It’s summertime, which has basically become Drake season, and rightfully so. The man comes through pretty much every year. Looking back he has put together an impressive career, helping to pave the way for rap to translate into pop music, without losing its edge. Don’t get me wrong Drake has his flaws, but I think the time has come to appreciate his career. I have a theory the reason why he has had such longevity is because of his career came in a couple phases, the fame came in waves. This isn’t the only reason, but I think it is a factor
First he had his little acting stint on Degrassi, and without knowing him personally, I think it was import. It gave him a little taste of the spotlight. Then, there was the whole Young Money crew kind of coming up together, we’ll call this his first three or four albums. He did blow up with Wayne and Nicki, but he hadn’t quite hit that next level yet. Once he dropped “If You’re Hearing This It’s Too Late” he began rising even higher. Part of this was the result of social media. A couple songs on that one (Legend, Energy, 10 Bands) and a couple of his singles, enjoyed heightened popular resulting from Vine (R.I.P.) and Twitter. He also became a full fledged Raptors/Kentucky/Warriors/general bandwagon basketball fan, which I still think is hilarious. But he hit his absolute peak in 2016. He had just basically out famous-ed Meek Mill in what was the most notable rap beef in about ten years and used that momentum to spring-board forward. He dropped “Views,” “Summer Sixteen,” and most notably “Hotline Bling.”
But I think another branch of his music career needs to be discussed, is Drake one of the best featured artists of all time? To me the answer is yes. Obviously he’s not number 1, Snoop will probably have that locked down for the next fifty years, but I’m gonna say he’s top five. He could jump in for a hook or a verse, and always brings his “A” game. Anyway this is a long winded way of saying, here is my list of the ten best Drake features. I’m basing it not just on his verse but the song itself, and probably too much nostalgia.
10. Moment 4 Life
9. Good Girls Go Bad
8. R.I.C.O.
7. Tuesday
6. No Lie
5. Stay Schemin’
4. Money To Blow
3. I’m On One
2. Believe Me
1. Right Above It