#40 - Scary Hours 2 REVIEW / Drake's Reign

Listen on: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / YouTube

(Go to 0:55 to skip the intro)

The Canadian phenom, the 6 God himself dropped a 3-track EP titled Scary Hours 2, which understandably caught the attention of the rap world instantly.

So I will first give you my thoughts on this 3-pack in Scary Hours 2, but then I will tackle a much larger thought, which was sparked by the release and success of this latest Drake EP.

In this episode, I discuss how I think Drake has been able to sustain this incredible run of success that he has been on for the past 10+ years, and come to the conclusion as to whether this current Drake run is indeed the most successful run in hip-hop history.

Drake's sometimes vulture-like tendency to hop on trends has kept his sound evolving, without having to necessarily branch outside of the mainstream. That distinction is important to make because it’s not the same way another A-lister, like Kanye West, had historically stayed relevant.

Kanye, an artist known for staying ahead of the curve and making cutting-edge music at his peak, melted genre lines and experimented in bold ways that genuinely made him appeal to people outside the mainstream hip-hop crowd

Drake on the other hand, has played a delicate dance in making slight adjustments to his core sound with machine-like precision, moulding himself from a sad boy sometimes crooner, to a Jamaican mob boss that has a soft centre, to an unapologetically confident rap king that also sings.... who may sing over a dancehall beat from time to time.

All the while keeping the fundamentals of his sound and persona still firmly rooted in the mainstream. Because Drake at his core is still the guy who will rap and sing over beats that are hot for the time, with a persona based on relationships, toxicity, and superiority.

Add in an amazing knack for catchy songwriting, and a downright spiritual connection with the Instagram caption, consistently pumping out quotable lines ready-made for social media like “On Valentine’s Day I had sex" from this EP.

... and you have what could be the most successful run in hip-hop history.

RMPP Preferred Cut: "What's Next"

Stream Scary Hours 2 here.