So Far Gone

The Canadian born actor and rapper Drake was a regular on the television show, Degrassi. He has crossed over from TV to a completely different genre (rap) and the world is better for his crossover. Drake comes from a predominately white family and has quickly become one of the most popular artists in the world. In American society to rap and be coined as, "good" an artist needs to talk about his sex life, his money,women and drugs. As a male rap artist, Drake has resisted the typical American ideology of the genre and revolutionized the way rap was viewed by releasing his 3rd studio mix-tape, So Far Gone. This mix-tape completely conveys the sensitivity and vulnerability of himself. It displays the emotions of sadness, jealousy, joy, freedom, pain and anger. The words of this mix-tape paints iconographic images that only a Picasso like art form can create in the mind of a human being. Drake's sincerity towards specific topics  with his audience makes the mix-tape a true original. While other rappers talk about "making it rain" in the club, he speaks to the honor and beauty of women while cherishing every moment one may  experience in life. In one of his songs, "A Night Off" he sang,"Spending every moment in the studio I never said it'd be fair, when you're all alone I hope you truly know how bad I wanna be there". That one chorus stood apart from the rest of the songs to me. It showed how important his work is and how a good relationship with a women balances his life. He knew that the quintessential genre of rap and it's sorted topics of sex, money, women and drugs, weren't  for him or his audience. He wanted to reach out to a broader base and his lyrics are indicative of that. Instead Drake has changed rap by releasing a mix-tape that enables listeners to hear a males feelings for women,life and family that wouldn't be usually on rap album. He also remains vulnerable in that he raps about his fears and how he conquers them. As an artist, Drake showed his gifted lyricism through his third studio mix-tape So Far Gone and has changed the status quo, I cant write about my true feelings. 

Comments

[Seth P.]

I agree that its good he's changing it up a bit, and that he's just as successful if not more than many other artists. Many fall in to the trap of trying to follow along with what everyone else does, people like drake are the few that have the power not to.

[Maryann W.]

I also think that's its good that Drake is trying to change his norm. I agree with Seth that the majority of humans tend to follow along the path of what their idols are doing or believing in, however I think that people who are not as popular or successful as Drake have equal opportunity not to fall into that ditch.