Although Canadian rapper and singer Drake has found fame as a dual threat artist who can belt out the vocals along with the bars, he’s not much of a historian after revealing in an interview that he considers himself the first artist to find success in both rhyming and singing. Speaking backstage at a sold-out event in London with The Jewish Chronicle, Drizzy made sure to stamp himself as an innovator although he may have been a touch out of line.
“There were people who incorporated melody before me,” said Drake. “But I would deem myself the first person to successfully rap and sing.” Perhaps Drake was taken out of context, but artists such as T-Pain (the self-professed “rappa-ternt-sanga”), Devin The Dude, Snoop Dogg and the mercurial Kanye West all have made splashes with harmonious melodies to go along with their bars. Singer-songwriter Frank Ocean has shown flourishes that he too can rap with the best, as evidenced by his features on Odd Future tracks. Then there is that multi-Grammy winning album by an ex-Fugee called The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, to consider.
Drake may be overwhelmed by all of his fame so he should be excused for his snafu but as he told the Chronicle, his honeyed vocals and secure raps are not part of some larger than life image.
“Yes, there are aspects of it that are new in the rap world. But it’s not a gimmick. I just sort of exist and people embrace it. I’m one of the few artists who gets to be himself every day,” shared Drake. “It doesn’t take me six hours to get ready and I don’t have to wake up in the morning and remember to act like this or talk like this.”
MORE ON HIP-HOP WIRED!
• 5 Reasons Why The Jackson Family Is Bat Sh-t Crazy
• Graffiti Mural Criticizing NYPD Gets Painted Over By NYPD Cops [PHOTOS]
• 10 Flicks Of Rick Ross Eating Like A G [PHOTOS]
• Gunplay Calls Swastika Tattoo A “Symbol Of Genocide” [PHOTOS]
• HOT 97 TV Debuts New Web Series Los Blancos Starring Rosa Acosta [PHOTOS]
• On Set With Swizz Beatz, Ludacris, Chris Brown & Magic Johnson for “Everyday Birthday” [PHOTOS]
• Cowgirl Bathtime With Rosa Acosta & Konsole Kingz [PHOTOS]
• Wired 25: The 25 Best Songs From “Mixtape Weezy” [LISTEN]
• When The Money Goes: 8 Rappers Who Turned To A Life Of Crime (And Got Caught)
—
Photo: GQ
