Instead of primarily relying on frequent OVO collaborator Noah “40” Shebib, Drake sought out beats from a collection of 24 new producers (Shebib still lends a hand on six tracks) for More Life, allowing himself to become fully immersed in the worlds of grime, U.K. This shift can be partly credited to Drake’s second smart decision. While, lyrically, More Life is still mostly concerned with the usual Drake fare, like complicated women and defending his rap throne, the project offers fans something that VIEWS does not: sonic diversity. And he certainly used that freedom to his advantage. The distinction helped lower critics’ expectations for the full-length and also took away some of the pressure that Drake likely would’ve inflicted on himself if it were an official album. Releasing More Life as a playlist-as opposed to an LP or mixtape-was the first of a few smart decisions Drake made for the project. Not even a year later, the Toronto native recruited some of the hottest emerging acts in the world and corrected course with his first-ever playlist, 2017’s More Life. 1 with “One Dance”-the LP was slammed by some critics who felt the rapper had foregone creative innovation in favor of broad commercial appeal. Although a blockbuster success-it spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and earned the rapper his first solo No. You can catch Skepta perform at Wireless festival from 7-9 July.Not everyone was a fan of Drake’s VIEWS when it arrived in 2016. And if Drake has managed to give UK music a huge boost in the process, without stripping away any of its authenticity, without trying to make it his own, then who in their right mind would find fault in that? Not us. But everyone’s musical preferences evolve over time, and a musician has to grow and change to remain relevant and stay fresh. He might move on to another genre another city’s underground jewel. If More Life is a dedication to Drake’s favourite music right now, then it’s fair to assume it might change. Because what’s more representative of the marrow of an artist than his own musical taste? Music – a powerful art form that conveys and induces visceral emotion like no other. This body of work says more about Drake than the routine, negative platitudes he eschewed in Views. You might assume Drake’s own essence is lost among these features that this "playlist" doesn’t convey his own message, sound and ambition. This is Drake stepping to one side, and handing over the reigns. This isn’t Drake doing a Kanye: bringing the London grime massive out on stage as backing dancers to his own track. Drake’s verses on More Life are littered with London slang and road rap influences. And instead of conforming these urban artists to Drake’s own sound, he’s conformed to theirs. Instead he’s chosen Skepta, known for his “pure” grime that’s less mainstream, but, amongst die-hard grime fans, more respected.
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He’s the best-known grime MC out there, but Drake has never brought him out on stage, and has never given him a track. You won’t find him in the charts, but anyone who knows their music will put their hands up in respect.Īnd then what about Stormzy? He recently charted with his debut album. The same goes for Sampha – a gifted pianist with flawless vocals. He was following her on Twitter six months ago, before she’d even released her mixtape.
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He’s chosen Jorja Smith, a rising soul and RnB star with a small crowd of loyal fans, who’s yet to dent the mainstream. It’s important to note that Drake isn’t just grabbing the artist with the biggest following either, nor the one who’s charting best. Drake, the most significant rapper worldwide, who doesn’t need to co-sign with anyone to be successful, took an interest in London’s grime music before many Londoners took an interest in grime music. But let’s remind ourselves that Drake’s interest in London’s urban music began over a year ago, when he ditched the Brits official after-party to come out on stage with Section Boyz at Village Underground, and when he came out with Skepta at Wireless.