In the third week of AYA, one of the questions I most reflected on was , who produces the media I consume? Personally, I did not have to think twice for this one. My answer would be Aubrey Graham otherwise known as Drake. He happens to be my number one listened to artist, as I am going to see him on tour in the next month. However the question is deeper than that, making me think who really is Drake as a person. I can’t say that I listen deeply to the lyrics in his songs, because I love him for his voice and beats in his songs. So answering that question, Drake mostly represents his mind and the experiences he has had in his life growing up in Toronto. He is not a controversial person, unless he needs to be. For example, his recent controversies regarding Childish Gambino.
We all know and discussed the importance of the song, This is America. What we did not know was what the song was originally supposed to be. That answer was recently announced during an interview and Childish Gambino said, “ It started as a Joke and was originally supposed to be a Drake Diss.” However I had no idea he had said this until Drake responded. As Drake is currently traveling on tour, during the song Headlines included a series of headlines playing across the stage screens saying “The overrated and over awarded hit song ‘This Is America’ was originally a Drake diss record.”
There is no clear understanding as to why the song would be a diss track in the first place. Some people think maybe it is because Drake is from Toronto and still acts like he lives there, that being why the song is called ‘This is America.’ Maybe Childish Gambino will respond to Drake, I guess we may never know. It is just very funny to think that such a powerful song came from this jokingly idea.
This left me thinking about the other questions such as, does this media represent me. In some ways I can find myself relating to Drake and what he has to say about life. However I do find that he represents women in a positive way, most of the time. For example some of his top songs such as Fancy and Best I ever had. Fancy include the lyrics, “And you don’t do it for the man, men never notice-You just do it for yourself, you the *** coldest.” Best I ever Had has the lyrics “Sweatpants, hair tied, chillin’ with no make-up on. That’s when you’re the prettiest, I hope that you don’t take it wrong.” Many fans, including myself, believe these to be very advocating for women’s independence and confidence, for the most part his message is about respecting women. This can contradict what many other rappers have to say about women and how they sexualize them in their songs.
This reason being, is exactly why many may argue that Drake is one of the best rappers out there.
Communicating Change 