Drake is one of America’s top artists at the moment. He’s constantly creating narratives that are relatable to all his listeners, fans, and even his counterparts. While critics says he’s lost touch of his original style that made him even more relatable, he embraces this style with “Fake Love”.
As discussed academically, rap is a product of the environment, perfect to convey a large spectrum of emotions about it. As an expression of numbness, realization and standoffish feelings, Drake uses “Fake Love” to convey how the music business makes him feel. He states that “They smile in your face, whole time they want to take your place”. Perhaps speaking on his own development as an artist, his way of approaching people within his industry which monetizes an art that’s based off of feeling, is by treating folks with a long stick because it isn’t about respect, or perfecting your art, it’s about trying to take what they have and where they are at.
In his video, it begins with a lot of unrelated material, almost laughable situations that sort of depict how the music scene has been saturated with remnants of a highly dramatized life style. Drake argues with Tyra Banks in a restaraunt, behind in a strip club, a guy in a cowboy hat makes demands of his strippers saying that there’s an 80/20 split (20 for the girls), and after all that they go out to dance for Drake. All in all, the music seems to be the very last thing the video cares about, which is sort of a symbol as to how it works in the American Music industry. Purposefully or not, Drake made a statement visually.youtube.com/watch
As hip hop took the world by storm, it’s very obvious that America has always been the standard for style and brand development. However, South African artists have always been about the music and while the vibe of the artists may be similar, they always manage to show their “woke” side while still being marketable. One such artist is AKA and his disussion of the industry is very similar to Drake’s however he speaks about how he’s living his dreams and not concerned about who’s trying to take his place. He remarks the “N***AS get touched when you the real thing” and that “It’s more than Drake and Meek Mill s**t”. He sees how the industry gets people up in arms and how confict arises easily, just because it’s how it is to desperately fight and do anything to stay on top. It’s become less about being an artist and more about competing to create the most marketable image. The irony is that his sound is very much like Drake’s (sonically and message wise) however, his video doesn’t have much an intro and only has him behind a changing black and white backdrop. youtube.com/watch
Message wise, AKA was deeper and understood that in order to musically succeed over others, you have to look past their moves for your place create your own. Drake took the approach that you have to stop messing with people, and call them out on their “Fake Love”
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