Let’s face it, almost everyone has heard a Drake song in their life, especially if they’re from the US. Drake’s career has lasted as long as many are even alive, and many high school students can remember hearing his songs since they were young. Though some may not have heard his older songs, Drake’s career is still booming and he is still producing hits for many to hear in modern times.
Let’s go back to 2009. Drake just released his third and last mixtape before his debut album “So Far Gone.” On the mixtape, he released a song called “Best I Ever Had.” While the entire mixtape had R&B tones throughout it, this song was the most popular and peaked at number 2 on the Billboard charts.
Before Drake, the most notable rapper to sing on a project was Kanye West. Releasing an entire album titled “808s & Heartbreak,” West filled the album with an autotune-filled sound and singing. While this was far from West’s first time singing on songs, this was the most notable, and Drake even attributes inspiration to West.
While West might have started singing first, Drake perfected his approach and climbed the charts with it. After this success, Drake was signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money label, where he achieved even more success until he was able to start his label in 2012.
Drake’s producers are regarded as some of the best in the game and helped him define his sound. 40 and Boi-1da have crafted great instrumentals for Drake to perform on, and they both have inspired countless producers. WondaGurl cites Boi-1da as an inspiration for her, and she even based her name on his.
Drake’s influence is undeniable, especially since he started the label. As newer artists have stepped onto the scene, Drake has collaborated with and helped all of them gain traction in the industry. From Sampha in 2013 on “Too Much,” to Teezo Touchdown in 2023 on “Amen.” Drake can take an artist, whether they are well known or not, and propel their career.
The Weeknd, another artist from Toronto, was with Drake at his start. Drake met Weeknd around the time of his debut mixtape’s release. Drake took The Weeknd in to work with him and promote his music, being featured on his second mixtape. Drake then brought The Weeknd to work on his 2011 album “Take Care,” and The Weeknd has never looked back. He has gone on to be the number one male artist on Spotify and solidified his name as one of the most popular and influential artists of the past decade.
Another example of Drake collaborating well is with singer PARTYNEXTDOOR. The artist gave vocals on some of Drake’s 2013 tracks and earned a feature from Drake in 2014. PND produced some tracks on Drake’s 2015 album, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” and was given his own song on the album: “Wednesday Night Interlude.”
As Drake has evolved, he has brought new artists to light and his music has touched everywhere, whether you enjoy it or not. It’s hard to name an artist Drake has missed a collab with, and while some think it unnecessary, it’s obvious that Drake is going to stay relevant.
Drake’s influence has been prominent in new artists as well. Rapper Jack Harlow reminds everyone of Drake, with Harlow even earning a feature from him.
Many artists today looked up to Drake when they were coming up. Singer Rod Wave turned down the opportunity to be on the Drake song “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” as he idolized the rapper too much to feel like his verse was good enough. Producer BNYX is arguably one of the hottest producers out today, and even he admits that he once used Drake acapellas to see if his beats sounded good. Singer Fridayy recalls a time when he walked through school listening to Drake, only to find himself sampled by Drake years later.
Whether you listen to Drake or not, he has likely affected you if you listen to hip-hop or R&B. Many people feel Drake’s quality has deteriorated over the years, but one thing is certain: Drake has been and will continue to influence music in many ways.
