Drake is a whiner, which isn’t exactly a new thing in pop, but it’s the style and content of his whining that gets me. His first official LP, the one that enters him into the pop star arms race, is wholly made up of meta-level reflections of his own pop stardom, along with the cultural and socio-economic machinations that brought him here. Which brings me to the important question: and? What I find so unpleasant about Drake is what I dislike so much about 2010-era pop culture in general: meta-level oversharing as art (and celebrity) itself, with precious little else to hold onto.
In other words, Thank Me Later isn’t pulling from the tragi-comic, semi-sweet upper-middle class narrative style of Coppola or Anderson, not even close. Instead, it’s the new “reality rap,” and I’ve no doubt that lots of people are going to love it, in the same way that lots of people love watching others make pseudo-stars out of themselves in the sterilized world of reality television, former celebrities try to pull themselves back up to a lost level of fame by humiliating themselves in the same venue, or incessantly sharing mundane “thoughts” on Twitter. Drake’s story is unique and interesting, but he leverages it within this framework. He’s complaining about the trials and tribulations of being the lead member of rap’s 2010 nouveau riche on the same album that proves that point, and you’re not a rockist or classist for finding this irritating.
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marathonpacks › No, It’s Actually Okay To Dislike Drake’s Album, And Here’s Why
I meant to call attention to this last week, but it got lost in the shuffle when I went out west. I think Eric is absolutely correct about this. I don’t think Drake’s fantasy — or the fantasy fans connect with when they listen to Drake — is about being rich or successful, I think it’s a desire to live out the narrative of being the victim of fame. “I know way too many people here right now that I didn’t know last year, who the fuck are y’all?” I mean, we’ve seen and heard this thing before, and Drake rushed straight to the point where he could play this part. Lady Gaga did this too, with “Paparazzi”, before anyone knew who she was, but the difference is pretty big — she’s going for camp, she’s funny, and so much of what she does is a meta performance about pop and celebrity. Drake isn’t anywhere near as thoughtful, and he has absolutely no sense of humor.
(via perpetua)
Yes yes yes
