Of all the rappers that Kendrick Lamar called out in his infamous “Control” verse, Drake is without doubt the leader of the new generation. Since that is so widely accepted, and Jay Z has been the best rapper of the last two decades, here are seven reasons why Drake is the next Jay Z.
They toe the line between hardcore rapper and R&B effortlessly. Part of Jay Z’s success has been his ability to stay relevant in spite of the changes in rap music.
Jay excelled through the Bad Boy shiny-suit era, into the hardcore period of DMX and the Ruff Ryders, to Ja Rule and his R&B-filled hooks, and back to another hardcore phase with 50 Cent, until the New York artist was able to set the tone himself. Drake hasn’t been performing for a timespan yet, but he already blends in to any genre presented to him.
They’re both up North guys who are widely accepted in the South. Although some fans think that it’s his ties to Lil’ Wayne that had Drake popping in the South, the first mixtape that introduced him to mainstream featured a place he called houstonatlantavegas. Since then Drake’s been widely accepted in the South.
Likewise, as Jay Z exclaims on his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, “ask Bun B a n***a been thrill.” At a time when rap was dominated by the East Coast rappers, it was Jay Z features that propelled the careers of Juvenile (who in turn put Cash Money on the map), Scarface and UGK, to name a few.
