Drake might not have been the first rapper to not be afraid to show his “softer” side on a track. Songs like LL Cool J’s “I Need Love,” and albums like Kanye’s 808s & Heartbreak set Drake up to help him become the artist he is today.
In a recent interview with DJ Akademiks, T-Pain took a little bit of credit for Drake’s career, saying that he was “Drake before Drake” because of his “simp” anthems.
T-Pain first spoke on how he was looked at as “corny” for wanting to sing about love in an era where the “gangsta” persona was more popular.
“I’ve been a real corny n*gga and I love that sh*t because that means I’m not doing the same sh*t as everybody else,” he said. “I’m not camping out in front of these f*cking stores for the same shoes as you n*ggas. I’m not doing this dumb sh*t that’s gonna make me cool to all you n*ggas that’s tryna be the same as each other. I don’t want to do that shit. I’ve been corny from the beginning of my life.”
He went on to say how his hit song “I’m Spring” is about him falling for a woman, before saying that he’s “always been that corny n*gga” and calling himself “Drake before Drake.”
“‘I’m Sprung’ is about falling for a b*tch, being that corny n*gga falling for a b*tch,” he said. “I’ve always been that corny n*gga. I’ve always been the simp n*gga. I was Drake before Drake, n*gga! I was in love before n*ggas was really cool with being in love with b*tches.”
You can watch the nearly hour-long interview below. The conversation starts around the 6:40 mark.
