Drake’s new album, Honestly, Nevermind, arrived worldwide on June 17 and, much like his previous effort, Certified Lover Boy, the Toronto native met with mixed reviews. However, this time, criticism has rested on the fact that the newly dropped project is a dance album, from top to bottom. The LP polarized the Hip-Hop world as key figures of the genre, like Irv Gotti, were alarmed at the finished product’s sound.
Speaking with TMZ, the CEO and co-founder of Murder, Inc. expressed his love for the Drake but stated that he wasn’t feeling Honestly, Nevermind. The businessman stressed that Drake can “do what he wants,” but with the influence and power that the global superstar has, he could potentially bring about “the demise of Hip-Hop.” After listening to the album, Gotti added that he felt inspired to find “a raw new DMX, new [Ja-Rule], new [Jay-Z] and serve ni**as.”
“That album is not Hip-Hop. I don’t want to catch up [to that]. But, if that’s catching up, what does that mean for Hip-Hop?” questioned Gotti during his conversation.
He then doubled down on finding the next superstar who could be powerful enough to challenge Drake’s influence.
“He’s too powerful and too strong, and it made me feel like we need another ni***a that is as powerful and as strong who is going to stay with this thing called Hip-Hop.”
Elsewhere, Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind broke Apple Music’s first-day stream record for Dance albums and has announced that “Massive” and “Sticky” would serve as singles for the newly released LP.