Thank him later: 10 ways Drake changed the game

Drake is one of this generation’s most prolific and versatile artists - selling millions along the way - and as his debut album 'Thank Me Later' turns 10, there is no better time to look at 10 ways he has changed the game.

While he released a bag of mixtapes prior - with 2009’s ‘So Far Gone’ faring pretty well on the Billboard 200 chart and garnering Grammy nominations - June 15 2010 marked the release of Canadian-American rapper-slash-kind-of-a-vocalist-slash-former-child-star-actor Drake‘s eagerly anticipated debut album, ‘Thank Me Later’.

To some it lived up to the hype, while to others not so much – but what was undeniable is that it heralded a new era in rap.

As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of ‘Thank Me Later’, here's how Champagne Papi has changed the game – both professionally and personally.

Warning: Contains very strong language and adult themes.

Drake has a genuine love, and respect, for the Black British music scene, and his co-signs helped push the grime and British hip-hop scenes to a wider international market.

“Drizzy has historically supported UK rap music for nearly a decade now,” says Voice of the Streets on 1Xtra, DJ Kenny Allstar. “Whether we look at his early co-signs to the likes of Sneakbo, John Wayne and Ard Adz in 2012, down to his current and well-documented relationships with the likes of Dave jumping on his ‘Wanna know’ track in 2016, [plus] featuring Skepta and Giggs on his ‘More Life’ album in 2017, Drake has done endless amount of bits for not only the established artists in our scene but also the up-and-comers.”

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The British cult-classic Top Boy returned in 2019. While originally a Channel 4 drama, its third season was picked up by Netflix, thanks to the input and influence of the rapper – who went on to be one of the show’s executive producers.

Speaking to ET Canada on what attracted him to the gritty drama, he noted the similarities he saw between growing up in Toronto and what the drama was conveying of life for some in London. "I really became attached to it, I became attached to the characters, the story really drew me in and I think there's so many parallels between Toronto and London - obviously we don't have the same accent - but we speak the same... it reminded me of guys that I know, so I felt super connected right away," he explained.

What started as a couple of Instagram posts of stills from the series, led to a meeting with the show's creator Ronan Bennett. That meeting would result in a pitch to Netflix (which Drake was personally a part of) and a critically-acclaimed, powerful third series that has reached a global audience, showcasing an aspect of London that is a far cry from the quaint 'cheeky chappy' city that Hollywood likes to perpetuate, and it doesn't end there as a fourth season is on the cards.

Drake’s music has always paid homage to the place where he grew up, and has often operated like a map to Drizzy’s past and the memories dotted around his home city - from his classic freestyle ‘5 AM In Toronto’ to the tons of references to “The 6” in his lyrics. ‘Energy’ from 2015’s ‘If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late’, for example, shouted out the Toronto suburb of Scarborough and particularly Kennedy Road; whereas ‘Worst Behavior’ from 2013’s ‘Nothing Was The Same’ took a trip down memory lane as Drake reminisced about when he would film Degrassi on Morningside Ave.

But Drake has also helped propel the Toronto music scene into the limelight too. His OVO Sound label is based in the Canadian city and its roster is full of acts hailing from Toronto and its surrounding areas, including PARTYNEXTDOOR, Majid Jordan, Roy Woods and dvsn. Upcoming Toronto rapper Swagger Rite recently said of Drake’s influence in the city: “I'm from this neighbourhood and here's the biggest artist in the universe shouting out your neighbourhood… Drake kind of taught us a big thing, to be comfortable in your own skin... [to] embrace where we're from."

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One of the key traits in Drake’s appeal has been that he doesn’t take himself too seriously - whether that’s making fun of himself in TV skits or turning himself into a meme in order to go viral online. He’s always had very Insta caption-friendly lyrics, lines that you want to quote and post on your socials, and his music videos have always inspired loads of Twitter memes along the way.

His 2018 hit ‘In My Feelings’, meanwhile, sparked a whole dance craze in the form of the 'Kiki Challenge', while his recent single ‘Toosie Slide’ was seen by some as his “TikTok song”. Drake has pretty much mastered how to market himself on every platform going.

Throughout his career, Drake has paid homage to the women - and in particular - the black women in the music industry; be it publicly declaring his love for Rihanna at the 2016 MTV VMAs, or enlisting BBC 1Xtra and Radio 1's Rap Show DJ Tiffany Calver to be his UK and European DJ for his 'Assassination Vacation' tour in 2019.

