CHAPTER 13: 'FADED / SHARE / B!#CH IS CRAZY'

(Originally Published Monday December 22, 2014)

Taking a look back, one of the things I admired about Drake’s writing style was the sequence of his specific rhyme structure from one line to another. From Video Girl and Going In For Life to Closer, Drake is a master at keeping up rhyme schemes—especially in an AB and ABC format.

I was reminded of a consistent AB formation in “Going In For Life” when Drake says: “She used to be a Christian before/now all she wanna do is shop for Christian Dior clothes/like baby those are cute, I adore those/me and the salesman build a rapport so he understands the fact that I’m spending offshore dough!” or in Closer when he says: “When you hollering at labels and they silencing you back/’cause you failed to thoroughly discuss some violence in your track…” The first and second words underlined show the A-B format where, in each line, all of the A’s rhyme, grouping together, and all of B’s rhyme in the same way. This can often be subjected to one stanza alone before becoming a new group of lines that follow a new A-B pattern (which would then become a C-D pattern within the same song—or possibly a “C-B” if your nasty :P) or it can be spread through several stanza’s to become a whole verse or the even the entire song! Then, with the ABC format, some of my favourite lines like, “You tell your parents that it’s cash at an easy pace/your dad’s screaming ‘Get your ass out of Jeezy face!” from the song Video Girl, or, again, in Closer when he says: “Ex-girl stripping,I can’t stop her/new girl tripping, but I can’t drop her/” show how Drake can not only use these formats and tie them into the same subject, he keeps it consistent to the theme and that is what I like best. Any rapper or poet or artist can use the typical format where all the words at the end of a sentence rhyme, and sure, it gets a little more interesting if you can rhyme the last TWO words, but when you make several words in a sentence rhyme and systematically, word-for-word throughout multiple lines? Well, then, you get noticed—if by no one but me—and you deserve a second look, and possibly a kudos, because that is atypical. Sure anyone can “do it,” but for it to come naturally is one of the beauties of life. (Ha-ha with the italics!)

But, I’m rambling; so, now that I’ve said all of that, I may as well throw in three feel good songs from off of Comeback Season that won’t take up much more of your time. One is funny, the other is a blast we can all relate to and the remaining song is meant to shine some light. Take your pick on how you see it, but each one is a story becoming a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – albeit short – song in it own right. Enjoy, and see you Thursday!

DRAKE- FADED          

DRAKE - SHARE          

        

DRAKE - B!#CH IS CRAZY

         

Chapter 13: Faded enough to Share that this B!#ch is Crazy! 
Written By: Jae Antoinette

DAUNTE:

Man, this bitch is crazy if she thinks I’m ever going to call her ass back! Who, her? No fucking way. I’d sooner run the risk of being hit by a locomotive before I ever do that shit again—ever! Not me. That bitch can bounce back to whatever she’s been hopping on with all that mess because I – Daunte Lancaster-McCaul – do not have time for shit like that. No sir-ee. That wench underestimated who I was and chose to fuck it all up, and if I wasn’t so faded right now—and my brother didn’t have my phone—I would speed dial that bitch right now and tell her what I think! Like how cheap and sleazy she played herself, and how—if her other nigga was smart—he’d hightail his scheming ass out of there before she has the chance to fuck him over too! But they might be “in love,” pardon my French, so it might be all happiness and rainbows for them, which is fine by me. People like that deserve each other, so if they want to build a foundation on tainted ground that’s their business! I’ll just duck out the same way I came in and do me something better. Fuckers.

My brothers are laughing at me. Usually I don’t share these types of feelings with them unless they push, but right now the liquor is flowing through me at an incredible rate and my tongue is flapping loose all the emotions I’ve had bottled inside for the past couple of months.

My brothers respect my outlook on life, but wish I wouldn’t be so controlled and tranquil all the time. In a situation such as this, they’d wish I would’ve be more immoral and literally gotten my hands dirty that night as retribution; but that isn’t me. I would never hurt a woman, let alone hit one, so instead, I’ve allowed my brothers to get me piss-drunk—or a close version of it anyway—and now we’re having a guys night out. For some reason, I don’t really feel like wallowing. Yeah, I’m disappointed and mad and I want to get some aggression out, but I’m more of a positive-vibe guy, and, even though I’ve been hurt by someone who did me wrong, I can’t help but feel like something meaningful is around the corner …

TO BE CONTINUED …

              

CHAPTER 14: 'CLOSER'

(Originally Published December 25, 2014)

OOOOOOK!!!! So…for today’s post I’m going to have to take a moment to mention something I unexpectedly stumbled upon this afternoon. I was just saying to my brother yesterday that it’s unfortunate that Drake doesn’t have any Christmas songs that I would be able to use as my next post, but after turning on my computer to start this current post I thought I would just look up ‘Drake Christmas Songs’ to see if anything came up. And lo and behold, something did!

