Charlamagne, AKA "The Tomi Lahren Whisper," had the internet debating if Drake's era was over. On a special segment of The Brilliant Idiots Podcast, Noise Cutterz, with guest hosts Nyla and Wayno, CThaGod said that we're no longer in a Drake era and had not been for the past 2-3 years.
Nyla started the discussion by asking Charlamagne if he was looking forward to Drake's upcoming album, "Certified Lover Boy." Charlamagne kept his answer short with a simple, "No." He further elaborated that unlike Kendrick Lamar, "Drake has given us so much music that I do not know if he has another gear."
CTG's remarks should not come as a shock to anyone who has not been drinking the Drake Kool-Aid since "Take Care." Drake is not maturing with his audience. He is allowing them to grow without him as he tries
to stay relevant to a younger fanbase. Writer David Dennis Jr wrote about Drake's lack of growth in "Outgrowing Drake Is the Generation Gap We Didn't Predict."
All one has to do is look at who Drake uses to get out information about his music...DJ AKADEMIKS! Um...that right there is a clear indication that Drake is catering to the wrong audience. It would be different if Drake were using a combination of B.Dot, Akademiks, and Scottie Beam. They all have distinctly different demographics, and that allows access to different types of Drake fans. Drake utilizing three avenues of communication makes him look like someone who is attempting to stay connected to his core fans while also trying to be relevant with a younger crowd. But, nope, he is using ONE. Hence we get "Toosie Slide."
In August, we discussed the conversation DJ Akademiks had with industry insiders who told him, "Drake knows it's about to be up and sh*t ain't hitting the way it used to."
Charlamagne saying he does not feel there's been a "Drake Era" for the past 2-3 years is not a hot take. It's him finally catching up with the people.
For years, the Hip Hop media helped Drake cultivate such an unprecedented era, void of any real critique. The press celebrated Drake's stats as if it were a joint achievement while criticizing others for mentioning their numbers. They have treated him like he is too big to fail. Drake's era only lasted this long because the Hip Hop media worked so hard to sell the facade to fans. But, now, so many in the media are trying to anoint this as "Lil Baby's Era." It makes me wonder if the end of Drake's era is just code words for the Hip Hop media is over Drake and found someone new that they like more.
DRAKE'S REPLACEMENT
The problem I have with people like Wayno proclaiming that it's Lil Baby's era is that it feels very
Cardi B-ish. It's like he is being given something that he did not earn. How can any realistically think he is dominating Roddy Ricch or Da Baby? How is not their era just as much as it is Lil Baby's era?
I think the era is up for grabs, and people should enjoy the competition before trying to get a crown to fit on Lil Baby's head.
I also hate that like Drake, Lil Baby, faces very little critique while his peers are held to higher standards. Again very reminiscent of Cardi B. I feel like since it worked so well with placing Cardi B at the top of female rap, the industry is trying to pull off the same trick with the men.
ISN'T IT IRONIC...DON'T YOU THINK?
What makes this amusing if Drake is being replaced is that he, for whatever reason, really helped QC grow. He showed love to Cardi B (when she was pretending to be down with them), he put the City Girls on a song, did a collab and tour with Migos, and worked with Lil Baby. Drake was so tight with QC that Pee got him a QC chain.
Don't tell me that Drake thought he was part of the joke, but really was Remy Ma??? Remy Ma showed Cardi B love and did the dirty work, only to see Ole Girl pass her by and never look back.
P.S. Drake will still be able to top the charts, but I don't think his music will be the soundtrack to our lives anymore.
*It's interesting that CTG admits that radio is behind what music is actually hot, yet Billboard insist on using them for their charts.
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People like Charlemagne have been waiting for Drake to lose his “spot”. Lil Baby is loved mainly by the black community and Drake is “universal”. In other words, Drake isn’t falling off anytime soon because he has mainstream/streaming on lock.
The media is perpetuating lil baby to be something he is not and am already sick of it. I thought I was the only one feeling this way, am not interested in drake at this stage of his career with an album labeled certified lover boy, but it is interesting to see how much the media has died down with the drake hype. Am noticing that media now plays a bigger role than the music in pushing artists. After that damm blm song lil baby did now all of a sudden he is this hov of the new age rappers.