With a title that sounds like a borrowed Downy or Charmin soundbite, you may be wondering why I chose to write about fabric softener or toilet paper or both. Surprise! I’m not writing about either; rather, I’m actually writing about THE CURRENT STATE OF THE RAP GAME! And more specifically, Drake (aka the Human Glee Episode, aka the King of Cuddles, aka Katie Couric’s Favorite Rapper, aka The Human V-Neck, aka Wheelchair Jimmy).

With a title that sounds like a borrowed Downy or Charmin soundbite, you may be wondering why I chose to write about fabric softener or toilet paper or both. Surprise! I’m not writing about either; rather, I’m actually writing about THE CURRENT STATE OF THE RAP GAME! And more specifically, Drake (aka the Human Glee Episode, aka the King of Cuddles, aka Katie Couric’s Favorite Rapper, aka The Human V-Neck, aka Wheelchair Jimmy).

Now, before we get knees-deep in rap terminology, references, syllogisms, allusions, etcetera; I thought I would paint a nice backdrop on which I might analyze Drake (aka Tha Bar Mitzvah Boi, aka Yung Aubrey, aka That Dude Who Spends 40 Minutes Deciding Between Two Peaches In The Fruit Aisle of Wholefoods). What constitutes “soft”? How did this term infiltrate its way into Hip-Hop and Rap communities? How did it become synonymous with Drake? 

“Soft” is a term whose meaning (in reference to the rap game) can be pinpointed to the tender year of 1987 – the subsequent release of LL Cool J’s track “I Need Love” after his track “Rock The Bells." This song summarized LL’s need for a "el-oh-vee-eeh" (LOVE)--a chick that he can take out to fancy meals, and help walk over puddles, and buy flowers for, and whatever. Juxtaposed against other popular rap content at the time (gang violence and rivalries, drug trade, racketeering, pimping, staying g’d out) and the hypermasculine rap culture, topics such as love seemed tender, sensitive, and “soft” in comparison. 

Now, back to Drake. If you read any of the last paragraph, you should already be able to aptly come to the conclusion that Tha Boi is birthday-cake-soft. He cries out sensitive verse after verse, simultaneously overflowing his Brita-filter of feelings and making “I Need Love” sound like Kendrick’s verse on “Control.” If you don’t believe me, I’ve provided a list of some of the softest lines the rap game has ever been blessed with, all courtesy Aubrey Graham:   

"You could have my heart or we could share it like the last slice.” – “Best I Ever Had”   

“I pop bottles because I bottle my emotions.” – “Fear”   

“I tried to keep us together, you were busy keeping secrets.” – “Karaoke”   

“I got an email today kind of thought that you forgot about me but I want to hit you back to say just like you, I get lonely.” – “I Get Lonely”

If you’ve just taken a look at the provided lines, it should be easily discernible that Drake is the type of guy who calls his ex-girl(s) at 3 a.m. crying to ask why Marley had to die at the end...he was such a good dog! 

He’s soft. He loves to hold hands and probably has a kitchen built off his bedroom, reserved for the singular purpose of making his girl breakfast-in-bed. He experiences more emotions at once than many of us have ever felt. And that’s cool. 

Although many of his songs most likely sampled his own tears in their making, Drake makes some awesome music. I’ve downloaded every mixtape, album, single, and compilation of free-verse poetry he’s ever released (the last is yet to happen – but if it does, which it eventually will, you read it here first in The Odyssey). His strength as a rapper lies within his softness. As a dude grownin’ up in the ‘burbs of Toronto, his collective authenticity on "tha crack game" would instantaneously be questioned by even your sister. He’s not “hood” and he knows it. He’s Aubrey Graham, the guy you saw on TeenNick every Tuesday at 7 p.m., but now he’s hopped up out the wheel chair and into the recording studio fo’ real (own it!). 

It all boils down to the fact that Drake is the musical equivalent of a Now & Later candy--hard 'n fruity now, soft 'n chewy later. Without reference to candy and candy taglines to express my opinions, Drake has the perfect balance of both “hard” and “soft” songs. He talks about his feelings so girls can tweet his lyrics, and then goes in hard for the boys at home. 

Through this strategy (and his uncanny ability to express his feelings through a rhyme scheme) he’s been able to strut his way to the top of the rap game in just a few years. And with the recent release of NWTS (Nothing Was The Same), his momentum is only gaining. It’s an album that perfectly captures Drake’s signature style of tears meet trap and proves that it’s ok to be soft.