Guest blogger: Lacey 1

Drake is my favorite hip-hop star. Regarding his most recent album “Thank Me Later”, a critic named Jody Rosen says “The tempos are slow, the beats are awash in gauzy atmospherics, and Drake raps (and, surprisingly often, sings) in the voice of a guy who's half-awake” (Rosen). Drake’s style on “Thank Me Later” is definitely not the main-stream hip-hop that one would expect, I agree with them on that point, but as far as the talent goes, I disagree with the thoughts that he’s just lazy and droopy. Compared to Eminem, PitBull, and DJ Khaled, Drake is much calmer and more connected to his verses. In the same Rolling Stone review, Jody Rosen states “…it's an album meant to be listened to from start to finish” (Rosen). I completely agree with that thought; Drake raps about stuff that is meaningful to him, and he knows that there are other people listening to him who can relate to the things he’s saying. In the song “Up All Night” featuring up-and-comer Nicki Minaj, Drake raps “I’m busy getting rich, I don’t want trouble…Famous like a drug that I've taken too much of, but I never ever trip; Just peace happiness and love.” He’s basically saying that he’s having so much fun making music and making money that he isn’t going to go around getting into these little “rap battles” like a lot of rappers do. Some people also say that he kind of has a big ego and lets the fame get to his head, and I agree with that to a point, but overall I think he’s genuinely talented and his music is fun to listen to. It’s always a bonus when an artist’s lyrics are relatable and when a person can really put themselves into that situation and immerse themselves into the emotions coming across from the artist.