Rapper Drake is known for his softer hip hop numbers and they are selling well. Is hip hop getting softer?
Toronto born, Aubrey Drake Graham better known as Drake and his 2011 album, Take Care, show lots of emotions but the rapper tells the audience it is not a weakness. The album became a money maker and a huge best seller. His recent album, Nothing Was the Same, makes hip hop cool once again selling more than 600,000 copies during the first week of sale in the United States. It is important to remember that in the past vulnerability was considered a weakness and Drake proves otherwise. People are no longer questioning rapper’s manhood due to softness. Hip hop was born with verbally smoked and tough MCs.
Drake received help from his predecessors. In 1987, LL Cool J made less than hard first hip hop with his I Need Love. Cadre of other rappers joined the parade later including Kanye West with his 2008 album 808s and Heartbreak. Numbers like Man on the Moon: The End of Day and Drake’s 2010 debut, Thank Me Later promoted the softness with stories of grandmother moving into a nursing home. His Take Care cemented the coolness with the softness.