Tiffany, who herself is a trailblazer by becoming the first woman DJ to front a national rap show in the UK, spoke to NME on what she gained from working with the rapper. "I got so much sound advice from him, and he really pushed me to open my eyes more. I now see more potential in myself than maybe I did prior to the tour," she says.

As well as working with some of the industry's biggest stars and DJs such as Tiffany, when Drake released his 2018 single, 'Nice For What', the track sampled the incomparable Lauryn Hill's 1998 classic 'Ex-Factor', taken from 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' album. The video featured modern-day iconic black and brown female creatives such as Issa Rae and Tiffany Haddish, plus Britain's very own Letitia Wright and Jourdan Dunn to name a few. Not to mention, the video was directed by fellow Toronto talent, Karena Evans.

• Listen to Tiffany Calver's 'Evolution of Drake' special

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Drake’s acts of kindness went centre stage for his 2018 ‘God’s Plan’ video, in which he spent all $996,631.90 of the video’s budget on good gestures, handing out stacks of dollar bills to the people of Miami. One family received a brand new car, while a young student received a scholarship to the University of Miami. Not a bad way to enjoy a spending spree...

His philanthropy dates back to the very beginning. In 2010, after filming a video for ‘Find Your Love’ in Kingston, Jamaica, he donated $30,000 to help build the community of Cassava Piece. And in 2015, he helped kickstart a new recording studio in a Philadelphia school by donating $75,000.

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For every UK-based Stateside success, and vice versa, chances are Drake’s had at least some involvement. Would Dave’s career have kickstarted with such instant acclaim were it not for a huge 2016 remix of ‘Wanna Know’? Likewise, Future’s success in the UK owes at least something to his multiple collabs with Drake, from ‘Where Ya At’ to the pair’s ‘What A Time To Be Alive’ co-venture.

Similarly, Drake’s success in almost every corner of the globe has put a bigger spotlight on fellow Canadian talents (think Nav, dvsn, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Tory Lanez). The Weeknd has achieved similar feats this decade, but Drake is one of music’s biggest gatekeepers, and each of his releases introduces many listeners to one-of-a-kind stars (see: Jorja Smith’s appearance on 2017’s ‘Get It Together’, or the fast-rising California artist Giveon on recent song ‘Chicago Freestyle’). Drake is aware of his influence, and he uses it wisely.

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“I got enemies, got a lotta enemies,” Drake claimed on 2015 track ‘Energy’, in the middle of a decade part-defined by his high-profile beefs with other rappers. Most prominent of all: A 2018 feud with Pusha T, which got seriously personal. He’s also had scratches to itch with Chris Brown, Meek Mill, as well as rumoured fallouts with Kanye West and Sean 'Diddy' Combs.

Yet these beefs are rarely centre stage on Drake’s records, and he tries not to hold grudges. He never responded directly to Pusha T’s headline-making ‘The Story of Adidon’ track, for instance, instead telling LeBron James on his HBO show, “I didn’t want to further [Push’s] reputation” by keeping the beef going. He even confirmed that he did write a response track, but chose not to put it out. That’s a refreshing mentality to have – knowing when to hold back.

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Since the very beginning, Drake has never shied away from talking about his feelings in his music. Influenced heavily by Kanye West’s 2008 emotionally raw ‘808s & Heartbreak’ (Drake once called West “the most influential person as far as a musician that I'd ever had in my life”), Drizzy’s songs have touched upon everything from break-ups to self-doubt to family problems. The openness in his lyrics has helped inspire a whole new generation of so-called “emo rap”, paving the way for the likes of Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert and the late Juice WRLD.

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“I wasn’t hiding my kid from the world, I was hiding the world from my kid," states 'Emotionless', taken from Drake's 2018 album, 'Scorpion'.

Yep, that's how the 6ix God confirmed that - after many rumours and Pusha-T’s 'The Story of Adidon' diss track - he is indeed in the family way with the birth of his son, Adonis. While he is not alone in being a rapper and a father, he was very much keeping that aspect of his private life, well private.

Whether he was pushed to reveal his son, or he was planning to do it on his own time, going by his social media posts, he seems to be very much embracing his new title as 'dad' and seems to be missing his son and family while on lockdown as he disclosed in a personal but public display of affection to his son.