Drake has remained one of the most discussed figures in all of pop culture.
While Thank Me Later was a revolutionary debut in terms of its rap and R&B mesh, It was stiff and rudimentary compared to what we knew was possible from the emcee, especially when compared to the cult following that ensued with So Far Gone. “Thank Me Later was the one and only project that was influenced by…where I was at in my career at the time,” Drake said of the project in last year’s interview with Rap Radar. “I think I felt a lot of pressure to prove that I knew big famous people…it was definitely the one project that had the least personal touches.”
Meanwhile, Take Care and Nothing Was the Same were transcendent records. Both near-flawless executions of the hybrid Drizzy was striving for. “[Nothing Was The Same] is probably my most concise album,” the OVO crooner told Rap Radar, “and within that concise offering was a lot of great sh*t.”
Since that flawless trifecta, Drake’s career has mostly been a balancing act, his recent projects inevitably in flux with the immaculate quality of those three unblemished works. But Aubrey Graham’s quality as an emcee is more than just his albums–which lately have lacked. His brutal honesty behind the microphone has only strengthened in the last decade, and he’s continued to flex his chops over the years with a handful of immaculate freestyles.
Chicago Freestyle
Released spontaneously this past February, Drake’s Chicago Freestyle was one of the most talked-about throw-aways of the new year. Traversing through “underground garages” and residing in “presidential suites,” the tight track follows Drake on a night out in Chicago, looking for companionship in the ice-cold city.
Drake is known for his natural ability to weave a compelling narrative, but the fact he did so off the dome in a free-form is just plain fierce.
Behind Barz Freestyle
Drake is no stranger to the UK Drill scene and has slowly has amalgamated himself deeper into the movement for years. On his “Behind Barz” freestyle, he rips the throat out of anyone who questions his legitimacy within the genre and uses the freestyle to immerse himself whole-heartedly in the culture. “You know how the paigon chit chat goes,” he says to his haters, “I don’t really play no tic-tac-toe.”
He dabbles in Patois and London slang and emanates a genuine passion for UK drill. “Think you know me? That’s not true,” he says with smug confidence. Drake has always remained an artist that refuses to be boxed in, and “Behind Barz” was just further evidence of that.
Fire in the Booth Freestyle
“Goldman Sachs, they wanna hold my racks” is a hell of a way to open up a freestyle, but only Drizzy could make such a braggadocios claim and have it be sincere. On his “Fire in the Booth” freestyle, Drake uses the slick beat as a means to show off his lavish lifestyle.
Tom Ford’s assistant texted him, asking how he wants his next suit designed, and when he walks down the halls, his enemies step to the side. It’s all delivered with a breezy confidence that only Drizzy could pull off.
Jodeci Freestyle
One of Drizzy’s earliest freestyles, he still offers some absurd flexes at the drop of a hat that attests to the rapper’s power behind a microphone. “26 on my third GQ cover,” he says with a smirk. “Your new sh*t sound like you do covers of all of my old sh*t.”
The freestyle was an early testament to Drake’s legacy-building mindset and that he was a natural story-teller. His vivid eye for unique detail showcases him as a one-of-a-kind talent: “On some coach sh*t, 50 M’s for a three-month road trip. I see straight through them fish tanks with no fish in them.”
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