What's interesting about being in the hip-hop community is that you rarely meet someone who is a fan of Drake. This is somewhat strange considering that his face is plastered all over rap caviar and his music charts without fail. However, as many people may have noticed, liking Drake in 2023 is very much not in fashion.
Unlike other artists that have publicly fallen off, Drake's music continues to perform incredibly well. So some people are listening to him. Is this some kind of label Pr trickery, or the power or radio-play in action? No. I think lots of people really like Drake, but because it has become a social faux pas to do so, they don't want to publicly enjoy his music. Drake's music is so commercially popular, liking him is a bit like being a fan of google or Dyson. On top of this, his songs has some questionable lyrics. This has put him in the strange position of someone who is very successful but also regularly clowned by his own audience.
Although his music can be incredibly cringe worthy, it's very fun to listen to. Lines such as "Fuck a pigeon hole, I'm a night owl" and "I've got to be single for a while you can't control me" do elicit a similar reaction to eating a whole lime but the fantastic production and confidence Drake delivers them with elevates his music to a level of post ironic coolness which is so cringe that it comes back around to not being cringe.
That's my excuse for listening to him anyway.
I think we should look at ourselves in the mirror tonight and admit that on some level we actually do like Drake's music.
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