10 Reasons Why Other Rappers Think Drake Is Soft
Robert King Quick Links
Who would have thought it? In 2015, one of the most successful rappers in the game is a half-Jewish, half-black emcee from Toronto named Aubrey "Drake" Graham. But that's exactly where we're at in Hip-Hop today, and regardless of his background, Drake is certainly one of the most talented rappers around.
Since he emerged on the scene in 2007, he has been involved in several rap beefs, and the reason rappers keep picking on him is that they think he's soft and an easy target. In the following article, we list 10 of the reasons why people think Drake is Charmin soft, and you can judge for yourselves whether you think Mr. Graham has any street cred at all.
10. He Used To Be A Child Actor
Drake’s past history in show business is no secret. From 2001 to 2009, he was a star in the Canadian high school television series, Degrassi. In the show, he played the character of Jimmy Brooks. In the role, he was the school’s basketball star until he got shot and was consequently bound to a wheelchair.
So in more ways than one, he was a child star earning some very decent money at a very young age. Because of this, a lot of rappers who literally “came from the bottom” look at Drake and see him as a soft, pampered kid who makes for an easy and inviting target.
9. He Fell In Love With A Stripper
This actually happened in 2010. It’s no secret that Drake enjoys going to strip clubs, and apparently, there was one particular Houston stripper and video vixen named Maliah Michel who became the apple of his eye. He reportedly flew her to Jamaica for a video shoot and he hosted parties in Atlanta with her, too.
Most rappers know that it’s cool and flossy to make it rain in a club, but as far as making a stripper your main squeeze, that’s a big no-no. And yes, that’s another reason why many in the Hip-Hop game think Drake is soft.
8. He Got Dissed by Tyga
Speaking about how falling in love with a stripper is a no-no, West Coast rapper Tyga actually took it one step further and had a child with a stripper named Blac Chyna. When it comes to rappers with street cred, Tyga ranks almost as low as Drake. The funny thing is that both of these rappers have actually been embroiled in a public beef.
Last year, Tyga went on Vibe magazine and stated his dislike for the Toronto rapper. Drake threw the shade right back on his If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late LP. The fact that these two rappers are beefing enforces the narrative of both of these emcees being super soft.
7. His Questionable Love For Sweaters
These past few years, Drake has been stepping up his fashion game. He probably has a good stylist on retainer who’s helping him to make the right style choices. However, there was a time, not too long ago, when his closet consisted mostly of funny-looking sweaters.
He had them all: cable knits, shawl collars, Scandinavian-inspired, Bill Cosby-influenced ones – and the list goes on and on. All of these sweaters fed into the narrative that he was just a preppy kid from a rich area in Toronto who just happened to be good at rapping.
6. He Hails From Toronto
Most rappers won’t admit this, but one of the reasons they think Drake is soft is simply the city where he is from. Most of the top rappers in the game have hailed from the rough, inner-city areas of New York City, Los Angeles, Detroit and Atlanta.
After his white mother divorced his black dad,Drake was raised by his mother in an affluent and predominantly Jewish Toronto neighborhood named Forest Hill. Compared to tough locales like the Bronx and Compton, people assume that Drake’s Toronto childhood was probably a breezy walk in the park.
5. The Bathtub Picture In Rolling Stone Magazine
In early 2014, an issue of Rolling Stone was released featuring Drake that drilled huge holes in the rapper’s already shaky street cred. The article was supposed to be a victory lap for him after he dropped the hugely successful Nothing Was The Same album. However, he ended up getting booted from the magazine cover because of the untimely death of Philip Seymour Hoffman.
There were some questionable quotes in the article, but the most damaging of all were the accompanying visuals. He was pictured in the bathtub of his LA YOLO estate, apparently naked, smoking a Hookah and looking supremely relaxed. It might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but the entire Hip-Hop world thought that pic was whack and very, very soft.
4. He Sings As Much As He Raps
When Drake first entered the rap game in 2007, there weren’t a lot of rappers both singing and spitting lyrics on records. But in addition to Drake being a very astute rapper, he’s just as good at belting out harmonious melodies.
In any other genre, this would be a huge plus for him, but in the rap community, being a singer is considered to be a little too soft for the hardcore genre. Negative views aside, Drake continues to sing his ways to the top of the charts. One of his singing tracks “Hold On” has actually turned out to be a favorite track by young couples at weddings.
3. The Whole Lint Roller Episode
Okay, this is one story that we even found to be quite puzzling. It happened only last year, so it’s probably still fresh on a lot of people’s minds. It was during Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs between the Brooklyn Nets and The Toronto Raptors. Drake was of course there to supports his beloved home team, and in the first quarter, the cameras caught him pulling out a lint roller to clean off his pants.
Now, let’s be honest. How many of you would ever have floor seats at a game and still have time to lint roll your trousers? Come on Drake, you’re just making it too easy for other people to make fun of you.
2. His Beef With Chris Brown Over Rihanna
When you’re a rapper, you’re supposed to have beef and engage in battles with other rappers. However, with Drake, one of his mainstay adversaries for the last several years has been the thuggish R&B singer, Chris Brown. The two have had several exchanges online and there have even been dangerous bar brawls like the bloody situation in 2012 in NYC’s Meatpacking district.
Apparently, the entire cause of their beef is their mutual lust for the sexy Bajan beauty, Rihanna. How come guys always get so heated up when a woman is involved? Needless to say, this Chris Brown beef hasn’t dome much for Drake’s street cred.
1. He Uses a Ghostwriter
We saved this one for last, because it’s the reason Drake has been such a presence in the news lately. It all started when Philly rapper Meek Mill fired twitter shots at Drake for not writing his own lyrics. You see, Drake appeared on Meek’s latest top-selling album, and apparently the verse the Toronto rapper contributed was written by someone else.
Meek wasn’t too pleased and thus the beef began. Drake ended up replying with 2 diss tracks – “Charged Up” and “Back to Back.” Meek then retaliated with his own salvo called “Wanna Know” that wasn’t received too well by the internet. In the eyes of the Hip-Hop world, Drake won this battle. But it still doesn’t change the fact that he continues to be a soft target that everyone feels they can take down.
Sources: billboard.com, pitchfork.com, biography.com, bossip.com
