Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
BY JOSEPH DEBELL, STAFF WRITER
Aubrey Graham’s (Drake) streak of music recently has been underwhelming. Considering that Drake is 36 and his recent records haven’t had the best reception from a creative standpoint, it’s not entirely outlandish for him to retire.
While Drake has easily been one of the most streamed artists of the last decade, in a recent interview with Lil Yachty, the Toronto rapper and RnB artist hinted at this.
“I feel like I’m kind of introducing the concept in my mind of a graceful exit,” he said.
For Drake being a relevant artist in hip-hop, his thoughts about leaning towards retirement could just be seen as a cheap way to keep the spotlight on him. However, considering his recent three album run and how uninspired most of his work sounds, It makes sense that Drake would want a quiet exit without the drama and stress that comes with rolling out a new record.
Even if Drake decides to release another LP, there would be immense pressure to have it be more inspired and punchy than his older work. However, his recent switching between music genres has been indicative of restlessness and demonstrates that it might be time for a “graceful exit.”
It’s also possible that Drake wouldn’t feel the pressure to have that record be well received. He’s shed all the eclectic traits that once characterized him as he came up in music. After all, he isn’t trying too hard to maintain any tough guy facade. Just look at the “Way 2 Sexy” music video, where he’s doing zumba.
It’s no secret that when Drake does something controversial or releases new music it almost always commands attention. Yet, it is clear that Drake has reached a point where he has no new ways to challenge himself. It almost looks like Drake has painted his career into a corner.
The only logical way out of this would be for Drake to find some unexplored way to express himself. I don’t know that he would believe it, but it doesn’t seem complicated for Drake to do this. Instead, he appears to be stuck in neutral.
Drake should seize the moment he’s in and take advantage of being one of the genre’s most influential artists. After all, he thrives within arguably the most creative artistic space: music. So he should be able to attempt any collaboration or sound he desires.
However, it’s apparent that innovation wasn’t the real reason why Drake started on this path.
Instead, his journey to become the top influential hip-hop artist was fraught with attempts at creative distractions, rather than being organically creative in an environment welcoming change.
debelljb22@bonaventure.edu
