Drake Concert Preview
This review was originally published in the UCSD Guardian — unfortunately, the online link has since been removed.
It wouldn’t be entirely out of character for Drake to show up to Sun God in a wheelchair; after all, the world was first introduced to Aubrey Drake Graham as the paralyzed ex-b-baller Jimmy on “Degrassi: The Next Generation.” Since then, the Canadian has graduated the teen-soap gig for songwriting sessions with Lil Wayne, rumored romantic exploits with Rihanna and a Grammy nomination — not a bad upgrade.
You might think the kid is hip-hop royalty already, but he hasn’t actually released a proper album: Major-label debut Thank Me Later doesn’t drop until June 15. All Drake has to prove that he’s worthy of Jay-Z and Eminem’s love is hit single “Best I Ever Had,” his spot on “Forever” and a few forgettable (if promising) mixtapes.
Last year’s So Far Gone is one such promise: Though Drake’s lyrics are often ridiculous —“I really can’t complain, everything’s kosher/ Two thumbs up, Ebert and Roeper” — they’re never boring, and his beats are always made by the best.
Drake has quickly become the model for a new school of popular hip-hop — championed by the melodramatic Kanye West, who has chosen Drake as one of his prodigies — in which danceable pacing is chucked for sincerity, synths are the new samples and hooks take precedence over rhymes. Let’s call it post-rap.
Tracks leaked from his new album only amp the promise. Single “Over” — an unabashed throwdown consumed by string and horn arrangements — is utterly triumphant, while the Kanye-produced “Find Your Love” sounds a lot like, well, Kanye.
In the vein of “Degrassi,” Drake takes more from sweet indie-rock than R&B when it comes to singing and sampling. Mixtape highlights “Let’s Call It Off” and “Little Bit” feature Peter Bjorn and John and Lykke Li, respectively. (And with Lil Wayne on his side, Drake can pretty much do whatever he wants.)
Unfortunately, all that prettiness probably won’t shine through his bumbling live show. Drake is a studio technician, not a performer, and his reliance on more successful artists won’t get him anywhere, seeing as Weezy can’t exactly fly the coop for a night of science-nerd debauchery. Plus, it’s hard to take Drake’s swag seriously when all we’re asking ourselves is, “Since when was Jimmy cool?”
