Drake is unfiltered with his perception of the so-called industry, and this time, he’s pulling back the curtain on how the industry responds to his work, saying the first wave of reviews is often orchestrated before fans even get a chance to digest the music.
First off, The Source is not involved in any of those chats, but let’s get to what Drake says is going on.
While chatting with podcaster Bobbi Althoff, the Toronto hitmaker offered advice that mixed cultural critique with encouragement. “The true response to your contributions and your work… is not in the immediate response from individuals,” Drake explained, telling Althoff not to let early negativity on socials shape her perspective.
According to Drizzy, quick commentary online is usually less about honest feedback and more about racing to be noticed. “It’s like first to comment or first to be seen or first to offer their opinion is not the actual response to your contribution.”
Get this: to make his point, Drake pulled from his own experience with album releases. He said that within an hour of dropping new music, conversations are already happening behind the scenes to dictate how the project will be framed. “They have phone calls, like, media phone calls deciding what stance so-and-so is going to take within the first hour,” he revealed.
But wait, Drake even kind of hilariously compared these so-called critics to “first responders,” clarifying that he was only speaking on the speed of reaction and not making any slight toward emergency workers.
What’s more, he then turned the focus back to Althoff, reminding her that the harshest online comments do not capture the true audience. “People think you’re funny. They think you’re great. They would love to sit across from you and laugh with you. They do think you’re a great mother. They do think you’re cute,” he told her, countering the negativity she sometimes absorbs from the socials.
Drake closed with a playful metaphor, encouraging her to break down criticism instead of wearing it all at once. “You tick that immediate reaction and you wear it, you know, you wear it like a romper. And sometimes you need to separate the shorts from the vest, babe.”
This is all wild on its face, but we’re not saying we disagree with his assessment. Anyway, we’re excited to see Iceman!