            I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED IN MY LIFE! But I found a site – that I will link below – that claims Drake was planning to release a Christmas album that was due to drop December 10^th. The album was to comprise of 12 songs: some of which were supposedly titled, “How Could You Mr. Grinch?” “No Gifts” and “December 25^th”. Now I don’t want to boost, but is it just me or is this one of the BEST IDEAS I’VE EVER HEARD!!!??? It could be a spoof, but during the conversation with my brother I also mentioned that it sucks that rappers don’t do whole Christmas albums because Christmas albums are so popular!! Everybody loves Christmas: Stores are constantly playing songs, sometimes as soon as November; radio stations start playing holiday tunes either exclusively or during certain periods of time; people in general love Christmas music and anyone who has worked at a public library (i.e., me!) knows a majority of the Christmas items—being predominantly CD’s—circulate to the point of having to put them on displays, which are typically emptied fairly quickly.

CHRISTMAS IS POPULAR and a tradition for most, so why wouldn’t Hip Hop have more of a hand in that? Thugs have Christmas too and besides sitting by the fire, a lot of people are out and about, partying for the holidays, having the greatest time! Relationships end, families come together … it’s a time for all things; so why wouldn’t an endeavour like that be successful? Drake could blow everybody’s mind with that album and then out of the blue, other rappers and Hip Hop artists will be jumping on the bandwagon of another innovative idea! A song is one thing, but to pull off an album takes dedication, so I don’t think something like that would disappoint. And the great thing about music is that it might start with Drake, but I can already see a lot of rappers being able to pull it off because everyone has a certain flavour they can add to the truth of their Christmas experience. And with the ability to sample from older songs, I can just hear in what creative ways Hip Hop artists can play with these jingles to tell a story!

I think it’s a dope idea; but of course there is no proof to whether this article was legit. Still and so, it’s a feat I’m amused by, and I’ll be secretly hoping that’s it’s an idea that will eventually take off.

However, since I do not have a Drake Christmas song to post for tonight, I will defer back to a song I mentioned as a segue in Monday’s post but got sidetracked from after getting caught up in rhyme schemes. The song I’m referring to is called “Closer,” from off of Comeback Season, featuring Miss Andreena Mill. This song meant a lot to me as my dreams started to take form. I was working toward turning Caught Up into something tangible, and being that Drake was my personal soundtrack at the time, I saw nothing but the possibility of good things and was very inspired forward. Hopefully, when you listen to it this Christmas season, you can reflect on your plans for the New Year and take the first step toward making them real :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! 
AND SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!! ;)

    

     
     Article link: http://huzlers.com/drake-release-christmas-album-titled-december-25th-info/

DRAKE - CLOSER (FT. ANDREENA MILL)

Chapter 14: Closer. / Written By: Jae Antoinette

KENDRA:

Ever since Daunte left, Affion and I have been getting closer. He looks at me like I am a prime rib dinner and always asks for seconds. The other day I met him behind his building and he showed me exactly what sounds not to make in places where other ears are privy. I gulped down a breath, pulled up my skirt, and after all was said and done, got to walk hand-in-hand with my lover to a restaurant across the street.

            I’ve never felt anything like it. Affion soothes me so completely I often forget where I am when it’s just the two of us. I could live in his bed and die in his arms; and all without Daunte hovering over my shoulders. It’s not like I purposely wanted to hurt him—he’s a good guy. I just couldn’t break free the in the ways I wanted with him. I loved him and I wanted us to be together, but my body and my desire felt otherwise; so they naturally started to stray. I can’t help that someone happened to stumble along and fix it; that’s just how it went. But I’ll give myself enough credit to say that at least I did try. It may have been a futile attempt, but at one point everybody was happy and that’s all I really wanted. Daunte would’ve gotten hurt either way, so if nothing else, at least I was prepared to keep him from that pain. I may be the bad guy now, but maybe one day, when he realizes that, because of me, he was able to make the choice I ultimately couldn’t and set us both free, I won’t be. He was man enough to see that something wasn’t right and walk away from it, and for that I will forever sing his praises. I did him a favour we won’t soon forget and now we can both move on with our lives.

