Amari Brown

Professor Gordon

Univ 200

September 18, 2017

How is Dancehall and Patois utilized in Drake’s Albums Views and More Life?

Over the last decade, Drake’s rise to fame was a gradual and steady one, with his debut album Thank You Later topping charts and making the Canadian rapper/singer/songwriter a household name. What made Drake a standout artist compared to his peers was how he intertwined two genres in his music: rap and pop. By embracing what some consider opposites he had the ability to attract a diverse following. Drake is most known for ushering in an age of “sensitive rappers”, which contrasts the masculine and previous generations of rap/ hip hop. Now he remains on top by keeping up with trends and following the latest sound in music. This is especially clear in his most recent albums Views and More Life. In both albums, Drake has adopted a plethora of new sounds that channel different regions of the globe, the most prevalent among the albums being Dancehall and

Patois. Dancehall is a genre music that began in Jamaica around the late 1970s. Overtime with the introduction of technological instrumentation, its’ sound changed considerably, with digital dancehall, or "ragga", becoming progressively categorized by faster rhythms.

Dancehall music is characterized by its extensive use of Jamaican Patois rather than

Jamaican standard English and a focus on the track instrumentals, or "riddims", (Wikipedia,

2017).

This sudden surge in usage has raised questions as to whether Drake is exploiting aspects of Jamaican culture or showing appreciation. Drake’s home Toronto, Canada is a flourishing city with a melting pot of cultures. One of which being Caribbean. Jamaican-born permanent residents of Canada make up approximately thirty percent of the entire Black

Canadian population. With this information, it appears inevitable that his music would have at least some Jamaican influence. However, Drake tends to do this with other cultures and subcultures as well. Also, it poses the question, how come he hasn’t attempted to intertwine

Jamaican music and vernacular into his music with such vivacity prior to its resurgence? It seems convenient that he began incorporating this sound in his work when the culture itself has increasingly been in the public eye as of recently. The American music industry has understood the value of cashing in on Caribbean culture for quite some time. History teaches us that an island flavor can “spice up” any artist (Kenner, 2016)

“From yuh tickets fi buy den mi willin' fuh pay

Fly yuh in from distance away” – Controlla by Drake

It can be argued that by having a famous artist such as Drake using patois and it further promotes pride into Jamaican and more specifically Jamaican Canadian culture.

However, Drake has only explored the dialect and music on a surface level, presenting to his listeners only the tip of the iceberg that is Caribbean culture. It is quite stereotypical and it is done in a way that reduces the vibrant culture to him feigning a crude accent and over using the patois word “ting” (thing) in several of his songs. His execution of the dialect proves him to be a something of a well-informed cultural tourist (Pearce, 2017).

“Don’t switch on me, I got big plans We need to forward to the islands

And get you gold, no spray tans

I need you to stop runnin' back to your ex, he’s a wasteman…”-Blem by Drake

Drake is a talented rapper, but nonetheless he is tarnishing his authenticity as an artist.

He gained his following due to his legitimacy and his ability to be vulnerable. There is nothing wrong with being inspired by another culture but there is a fine line between appropriation and acculturation. More Life, samples music from Canada, America the UK and the West Indies and Nigeria. While listening to the album one can only wonder where is

Drake? He is present in the song but he is also taking on so many personas that his authenticity is lost. His style of cherry-picking sounds brings intriguing inquiries about art’s lineage through migration and who gets to claim the culture of others. Although the African and Caribbean diasporas have placed these cultures in unlikely places.

Drake shields himself from criticism on exploitation by collaborating with a well- respected delegate from a given genre or region—often making sure their interests align with his. For example, in his songs “Controlla”, “One Dance” and “Blem” he partners with

Jamaican Canadian newcomer Popcaan and Wiz Kid. Overall, these strategic alliances evoke a sense of “asking for permission”. These relationships are transactional, the collaborations are offered from Drake under the guise of a look but really used to bolster his claim to a person or place’s slang or sound or hype. They provide built-in deniability against detractors who might label him an interloper or appropriator (Pearce, 2017). This further explains why

Drake marketed More Life as a playlist as opposed to an album. His diverse group of culturally curated feature artists entitles him to their sound and flow. To conclude, Drake is an artist with a lot of range who has the gained a large enough following to experiment with his music. His most recent acquisition of Caribbean culture, has stirred up conversation of where does appreciation end an exploitation begin. Of course, the answer lies with his intentions. His actions reflect that of a changing society, linked through cultural exchange. The problem that’s posed now, is what we do with the new information we are exposed to. Will we only see its glossed over exterior for a temporary trend or are they actually worth learning about and understanding on a sincerer level?

Works Cited

Dancehall. (2017, September 17). Retrieved September 18, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancehall

Jamaican Canadians. (2017, September 04). Retrieved September 18, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_Canadians

Kenner, R. (2016, April & may). Is Drake's Dancehall Obsession Homage or

Exploitation? Retrieved September 18, 2017, from https://genius.com/a/is-drake-s-dancehall- obsession-homage-or-exploitation

Pearce, S. (2017, March 20). Mapping Drake's International Wave-Riding on More Life.

Retrieved September 18, 2017, from https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1469-mapping-drakes- international-wave-riding-on-more-life/