Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Music
Music

No Time to Waste: Drake Debuts ‘Hold On We’re Going Home’

Posted byBy Leo | Published on: | Updated on November 23, 2022 CommentsComments (0)

Barely a day after his historic OVO Fest performances, Drake is back again this week with new music. Drizzy released the new song “Hold On We’re Going Home” featuring Majid Jordan.

“Hold On” is a throwback-style record reminiscent of the ’80s, and it features “R&B Drake,” as he only sings on the track, no rapping. The song is an appeal to his female audience as things heat up for the promotion of his new album, Nothing Was The Same, which is planned for release Sept. 17.

What is still the same is that Drake is the only artist right now who has ability to release a hardcore rap record like  “All Me,” featuring 2 Chainz and Big Sean, last week and then drop “Hold On,” a complete R&B song this week.

According to vibe.com:

“For that reason, Drake’s newest offering, ‘Hold On We’re Going Home,’ is yet another finger-poke in the eye of hardboiled fans who like their soundtracks more in the mode of Nas than Babyface.

“‘I got my eyes on you/You’re everything that I see/I want your high love and emotion endlessly…’ a confident Drake sings on this sensitive, pop-disco, two-step gesture that is devoid of actual rapping.

“This is a walk in the park for the self-proclaimed ‘light skinned Keith Sweat,’ a record so immediate in its aim (girls, girls, girls) that it could have been the background music for a Lucille Roberts commercial. So how does Drake get away with casually throwing around the B-word (‘Long as my bitches love me…’) alongside Weezy, only to go all Mr. Softy on a completely different vehicle? Well, that’s show business, baby. Drake will be playing double agent for a long time, so get used to it.”

That is the dichotomy that is Drake. He sings on most of his songs, he’s not from the streets and he’s constantly talking about his feelings. Yet he’s still able to appeal to hardcore rap fans, especially when he goes toe-to-toe on his appearances with some of raps elites like Rick Ross, Kanye and Jay Z.

The reason Drake is able to pull it off is because he is genuine. Drake has never tried to be something he’s not, and for that his fans have blessed him with an amazing thing: artistic freedom.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top