The problem lies with when the music really means no harm-and can even be exceptional-but is still met with, at best, hardened skepticism or, at worst, outright abhorrence. So, it’s no problem that some rap fans feel a little suspicious when this biracial Canadian dude who acted on some cheesy teen show suddenly steps on-stage, demanding that you thank him, whether that be now or later. When rappers come from sources or cultures different from those we’re used to, much too often they come packaged with some sort of gimmick, whether that be groan-inducingly pretentious “socially conscious” rapping (Immortal Technique) or idiotic frat-boy party music (Asher Roth). It’d be pretty easy to attribute the majority of Drake-hate to this kind of prejudice ( he’s biracial AND Canadian! How dare he swear!), but I can actually sort of see where Bulldog’s coming from. Though it would almost certainly hurt my argument to categorize all listeners who dislike Drake as doing so for the same reason, a good example of the typical skeptic/hater mindset is located in Sputnikmusic user Bulldog’s otherwise pretty solid review of Thank Me Later: “Moreover, when Drake - a biracial Candian named Aubrey who played a wheelchair kid on DeGrassi - swears, I die a little inside.” Look at any musical discussion on Drake and his album Thank Me Later and you’ll find proof of the “repetitive” part of that claim, but the “questionable” component is a little harder to establish, especially considering almost all arguments against the guy have been bashed into the collective minds of Internet music communities that even the rare fan usually has to agree with all those negative traits Drake is often charged with (wannabe, awkward, whiny, and oh my God, he was on Degrassi) and then proceed to why he or she can enjoy the music in spite of those flaws. In that respect, Drake is as good a musician as any to swoop in and heroically defend as artistically legitimate Drake-haters often employ arguments that are not only repetitive but also occasionally questionable.
To re-assess an album as actually really great when most people, about a year ago, labelled it as either terrible or, at best, something that “doesn’t really deserve all the hate” (i.e., “not bad” rather than “good”) might seem sort of deliberately contentious-basically, taking the unpopular side of a cultural/musical argument because the more popular alternative has been worn out past the point of use.
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