Will We Thank Him Later or Will it Be "Over"?

As 20-something adults apart of the Facebook generation, when my friends made status updates during the summer of 2009 about some rapper named Drake, I just looked over it. I don't really like being apart of fads (I still refuse to join Twitter), but one day while in the check out line in the grocery store I saw, Jimmy from Canada's hit show Degrassi: The Next Generation. Of course the cover didn't say Jimmy, it said Drake. Now my ear, eyes and nose was open to Drake, being that Degrassi is one of my favorite shows, how could I not support Drake. But what is it about Drake that made us and by us I mean 20-somethings allow this Canadian (a country Americans like to poke at often) take over without so much as releasing a studio album. How did "Wheelchair Jimmy" as he says in his songs referring to his character from Degrassi (who was shot in a school shooting) change our entertainment?

Now if I answer the question I would have to say, Drake's lyrical presentation is what does it for me. This rapping singing combination is not new, but it seems like Drake does it ever so well. I was a big fan of Kanye West's 808's and Heartbreak which is like a hodgepodge of rap and singing with some fabulous beats to boot. Drake does the same minus auto-tunes and sounds good singing. It also seems like what he rappers about is conscious from the heart and commercial all at the same time, another difficult task for most rappers (except Kanye). You study the careers of conscious rappers and commercial rappers and you'll notice the difference is probably the fan base and possibly records sold. Agreeing with me about lyrics, hip-hop connoisseur and conscious hip-hop listener, Brandon Franklin enjoys Drake, saying, "He came with some refreshing lyrics when nobody else was saying anything good lyrically."

Yet Kaia Karamoko another connoisseur of hip-hop has a different opinion saying, " I personally think that Drake is a watered down Kanye West. There's a couple of songs that are exceptionally hot, but that's about it. For me, he hasn't proved himself worthy considering he has yet to drop an album. It's way easy to make a mix-tape than it is to make a concise album. He got hot because of girls. The little girls who watched Degrassi: The Next Generation are fueling the otherwise crumbling music industry. He also latched onto the hottest rapper right now, Lil' Wayne. I'm not saying that he is without talent, however, he's not even in my top ten. Also, Hip Hop or rap music is fixated on instant gratification and praise these days. It takes no time to be popular or stay popular. It's all about making people dance or being "relatable" to the "hood," hence why rappers like Gucci Mane, Plies or even Rick Ross are hot. Who cares of your music really reflects your reality."

Now that's deep. So maybe Drake is another case of hype like Twitter. If you look at what surrounds him, Degrassi, crazy leaked mix-tape, seen out with Rhianna after the Chris Brown fiasco and before anyone knew who he was, BFFs with Lil' Wayne, then literally hurting himself during a performance in which Lil' Wayne says: "This guy, I thought that was just a character on t.v", doing this all without so much as a record deal.

So the question may not be why is he hot, because we see why he's hot, whether its Degrassi fans or lyrics we see that he is hot, but the question should be will he stay hot? Can he sustain his position? Its apparent that he was Grammy worthy winning with out having an actually album, but they gave Milli Vanilli a Grammy and they didn't actually sing on the album. How will a studio album go for Drake?

Well according to Rondell Conway in an article he wrote for XXLmag.com called "Drake vs Kanye West- The 2010 Album of the Year Contenders" Drake's first studio album could be 2010s album of the Year. Pinning him against Kanye, Rondell says: "The case for Drake is easy. He's the younger, fresher of the two with more current radio hits than anyone in rap right now. He has a sound that can appeal to wide audience and it's been working for him up to until this point. You really don't see things changing."

Kanye vs. Drake is quite hilarious considering Kanye is a producer on the Drake's upcoming album. Really we can only hope that they both put out great albums in 2010, 808's and Heartbreak (although my favorite) was almost a wreck for Kanye. Too many people weren't sure about his singing and the auto-tunes, so everyone is eager to get an official rap album from Kanye, and they are equally as eager to get an album from Drake. I guess that the hip-hop community can only hope that the same magic that Drake had in 2009 will follow him in 2010. He's got a chance to take over while Best Bud Lil' Wayne is in jail. If not, as Jay-z and Swiss Beat's said: "On to the next one."