            And move on, I shall. Daunte’s been great, but Affion is better, and now that it’s clear we’re meant to be, all of my plans for the future will now include him, and him only …

TO BE CONTINUED …

            

CHAPTER 15: 'CONGRATULATIONS'

(Originally Published Monday December 29, 2014)

I’ll never forget the time I saw a billboard of Drake up in Toronto. I was with a few family members, cruising toward the downtown core, and somewhere between exiting the highway on Lakeshore Blvd and driving toward the inner city, there was an extremely large billboard of Drake sitting on top of a medium-sized building. I can’t remember the photo exactly—though I think it was for a radio station and that Drake was in some sort of crouched position with a possible fist under his chin or maybe folded arms—but I do remember my excitement at the time and the feeling of great congratulations toward this person I didn’t even know! But I felt like I knew him through the music and that was enough for me to feel his achievement as if it were my own.

            Suffice it to say that that billboard was only a small part of a bigger picture that had an even bigger outcome; but, to me, it was another example of someone doing what was deemed impossible based on hard work and believing in himself and I couldn’t have felt more exalted. Drake was on his way, becoming everything Toronto, and it was finally Canada’s turn to be put on the map.

            Naturally, the song joint to this experience is ‘Congratulations’ from my version of The Empire and Drake (which I just found out is a Special Edition. Some sources say it's on So Far Gone, but it wasn't in my version ...) semi-featuring Lil Wayne. I probably don’t have to tell you, but this song is another favourite of mine. Drake’s lazy flow and copious punch-lines on top of a sample of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida make it one of the best portrayals of a classic Drake combination: Dope-ass lines on a dope-ass sample. And I’ll put my favourite bars below just to prove it!

            See you Thursday!!!

I’m still myself, suicide bars I kill myself

Charge it to the game; I’ll bill myself

And I don’t feel ya’ll, but I feel myself

I’m next to blow … pause

Again-dammit-ya'll, again

Ya'll pretend that we are some men that get it on and in
I die before I lose ‘cause I was born to win
If he don't fuck with ya'll then don't bother him
And yes I fucked this game, but I won't father them

I got the key to happiness and all the copies
Remember this day like you bought a POPPY

Surprise party Bitch now it's on and poppin’
I always choose dough like it's my only option
… ‘Cause money always knows best
“Chain Snatch Flow” they say “Get it off yo’ chest!”

DRAKE - CONGRATULATIONS       

Chapter 15: Congratulations. / Written By: Jae Antoinette

AFFION:

Who’s the man? That’s right. I’m the man! Me: The real Don Dotta. Nobody’s got it like I got it right now and I know a certain little filly who wouldn’t disagree.

            It’s nice to know what I’m capable of when I put my mind to it—too bad I didn’t have to do much! I don’t know if that’s a testament to the kind of brain power I can cultivate or that some things are just meant to be; but I got it like that anyway, so it doesn’t really matter. I got the girl, I got the world, and now anything is possible. Congratulations to me ...  

TO BE CONTINUED ... 



PRE-NEW YEARS TIE-IN BONUS:
DRAKE - MAN OF THE YEAR (FT. LIL WAYNE)

See you next year!

CHAPTER 16: 'STILL FLY'

(Originally Published Thursday January 1, 2015)

New Years is a time of celebration, a time of resolutions and a time to reminisce - and in reverence of that, it’s only right I recall a moment that is especially memorable in both Drake’s history and mine—Drake’s making the cover of VIBE magazine for the first time!

It was the December 2009/January 2010 issue, and I hope I don’t sound like a fanatic because it wasn’t as crazed as one might think, but I kept that issue displayed as a part of my room for what would seem like a very long time. I was SO proud of it and it was such a BIG moment for Drake that it wasn’t even a thought. Drake was moving up, and besides being the cover story, the story itself was impressive and seemed like a dream come true for anyone in that position. A new apartment, the journey to getting there, still having more to accomplish; it was everything I would expect from someone of Drake’s stature, on top of such tremendous talent and it’s sidekick: discipline. It was his ‘just deserts,’ and as much as some don’t want to hear him say it, it’s true that a person has to know what they are worth and what they deserve before they can acquire it. So that’s saying a lot. It takes a lot of knowledge and self-confidence to know who you are and make something out of it—so for everyone who had goals to achieve, who were on the same mission of defining a dream and living through it wholeheartedly, Drake was a type of spokesperson and he brought nothing but good energy.

              Both the ascendance in that article and Drake’s all-black Jays hat on the cover, make me think of the song “Still Fly”. The hook—originally sang by Drake in fellow Canadian rapper Page’s song “I’m Still Fly”—became an anthem, and before daring anybody to try and cut his wings, it’s clear Drake was already enjoying the flight—and probably from take off!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

DRAKE - STILL FLY

Chapter 16: Still Fly. / Written By: Jae Antoinette

DAUNTE:

Out for my brothers’ birthday tonight. I wasn’t really trying to be at the club after all of my drinking a few days ago, but it’s turned out to be pretty eventful with dudes popping bottles left, right and centre, doing it big, in the VIP. I almost didn’t come knowing that this was one of Kendra’s favourite spots, but I said fuck it, it’s a free country, and celebrating with my brothers is way more important than sulking over some girl. So I’m here showing my brothers that I'm still fly, all while doing my best to block-out this irritating guy on the other side of the VIP getting crunk and acting a fool with his friends. 

