6 Reasons Why I Think Drake Is The Best Rapper In The Game (Right Now)
“They take the greats from the past and compare us/
I wonder if they’d ever survive in this era/
In a time where it’s recreation/
To pull all your skeletons out the closet like Halloween decorations/
I know of all the things that I hear they be pokin’ fun at/
Never the flow though, they know I run that” – Drake [Lord Knows]
After hearing these lines from Drake’s Lord Knows, I felt as though it was the perfect answer to JC’s Lionel Messi post. At times I feel like we (myself included) seem to take for granted the amount of talented people we are blessed with, be it in the world of sports, business or entertainment. For whatever reason it seems as though we have this mentally embedded notion that there will never be greater talent than those in the past. For example in the countless sports and music at the local barbershops, the is a rally of uncles and elders collectively vouching for Jordan, Rakim or Maradona as the greatest to have ever done it. Seen as I was a mere pickney when these guys plied their trade, the suggestion of Kobe, Jiggaman and Big Ronaldo seems to be brushed aside with “Small boy, you don’t know the ting…”.
So you could imagine the backlash I received from the brothers, when I made the statement that Drake is lyrically on par with 2pac. I know you are probably amped up right now and looking to wile out, but hear me out. Although 2pac was arguably one of the greatest icons of recent history, we have to keep it real, lyrically he was no better than a large number of rappers of his time. (Okay, I can see that those last few words have not even registered and you’re still amped, so lets stick this argument in the memory bank for my next article.)
I will try to define lyricism from my perspective and explain why Drake is up there with the best in the game right now and hopefully back my argument above.
6. Lyrically one of the best rappers in the game
Lyricism – Noun: “…An artist’s expression of emotion in an imaginative and beautiful way; the quality of being lyrical.”
That is the dictionary definition of lyricism and “imaginative”, “beautiful” and “quality” are subjective. This has nothing to do with the content, which would suggest that the most “commercial” rapper can be deemed more lyrical than the most “conscious” rapper, because lyricism is about expression of emotion. For me the one of the main components of lyricism is wordplay (the ability to manipulate language for effective delivery). This could be punchlines, similes, metaphors etc. In saying that, there are a million and one punchline rappers who do not fit the bill, because they lack the other key components consistency, staying on topic and delivery. If you lack any of these components it is evident that you are only putting words together to rhyme and not much thought as gone into your lyrics. Drake shows all of these on arguably one of the best verses this year.
Remember the song is about Scheming, yet Rick Ross and French Montana are rapping about not wanting to go court, 35s and 75s. Drake on the other hand stays in topic, showing consistency, quotables, wordplay and good delivery.
It bothers me when the Gods get to acting like the broads/
I just ask them when you see me you speak up nigga thats all/
Don’t be ducking like you never wanted nothing/Its feeling like rap changed, there was a time it was rugged/
Back when if a nigga reached it was for the weapon/
Nowadays niggas reach just to sell they record/Me and my G from DC thats how I roll around/
Might look light, but we heavy though/Million dollar meetings in appollo lounge/
Shawty wanna tell me secrets ’bout a rap nigga/
I tell a bitch its more attractive when you hold it down/Kobe ’bout to lose a hundred fifty M’s/
Kobe my nigga I hate it, had to be him/
Bitch you wasn’t with me shooting in the gym
(Bitch you wasn’t with me shooting in the gym)Bag her like we in Publix and take her ass out in public/
Ordered it a filet tell her butterfly she’ll love it/
She used to soda and nuggets she really just out here thuggin’/
5. He is the most “hated’ artist in hip hop right now
A great UK lyricist once spat the words:
“..when Amir [Khan] hit the canvas, everybody cheered like Amir had been abandoned/ I realised when you are the best or the champion/ nobody wants to see you rest in that phantom…they want to clock (spot) the mistakes but not the triple rhymes/ don’t want to cop the mixtapes…” – Wretch 32 [WestWood Freestyle]
For some reason that is just the way that fans of sports and music react to success. When you are the underdog you are their favourite, but when you are 
at the top of the game they want you to fail as they root for the new underdog. Hate = misplaced love in Hip hop, and right now dude is subconsciously getting the most love.
4. He has the most quoted line in hip hop this year
“Bitch you wasn’t with me shooting in the gym”
Part of the art of being an MC is the ability for your lyrics to resonate with your audience, by making a statement that they don’t only relate to but not have found a better way to deliver it than the way you can. These tend to be the most quoted lines within the respective years of release.
Here are other examples over the years.
“Eminem murdered you on your own sh*t” – Nas
“Why they let the Terminator win the election…?” – JadaKiss
“I am out for presidents to represent me/ I am out for mother*** dead presidents to represent me” – Nas
Get the drift? right.
