thefalastini

[thefalastini]

Drake and his Rising Empire

From his iconic role on Degrassi: The Next Generation to selling out concerts all over the nation, Drake is one of the most beloved artists of our time. When it comes to the culture, Drake really made his indent in our way of life.  This is because the Toronto native has been releasing some of this generation’s hottest bangers and he is not letting down yet. Drake can literally take any collaborations thrown his way and turn it into a hot single. Many artists have worked with the In My Feelings artist including rappers like Migos, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and so on. With his album drops and special collaborations, Drake has really touched places in the world and genres of different music where some artists haven’t explored yet. With Scorpion being one of the artist’s musical gems and its many bangers which can get anyone hyped, Drake has since secured his throne in the hip hop kingdom. But as Drake keeps releasing music, is his style straying from what he originally releasing?

Drake’s rise to fame initially begins in the 2000s when he was casted on the hit show Degrassi: The Next Generation. He played the role of a young basketball star by the name of Jimmy Brooks and continued to partake in the part until he parted ways from acting in 2009. Drake was pursuing his rap career at the time before leaving his acting career when he released his first mixtape Room for improvement and its turnout was a success. It from there he released more mixtapes and was racking up an image for himself in the rap industry. His recognition was really on the raise when his second acclaimed mixtape, Comeback Season, was dropped in 2007 and had gained much appraisal behind it. It was this mixtape that not only set the foundation that Drake would begin to build his empire from but also, he was able to release a music video featuring Trey Songs on one of his hit songs, Replacement Girl. In 2008, it was this year when Lil Wayne was handed a few of Drizzy’s songs and called Drake to join him on his tour in Houston. Drake and Lil Wayne went on to release a couple of songs during the time including Ransom and I Want This Forever. Drake had a really successful outcome in the underground when he released his third official mixtape, So Far Gone, free on his blog site where it received two thousand downloads in the first two hours alone. The mixtape eventually made its way on the radio due to the success of the album and was named, “The Hottest mixtape of 2009.” It was his collaboration with fellow artists like DJ Khaled, Kanye West and other acclaimed artists that really gave his mixtape shine. In the mid-2010, Drake unraveled his first official debut album, Thank Me Later where it was an album that made people who were still wary of drake to become full on fans. This album was what set himself apart from other artists in the game including Kanye West who was big in the rap industry during the time. In his lyrics on some of the songs in the album, Drizzy shows a side of him where he is not some Toronto born actor trying to make it big in the industry but a full-on Artist who wowed the producers who listened to it. Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork who reviewed the hot album and quoted “considering this mixed race, half-Jewish, all-Canadian "Degrassi: The Next Generation" alum looks and sounds unlike any major rap star before him, betting the house on nothing but himself turns out to be a wise gamble.” Drake announced his second studio album, Take Care, where it was released on November 15, 2011 and was an album like no other. With some many hit songs like The Motto, Headlines and Take Care, the album quickly headed to the top of the charts not only in the US, but in Canada and Australia as well. This album would be described as the embodiment of Drake’s thoughts and rise to stardom to audience listening to every song on the track. It could be best described as one of the hottest bangers during the time and nothing out there couldn’t compete. The album later was awarded a Grammy for best rap album and drake was already working on his album release, Nothing Was the Same. In 2012, Drake and his producer “40” formed his iconic record label OVO Sound and was collaborating with top Artists like Rick Ross and Big Sean as well as singers like Jhene Aiko and Sampha. Drake really shows his R&B side of himself when he released this album. He also discusses how he tackles family issues while trying to balance his rap life and personal life and still keep a sane mind. Drake gave us a peek into his life at the moment and how events in his life led him to do decisions that made him contemplate some of his choices. Drake took his time to release his next album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, where his R&B rap style swaps out to become an aggressive upbeat rapper with no time for Bullshit and only time for Money and Music. Drake has shown a side of him that his fans knew he had but didn’t know when he was going to show it. That album was that side of drake. He was no longer the Emotional rapper who sang about his feelings towards past girls but as a top tier rapper who can put other rappers in their place if they get near. With contexts featuring his relationship with the Jamaican community, Drizzy shows how his reach was beginning to expand to other places in the world as well as their music. Craig Jenkins from Pitchfork spoke on his views of the album as he quoted “If You’re Reading This arouses many unanswered questions on a business front, but where it truly delivers is giving Drake room to breathe outside of the lumbering commercialism of his retail albums.” Drake uses this album to shed light on the years of rumors about him and his frenemies who he taunts with his lyrics. A notable message that he delivers in one of his songs was shot at his label mate Tyga after he insulted the Toronto rapper on Vice magazine; Drake claps back with the lyrics written "You need to act your age and not your girl’s age." Drake really showed no chill in this track and basically relayed the message as “if you want to start shit, I’m ready when you are” type of mentality. Drizzy, being one of the top rappers at that time, was becoming a name that everyone has heard of. Whether it is his special appearances on other artists’ tracks or selling out shows, Drake has become a rapper who can take any ordinary song and turn it into top single. Whether he makes one or featured by one.

