Edit** Before you read the bottom half of the thread, read this spoiler PLEASE so you don't end up misunderstanding. It explains in better detail what the title means. Keep in mind this isn't about their music being similar! It's about how their music resonates with their respective time periods in comparison to their respective competition!
So a co worker brought up something interesting today during lunch. She says Drake is basically Tupac if he sung more than he rapped. My first thought was like (-_-) but this was her reasoning
Drake
-Acts like he's a tough guy at times
-Makes emotional music at times
-Was on Degrassi
Tupac
-Repped that "Thug Life"
-Was known to make some really deep, personal, and emotional songs. Examples: Brenda's got a baby, Lord Knows, Words 2 my first born, Pain, Dear Mama, Shed so many tears, Changes, etc
-Went to dance school or something like that
I know some people who aren't fans of Tupac for this reason. They say it's because even though he tried to give the persona of a thug, he was really a soft dude who wasn't really about that 'thug life' he tried to claim. The more I think about it, people that complain about Drake site similar arguments. So I guess in a way Drake really is like a singing, R&B version of Pac. What do you think?
"Drake is the new Tupac" was a short title for the thread. Forgive me for not giving it more thought and hoping the detail in the thread would give more clarity.
I think her argument had more to do with the pathway of their respective careers. Clearly they go about making music in very different ways and lived very different life styles.
But the same arguments people make against Drake, they made against Tupac. People didn't like how he could make sensitive songs and still talk about thug life. They didn't like how he started in NY and repped the east coast and then switched over to the west coast towards the end of his career (that's set trippin and you die for doing stuff like that on the streets). His fans however, pointed out that being a thug ain't all about just going around killing niggas and acting tough all the time. They go through struggle, experience pain and emotions like anyone else. Tupac in their eyes was the most human artist of his time. He wasn't afraid to touch on the emotional side that so many others tried to act as if it didn't exist for the sake of acting tough. You didn't have to be a thug, or gangsta to appreciate Pacs music. It wasn't simply thug music. It was the most relatable of his time to anyone because it was humanity at it's core.
Drake in a sense has that same issue. His 'toughness' doesn't reflect a 'thug life' lifestyle but his music at times contradict. He has songs and moments where he's flexing his chest, giving off this mob boss tough guy vibe, and then turns around and is crooning about lost love. One minute he's bragging about how women in his past lost out on a good thing, next he's apologizing for messing things up. His fans too though, also point out that he's human and humans aren't perfect. We go through an array of emotions in our lifetime. We experience moments of pain, anger, confusion, aggression, which are all highlighted in his music (as it was in Tupacs). But those that dislike Drake, say that he is fake because he goes back and forth between what perceive a tough guy is supposed to be like instead of accepting his entire body of work as a reflection of real human emotions we all experience.
They are both chastised for what makes their respective styles so different than their peers. THAT is what I meant when I said I could see how Drake could be considered THIS generations version of Pac. Not that he's the like Pac musically, but in the way they go about performing their art, which is exploring all emotional corners that their competitors try to avoid.
I think her argument had more to do with the pathway of their respective careers. Clearly they go about making music in very different ways and lived very different life styles.
But the same arguments people make against Drake, they made against Tupac. People didn't like how he could make sensitive songs and still talk about thug life. They didn't like how he started in NY and repped the east coast and then switched over to the west coast towards the end of his career (that's set trippin and you die for doing stuff like that on the streets). His fans however, pointed out that being a thug ain't all about just going around killing niggas and acting tough all the time. They go through struggle, experience pain and emotions like anyone else. Tupac in their eyes was the most human artist of his time. He wasn't afraid to touch on the emotional side that so many others tried to act as if it didn't exist for the sake of acting tough. You didn't have to be a thug, or gangsta to appreciate Pacs music. It wasn't simply thug music. It was the most relatable of his time to anyone because it was humanity at it's core.
Drake in a sense has that same issue. His 'toughness' doesn't reflect a 'thug life' lifestyle but his music at times contradict. He has songs and moments where he's flexing his chest, giving off this mob boss tough guy vibe, and then turns around and is crooning about lost love. One minute he's bragging about how women in his past lost out on a good thing, next he's apologizing for messing things up. His fans too though, also point out that he's human and humans aren't perfect. We go through an array of emotions in our lifetime. We experience moments of pain, anger, confusion, aggression, which are all highlighted in his music (as it was in Tupacs). But those that dislike Drake, say that he is fake because he goes back and forth between what perceive a tough guy is supposed to be like instead of accepting his entire body of work as a reflection of real human emotions we all experience.
They are both chastised for what makes their respective styles so different than their peers. THAT is what I meant when I said I could see how Drake could be considered THIS generations version of Pac. Not that he's the like Pac musically, but in the way they go about performing their art, which is exploring all emotional corners that their competitors try to avoid.
So a co worker brought up something interesting today during lunch. She says Drake is basically Tupac if he sung more than he rapped. My first thought was like (-_-) but this was her reasoning
Drake
-Acts like he's a tough guy at times
-Makes emotional music at times
-Was on Degrassi
Tupac
-Repped that "Thug Life"
-Was known to make some really deep, personal, and emotional songs. Examples: Brenda's got a baby, Lord Knows, Words 2 my first born, Pain, Dear Mama, Shed so many tears, Changes, etc
-Went to dance school or something like that
I know some people who aren't fans of Tupac for this reason. They say it's because even though he tried to give the persona of a thug, he was really a soft dude who wasn't really about that 'thug life' he tried to claim. The more I think about it, people that complain about Drake site similar arguments. So I guess in a way Drake really is like a singing, R&B version of Pac. What do you think?
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