3. He sells records AND tickets
As I mentioned on my article about Commercial vs Conscious rap, the whole point of making music is being able to sell units and tickets. All this “I am doing it for the love” is good, but lets be real bills need to be paid at the end of the day. We can argue that he has an unfair advantage as he is signed to a 
major label, but so is Gudda Gudda, Tyga and Jae Millz. I don’t see them selling out the O2 and pushing 640,00+ in their first week.
2. He is inspirational to open-minded listeners
Pessimistic people will always hear what they want to hear. They will listen to a rapper talking about wealth and see it as a rapper who is out of touch with the rest of society, whereas other people would see it as an inspiration on what can be achieved and how to go about it. Its funny how people claim that Drake is inconsistent when you can cross reference lyrics from various songs and see that he is one of the most consistent with his message.
“I can tell a lie if you ask me my whereabouts
But I might talk that real if you ask me what I care about
Rap and bitches, rappin’ bitches, bitches
And rappin’, rappin’ and bitches until all of it switches..” [UnderGround Kings]
Now, the things I care about aren’t in line with Drake, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t learn from how he went about acquiring his goals.
“And these n*ggas got them diamonds glowing in they mouth
And they rockin’ furs like it’s snowing in the south
And every pretty girl tell me that’s the shit that she like
So why am I in class if this is who I’m trying to be like
So I drop out, lessons I was taught are quick to fade
As soon I realize that turning papers in won’t get me paid
And if I don’t do nothing, I’mma ball
I’m counting all day like a clock on the wall
Yeah, I need that, making major changes to the life I’m living
I had no choice, I had to prove I made the right decisions” [Undergorund Kings]
Yeah you might call him a simp and say he did it for girls, but as Don Kwelu stated a majority of things we do is linked to the opposite sex – subconsciously. Also allegedly one of the reasons Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook was to impress a female. The inspiration comes in realising what it is that you care about and then going hard to achieve it.
“While all of my closest friends are out partying/I am just here making all the music that that party to” – [Light Up]
It was all for the pretty girls? but guess what?, off the back of impressing the pengers [attractive females] he is now 25 and allegedly sitting on 25 mill. YOLO!
“I guess we’ll never know what Harvard gets us
But seeing my family have it all
Took the place of that desire for diplomas on the wall” – [Crew Love]
It’s refreshing to see a rapper who is proud of their comfortable background and not have to be forced to showcase sobering stories of hardship or living in the ghetto – also showing pride in both his black and Jewish heritage which is what hip-hop has become – transcending culture and demographics.
1. The fact that a hater cannot name me a bad verse from Drake
Its okay….. I will wait….
There you go, 6 reasons why I feel that Drake is at the top of rap game right now. But feel free to agree and disagree, and tell me who you think is at the top and why.
Peace!
The Yak
So readers what’s your thoughts? Do you agree with The Yak’s points made? Is Drake the best rapper in the game right now? If not, who is?
33 comments on “6 Reasons Why I Think Drake Is The Best Rapper In The Game (Right Now)”
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@Puma12, it has nothing to do with his lyrical ability, but to do with how hip hop fans react to people at the top of their game. Hence the reference to Wretch 32′s verse:
“..I realised when you are the best or the champion/ nobody wants to see you rest in that phantom…”
I was merely putting it in perspective of how oxymoron our attitude is towards success.
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because of can you be the greatest if no one is hearing you. Look at sports, the greatest players, lebron’s jordan’s messi’s phelp’s mayweather’s bolt’s of this world. they draw in the biggest crowds, the biggest jersey and ticket sales. How can you be the greatest if only 20,000 people have heard your album. You may say not everyone that heard it bought it. true but that’s even worse, that they wouldn’t put money to back you. Sales aren’t the be all and all. You don’t need to do drake numbers, you don’t need it to all go platnium, but you do need to at least have material that has gone gold. If rap is about sending a message through music to an audience then audience has to hear it.
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It should have been “1 of the best rapper in the game (right now)” not THE BEST…I’m nt saying he’s not good coz he is biuh he’s nt just the best…u still haven’t point out how good he is in the core basics of rap like vivid story telling ability (compare him to young cats like J. Cole and kendrick lamar) word play (compare with j. Cole and big sean)
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J.cole is def better on all front than Drake, buh cant deny d fact dat Drake is also doin great. Drake used 2 b my main man buh nt anymore! #coleworld
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@Bibz, i agree… J Cole raps about how to be a man, how to come-of-age, how he wants to raise a family, and how he tries to fight the bad habits that come with the poverty and culture he was raised in.
Thats why he’s won me over, and I spend a lot more time listening to his mix tapes and songs that don’t go mainstream for that reason. You need the mainstream for attention and name, (and I love those songs too), but where I really learn is those ‘other’ J Cole songs.