2016 comes and 2017 goes, Drake has released two albums, Views in 2016 and More Life in 2017, which were not totally albums of catchy songs but pieces that began to show how his music is becoming not one singular genre but his natural flow among different types of music he can automatically hit top billboards with. With that, Drake latest release, Scorpion was one of his Albums to date with each song on the track being not only catchy but lyrical also. Drake uses the album to tackle many issues he is facing during the time as well as address the Pusha T’s claims that he has been hiding a child from the media. Drake uses this album not only to respond to T’s acquisitions but also to explain why he is hiding his son. "I wasn't hiding my kid from the world, I was hiding the world from my kid / From empty souls who just wake up and look to debate / Until you are staring at your seed, you could never relate." Drake is basically explaining to his listeners why he was hiding his son and Pusha T on how he won’t understand until he has a kid of his own. All in all, the album is treasure chest of gems that anyone who listens to it will be hooked. From a review Jamieson Cox of pitchfork, he describes the album as “Drake’s fifth proper studio album is richly produced, studded with gems, and grapples with his fatherhood in a way that casts his arrested development into sharp relief.” Drizzy has become such a huge icon in the international music boards that no matter what he releases, it would become a hit. he has even released hit singles in other genres such as Latin music with his single "Mia" featuring Bad Bunny, a well-known artist in the Latin American music world where it near top billboards on both music boards.

Drake, who has went from child actor to huge rapper prodigy, has made his mark on this world for sure. Whether it is his music that you have heard or his signature owl logo from his label, it is safe to say that he has not only been killing it in the rap game but his OVO sound label has also skyrocketed to becoming a well-known name that every young teen has synced into their brains. With his catchy lyrics and having his merchandise being viewed at the same hype as clothing brand Supreme and other top tier street wear, Drake is only on his rise and there seems to be no dethroning him anytime soon.

[thefalastini]

[thefalastini]

Life Is A Highway With The Hudaibs

https://open.spotify.com/user/wesamhud/playlist/5zFNyIwQwEpGAp9pqkuAdU?si=H5MwFn0tQpWw92AduGf5pg

It was a hot Monday morning while the Hudaib family was getting their cars packed for the trip to Willowbrook, Illinois. As I was packing my bag to prepare for the upcoming festivities and events both families have planned for the weekend, I could not hold in the amount of excitement I had for the trip. This was the first in my life that I will be visiting Chicago with the whole Hudaib family where we planned to stay together in one hotel” I thought. Growing up, my family were always in separate parts of the nation and gathering for a trip to head for my last single uncle’s wedding in Chicago was exhilarating. I come from a Palestinian-Lebanese household where my dad had sixteen siblings and my mom had four. So, for just a road trip to Chicago looked like a pilgrimage. When It came to weddings, my family know how to throw It down and party. This wedding was also special for it was my last uncle on my dad side. SO of course, we to make sure that he wouldn’t forget it. “Alright let get going” my uncle proclaimed. “Does everyone have the address to the hotel on their GPS?” my other uncle followed up as everyone reassured him. As all of our things were packed and ready, my relatives scrambled to a car and we left.

 And we were off. My dad in the driver seat talking to my mom about the different restaurants and sights he wanted to visit. My Brother, me, and my two cousins were in the back, cracking jokes and poking fun at each other. “I went to the Chicago zoo a couple years back and swear saw the Gorilla exhibit and thought of you, Moe”. My brother exclaimed as we all fell laughing. The trip was off to a good start. We weren’t getting bored even though it was a ten-hour trip. But I spoke too soon, my cousins fell asleep, my brother was to himself and my parents were focusing on the road. I felt myself getting heavy as I let out a yawn. I should have figured that even with the whole family, a car trip would eventually become weary. “I have to figure out something out quick,” I thought. I put on my headphones and unlocked my phone at Spotify. I picked some road songs that helped me forget about the car ride. Thirty minutes in, I felt myself get drowsy as I continued yawning. Eventually after an hour I feel asleep only to woken up four hours later in Kentucky.

 My dad, who opened my door at a gas station, nudged me and told me to follow up with everyone and see if they need anything. I listened and walked to each of the five-car fleet we were travelling in. I gave my assistance where it was needed to and went to inform my dad. That was when I heard my name being called once more from one of the cars. “WESAM!” my aunt shouted as I rush for assistance. Can you go find Daniel I think he went playing somewhere nearby. I took up the task reluctantly and went looking for him. But as I searched, I was changing to a simple task to something that took me a long time.  I scanned everywhere for him and couldn’t find a trace. I was beginning to get worried and called my brother and my two cousins to assist me. Still no luck anywhere in the gas station. “Are you looking for a little boy wearing a green shirt?” the old woman asked. “Yes,” we replied. I saw one of your boys going to the petting zoo right next door and get mixed up with a group of other children. As it turns out, the gas station that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere had a petting zoo next door and there was a group of kindergarteners going in for a field trip. We Frantically ran to the booth and told the worker that one of ours was mixed up with the group. He accepted our plea, went to inform the group and reunited our little cousin with us. In relief, we returned to our fleet and back to my aunt. Though I was beginning to believe that the trip was boring, it ended up with an adventurous experience on the way. We packed everyone back into different cars and continued our journey to Chicago.