Friday, May 28, 2010

Drake feat Jay-Z - Light Up

While we're on the topic this week of dream collabos, might as well throw in everyone's current love/hate topic Drake mixed with the legendary Hov. This is the track many people (me included) circled when the Thank Me Later tracklist was released. It's every bit as dumbed down beat-wise as something you'd hear at church on Sunday plus a drum loop, which for any other song would seem too simple. When you're talking about an artist whom T.I. is predicting 500k+ sales first week and a Hip Hop legend getting together to on a track, simple is what works because the beat is should be an auxiliary element of a track of this magnitude.

Off top Drake begins his story of what he's going through (plus a little Hov product placement)...
I've been up for 4 days
Getting money both ways
Dirty and clean, I could use a glass of cold spades
Rolexes, chauffeurs, and low fades
I keep thinking how young can you die from old age
Funny how a transformation from seemingly unnoticed actor to Hip Hop superstar all in one year can coax thoughts of aging beyond his personal conception of time. Might as well use the experience you've gained through your one year transformation from obscurity as a potential lesson for those who may find themselves on the same journey in the future. Seem that what he's goin' for with lines like...
Don’t get impatient when it takes to long
And drink it all even when it taste too strong yeah
I get her feeling live even if it kills me
Promise to always give you me, the real me
It's easy to promise the world to fans when you're just taking that first shot of success. I'm apprehensive that these exhausting experiences Drake is sharing with the world throughout his first album may be a harbinger of tumultuous years to come. Man, is it hard to think for a second that someone this hungry for success and full of so much talent could stumble along the way...but like with all emotional beings, it's a burden, having to deal with the tribulations of being a superstar and still finding a way to be normal. It's clear that Drake values normalcy, which is why I believe in his ability to manage success while relentlessly continuing his desire to share music with us...his fans...because he refuses to forget what it was like before he earned that top shelf, bottle of success.

And what better way than to voice the perils of success on track than with a seasoned vet like Jay-Z, whom Drake admittedly admires and looks up to...so much so that he admittedly penned on Fear that he would cry when Hov dies. While Jigga's verse is less introspective and more of the norm for what you'd expect from him (Ace of Spades shout out, G-450 name drop, Godfather reference, he does subtly give the aspiring Drake some advice mid-way through saying...
Drake, heres how they gon come at you
With silly rap feuds trying to distract you
In disguise in the form of a favor
The Barzini meeting, watch for the traitors
Uhh, and ive seen it all done it all
Time and again, Drake has risen above the haters, recently explaining on his 9 AM in Dallas fresstyle "without a response from me you really fail to exist", demeaning those who seek to see him fail by pointing out there existence is meaningless without his presence. I hope he continues to rise about the Rap beef bullshit because as much good will he has generated from the heavyweights of Hip Hop (T.I., Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye), he's always gonna have someone aiming for him as he gets more and more successful. I think that because he is such a thought provoking artist lyrically, he'll always find a way to outwit and stay a step ahead...plus it helps he's always got the R&B card in his back pocket.

Regardless of what eventually becomes of Drake, I'm quite content in living in the moment and being able to appreciate this track for what it's worth...which is quite a bit. I don't feel like I've fully gotten this track yet, but I know after a few more listens I'll understand it more fully, as well as it's place on his new album. Will it be the marquee track on Thank Me Later or just a great collaboration that people will end up liking because based on reputation? Remains to be seen, but for the time being...let this one illuminate the darkness that surrounds whatever doubt you have for his upcoming album....
Let’s celebrate with a toast
And get lost in tonight
And make it all light up
Drake feat Jay-Z - Light Up (Final) | Download

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