Still got respect for Drake, people also judge by the mainstream but go back to songs like “Fear” and there’s lots of substance. Seems like if you’re not “true to the streets” these days you’re a joke. But personally I don’t think that subject matter is inspirational anymore and I don’t think rappers that relate to more people should be mocked.
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I knew it was you that wrote this.
Best rapper in the game right now? Very debatable and some of your criteria is sketchy!
“Most quoted line of the year”
That counts for NOTHING.
“Inspirational to open minded listeners”
I could name tons of other rappers that could go in that category too.
I was what you could call a Drake “hater” (I refused to bow and suck his dick like everyone else) but I can accept he is a good artist but I think the love he gets shown is OTT.
He mixes talent with marketability and his style reminds me of a Ja Rule for this new generation.
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Drake is a good rapper, I don’t debate that but I don’t think he’s the best right now, the hottest possibly but not the best.
The thing with Drake is that I feel he’s under-rated and over-rated at the same time. People saying he’s a crap rapper, that’s obviously not true but you have people saying he’s the best and I definitely disagree with that. Lyrically I relate more to people like Lupe Fiasco, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Electronica etc. As good as Drake is, it annoys me the way he verbally menstruates on nearly every track. With that being said, there’s no denying his impact on the game right now (he’s probably got Hindus saying YOLO lol), he knows his core audience (young/young adult females) and he caters to them very well and he’s had some of the hottest tracks in each year since blowing up.
Good post, I got some new blogs so check them out some time.
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So I can’t agree with him being the best rapper etc or being lyrically on par with 2pac (Surprise!) lol but……
For me Drake is like fun music however when I actually think about it I’m in doubt as to whether I am actually listening hard or taking his lyrical content in rap that seriously as I believe im possibly distracted by the “catchy” singing parts and all the other elements I enjoy jamming/singrapping to lol.
Whereas with 2pac (Not that this article is about him), for me, the lyrical content would automatically demand my attention, I could not ignore it if I tried. For me everything said was and still is heard.
Anywho I’ll end there- To each their own!
BWNG I do like how you put out some controversial topics/titles etc lol.
Always a pleasure. -
I feel like FlyBoy E is our UK Drake (UnderGround King Drake) you lot need to check
his tune with Jermaine Riley (FDM) smashed it, he raps about what women in relationships need to hear rather than what they’d like to hear, and that my friend is keeping it real.FlyBoy E ft Jermaine Riley – You’re My World
http://youtu.be/2YXjO_QPueoFollow me: @x2Sidney
Follow FlyBoy E: @flyboyeofficial-
@@x2sidney,
P.s. Is blatant that Drake studied the game, he studied it HARD! how can you possibly hate on that?!? He studied it to perfect it and that’s why he’s the best. This guy is an all rounder he’s got thugs in the hood singing his hooks (I’m on one) to little white girls singing Marvin’s Room.
I used to think Drake was all ‘pretty boy’ hype but guy has flow and content. I respect him more than ever for his tune ‘Look What You’ve Done’. The guy painted a story in my head.
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Yeah I dont know about being the best in the game tho. I definitely think he is a good rapper. He has good punchlines and his flow is killer. He also raps about things he has experienced, i think people have a problem with him because he is “emo” but i think it is his subject matter that makes Drake stand out and what makes him real. People also forget that Drake had some really sick mixtapes and on a good day can be a great rapper. Comparing him to Tupac though is sort of blasphemous, even if it might be true.
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Drake is real…and really did put a lot into studying d game before jumping into it…listen to his verses on songs like aston martin, Mr wrong and all of the light and see how this nigger combines rhyming and singing together and makes it perfect. Thats someone i really look up to personally
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I totally agree with you.. <3
ther are alot of more reasons .. why alotta of people love him and the one thing i REALLY admie is the fact that he once said in an interview that : I would never demean women in my music.. Cause the greatest woman i know raised me. ..the words maybe a little her or ther but he said this and i was like WOW man.. and also He's a fella canadian and noone gives a SHIT to canadians… i feel proud being a canadian and having him holding up canada -
Drake is the best rapper right now(Rick Ross a very close second)Drake has perfectly blended together mainstream/lyricism. If you listen to “Headlines” which is a very catchy song, but the words he actually spits on that particularly song is remarkable to say the least. Then he kills features! Lets look at a most recent feature he did on Rick Ross cover of lil Reese song “Us” Drake spits”Just got back from Turks & Caicoes hoes all at the villa/only nigga do album with no fuckin filler/”
Case rested!
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You spoke the truth. Drake is head and shoulder’s over everybody in the rap game right now. If you going to compare J.Cole and Kendrick your going to have to try harder, maybe some of the legends could spark a debate (B.I.G., Pac, Jay, Nas, maybe Wayne…etc.). Do me a favor name a bad song by Drake?…exactly!
But what has album sales and being hated got to do with his rapping ability