To all the ladies wonderin' why
Drake can't rap like that same old guy
It's 'cause I don't know how anymore
I don't know how

I agree. This tape was the birth of the real “idgaf” Drake that we see today but he approached it way differently then compared to now and I don’t think the changes are for the better

If you want this, you gotta be okay with him dumbing it down lyrically tho

Yeah very valid. I’m definitely not a fan of “I want this sound back” because like Jay said buy my old album. I just want him to sound like he cares about the crafting of the music again. Sometimes to me he sounds like he’s not even really interested in the music he’s making

Didn’t he say he had a vocal injury a few years ago? Said he was going to take a break after Her Loss or FATD & never did. I always assumed that was why. I assume the late nights & drinking is finally catching up to him.

This. Cole has been rapping the best of the 3 for at least the past 3 or so years and I see why people give him s*** for apologizing, but based on his ability people dropping him from the big 3 is a crazy take.

Also valid but to be honest Drake’s skill was the ability to convey something that really resonates even if it’s not even the most technically impressive. I think he’s a good to great rapper overall but a lot of his best work isn’t some sort of technical masterpiece he’s just really good at getting his message across akin to someone like Kanye

I’m pretty sure he said that also. I agree with the life choice and stuff too I think it definitely does impact you plus I mean to be fair to him he’s had a long career so I can see how that can impact your vocals

Well the hiphopheads who pretend to care about lyricism are on his ass rn so not sure if he can ever have fun again like on iyrtitl. Most you’re gonna get are hits like Nokia if he steps out of his lyrical bag. We’re in No Fun Mode rn

Yeah I feel you. I want him to have fun making music again and make music that he wants to make regardless of what others think because that’s when he’s at his best

The work ethic is crazy & I commend him for it, but it’s been album, tour, album, tour, album, tour for 15 years. He’s never really had a real break. I hope he disappears for a little after Iceman.

Rap commercially is more about relevancy and Cole has certainly been as unaffected by the beef as Drake or Kendrick. None of them have really changed they way they rap or their places in the culture. But going back to rap's roots as an art form it's always been speaking about your current situation and experiences. A studio rapper can make great art given enough time and resources. But a true rapper can make something incredible in the heat of the moment off the dome. The theatrics and drama for rap beef isn't as significant but watching Drake and Kendrick cook up diss after diss was a gift, sure Kendrick came pre-recorded with MTG but the rest were great

Cole on the other hand, we got one light jab and he surrendered. You can make some good albums, out rap some C tier plants and clones, shoot some deep music videos. But at the end of the day when he got tested he quit. Cole probably gonna keep the casuals fed but Drake and Kendrick showed out for the lifelong hip-hop fans

I agree with all of this. He definitely been an omnipresent figure and I know stepping back definitely could be difficult but I think it could do him a lot of good. His catalog could hold him over literally for years in his absence

Tonight.

Man the premade beef songs alone makes the whole thing invalid on using it to Judge rappers. And then there’s the nitpicking certain lines based on who you’re rooting for. I’ve seen Cole get on almost every rappers songs and destroy them and I just haven’t seen Kendrick do it. Drake did it once upon a time too. I’ll take that every day over premade beef songs coupled with social media campaigns

re-listened to Deceiving the other day and man, he was elite at storytelling at one point. i understand the punchline rap suited his sound better overall but would love for him to fall back in love with how he used to write.

layering stanzas, switching cadences and flows, witty metaphors and smilies

It’s actually insane when you think about it. We’ve been following Drake, Cole, and Kendrick for 15 years now and some people want us to throw away songs, features, album and every contribution we’ve gotten during that time for a rap beef that happened in a month span lmao. Let’s not even mention how the industry n other rappers put their thumb on the scale plus other fugaze we witnessed. The gaslighting is too much

He was heavy on those Phonte and Budden influences back then lol. I love that sound from him too and would love for him to get in that bag again but unfortunately I get how dropping a mainstream album does require some level of baseline. I dream one day when time passes the torch over to the next generation on a mainstream level he does one for the day ones

which is why that beef was the worst thing that could’ve ever happened

for those that are fans of the artists and genre, it was a nice treat

but those outside of it, have literally tried to use that moment to erase or revise history to fit whatever narrative they’re trying to push. it being so commercialized, didnt help either

there’s so many stories he could be talking about in Toronto, what his music impact has had on regular people and even other artists and how that affects him, his parents getting older, his child getting older, himself getting older, what he’s scared about, so many topics i’d love a deep dive on in the form of his music

it dont gotta be a whole album, hell it can be some loose tracks on some Am/Pm vibes. but i need some introspective storytelling Drake to return in some way cause thats him at his best

cold front

That beef changed my whole perception on hiphop so much. Hearing Push Ups n Family Matters made me realize Drake could still rap amazingly. Seeing every old head who pretended to care about lyricism abandon their supposed principles for social media narratives. Hiphop pretending to be woke and nitpicking lyrics for fake outrage. Cole who I viewed as the best rapper apologizing to Kendrick who I thought was washed. The 20v1. So many things

Was wild to watch in real time. One of the worst things to happen to the genre in a very long time.

Agreed, we all know he can innovate and elevate his sound so I'm excited to see where the direction of Iceman is headed, definitely want to hear energy again like Family Matters