            I don’t know if it’s intentional but a competition has begun between him and his friends and my brothers and their friends as bottles upon bottles just keep rolling in. Every time we make an order or some friend of a friend decides to keep it going, this guy and his entourage get even bigger bottles with even more fireworks and gloss than we do, and we all just keep it coming! It’s been entertaining enough up to this point, but we don’t even know these guys so I'm hoping it'll stay friendly because, if given any reason, my brothers are too hot-headed to have it be otherwise.

It's weird though because I’ve seen this same guy looking directly at me, on and off, since we got here ... and I'm not trying to give back any stink eye, but something about this dude just rubs me the wrong way …

TO BE CONTINUED …

*NEW YEARS PARTY *BONUS:

DRAKE  (FT. TREY SONGZ) - POP ROSE

CHAPTER 17: 'MONEY TO BLOW'

(Originally Published Monday January 5, 2015)

This next joint I’m about to recap is one I remember being very excited about the day I heard it bumping down the street through someone’s car window. I was used to being the only person I knew who consistently bumped Drake, so when I started to hear him on the street or from other people’s headphones, nothing could stop my excitement. I even put one of my American friends from Cincinnati, Ohio on to Drake, I was so enthused! He calls Canada “The Frozen Tundra” (even though our weather is pretty much the same…) and was very skeptical of some random, Canadian rapper he’d never heard of before. But, after hearing what Drake had to offer, my friend had no problem giving him his ‘kudos’ and even tipped his hat to me once Drake started to blow up in the U-S-of-A.

              There was no denying that Drake was an artist you wanted to listen to and the song “Money To Blow” first featuring JFK and then Birdman and Weezy had a definite part in all that. I remember not seeing Birdman for awhile – although he was frequently referred to in a lot of Lil Wayne’s songs – and I think to see him pop up again in a new video alongside Drake gave Drake a little added respect from those who respected Birdman—not to mention the notice he naturally garnished from collaborating with Weezy—so the song was a hit! And, though, maybe not as metaphorically amped as our ‘feature tie-in song’ at the end of today’s post, Money To Blow was a definite banger and a grand inspiration for many a YouTube parody as well. 

    

DRAKE - MONEY TO BLOW (w. BIRDMAN & LIL WAYNE

(Couldn't find the version ft JFK, just an awkward chopped and screwed version...

WOMP WOMP!)         

Chapter 17: Money To Blow. / Written By: Jae Antoinette.

AFFION:

At the club, lighting it up with my hombres, when who do I noticed come in on the other side of my booth but Kendra’s ‘Mr. Strong-and-Silent’ with a group of his friends!

At first he doesn’t notice me, but slowly as the night wears on I catch him looking right back at me like he couldn’t be bothered or something! Sure, we’ve been ordering bottles every time they’ve been ordering bottles, but I got friends with money and enough money to blow that I can afford that life! This dude only ordered one bottle—and that was even before the big ones started to come out! What a chump! A dude like that can’t really compete with me! We’ve had this whole club ablaze the way that we pop bottles, and this guy is sitting there trying to act like he knows what we’re about; like he knows anything about me! He may think he knows but he doesn’t really want to know because then we’d really have problems! Instead, I let this sucker feel how he feels without him really knowing how he should feel and I proceed to party with the fellahs with all eyes on us! I try to keep it kosher ‘cause I’d hate to have a n***a step to me just to find out I fucked his girl …

So now I’m minding my own business and chatting up some little filly that caught both my eyes’ attention. I’m whispering drunken slurs all up in her ears, hoping she press that tight ol’ booty against yours truly to let me know whether it can be on and popping for tonight. I needed a guy’s night out with the way that Kendra’s been all up on me lately, and now I just might pull a chick to let me know what’s going down in the bathroom. This girl I’m talking to got some big, brown eyes and a big ol’ pair of lips that look like they know their way around town, so it only makes sense that she be my muse for the night. What starts in a bathroom could end at my place, and I wouldn’t hate on the theory because I bagged Kendra the same way and look how much that girl loves me now …    

TO BE CONTINUED ...      

MONDAY BONUS TIE-IN:          

DRAKE - FRIENDS WITH MONEY