Drizzy is no Kobe of rap, but in time he can be even bigger
Jay-Z royally flubbed this analogy in his lifeandtimes.com interview with Elliott Wilson. Sure, Drake is the MVP of today’s rap class—a versatile once-in-a-generation phenom with a fondness for Miami. Yet if NBA titles are classic LPs, Kanye is more like Kobe (cue: “Champion.”) From College Dropout to Watch The Throne, you can count almost five fingers worth of championship rings on Yeezy’s paw (don’t front on Late Registration, Graduation and MBDTF). He’s s a proven offensive juggernaut who’s influenced a whole post Jay/Jordan crop of artists.
The appropriate Drizzy comparison is LeBron James. He’s a more multifaceted force, able to simultaneously sing, spit and write with the exalted of his era. He’s still working on his trophy shelf, but individual stats (most No. 1 records on Billboard’s Rap Songs and Hip-Hop/R&B singles charts in only—gasp—two years) are already rivaling the legends with no signs of slowing. Add in his supporting cast of Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne—YMCMB’s own Big Three—and the parallels seem complete. When his jersey is hung in the rafters, Drake will be the Toronto icon who, like Bron Bron, not only leads his contemporaries but forever changes the game.
All that said, the real-life Kobe can still probably slay all parties mentioned in a rap battle. No joke. —John Kennedy