him to move comfortably between different audiences and musical styles.<br><br>That doesn’t mean he has no talent, but there’s a difference between an artist emerging from the culture and an artist being ideally positioned for the industry to package, promote and present as the culture.

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