Drake made waves in the music community VERY recently with the release of his collaborative album, Her Loss, on November 4th, 2022. Her Loss has 16 tracks and features multiple big shots in the rap industry, like 21 Savage and Travis Scott. The feedback on the album is mixed, with some loving every song and others saying the lyrics are predictable and the actual music is “mid” or middle-ranged. Some have even mocked Drake’s tone throughout the verses, saying he came off too feminine and the album has a “zesty” vibe. “Privileged Rappers” is the 5th track on the album and focuses on a common theme throughout Drake’s musical works, dealing with an influx of fame, wealth, and women.

 

“Too much respect, all of my shawty BDs, they know not to try it

Too much respect, I used to hand out CDs before they would buy it

Woah, she love me so much, it seem like she biased

N—– don’t know how I live, but that’s ’cause they live at the Hyatt, ayy”

 

These specific lyrics focus on the fake praise Drake receives from his friends and romantic relationships, saying they’re obviously biased due to the benefits they get from being close to him. He then discusses the wealth difference between his posse and other members of the rap community he may interact with, as they’ve expressed shock at his luxurious lifestyle.

“Yeah, let’s have sex in the bank, tell ’em to open the safe

I hate a privileged rapper who don’t even know what it take

The diamonds, they hit like a rainbow, that’s ’cause the necklace a Frank (Purr)

Woah, woah, woah

Yeah, let’s have sex in the 9 (Let’s do it)

Breakin’ and bendin’ her spine (Let’s do it, let’s do it)

I hate a privileged rapper that ain’t had a hit since he signed (Let’s do it)”

As previously discussed, the central theme of “Privileged Rappers” is the taboo lifestyle many rap artists live – full of sex, greed, and shameless displays of opulence and arrogance. However, in these specific verses, Drake takes a somewhat surprising viewpoint, saying he “hates” the attitude some privileged rappers uphold. When reading back at these lyrics and comparing them to the entire song, I believe Drake is not displaying these emotions out of envy or malice but because he’s annoyed at the level of work younger rappers have put into their success compared to the sacrifices Drake’s made throughout his career. He also takes issue with the level of consistency some of these “privileged rappers” display, saying some haven’t put out a successful song or album since they signed to a major record label.

“Look at me dead in my eyes, you see all the times that I had to go slide (21)

Too many sticks, we go to war with whoever, ain’t never been biased (P—-)

Too many sticks, how was they your opps and none of ’em died? (P—-)

Hol’ up (21), hol’ up (21), hol’ up (21)

Why you pull up at one in the morning and sit on the edge of the bed? (For what?)

Textin’ emojis, tongue out, eggplant, must’ve went over her head (21)”

One of the last verses of “Privileged Rappers” discusses the level of competition within the music industry, specifically the rap genre. Drake mentions the “oops,” a popular slang term for enemies or competition that comes from the word “opposition.” This phrase is trendy in Drake’s songs and has become synonymous with his lyrics and musical style. Despite not being one of the more infamous rappers with alleged gang connections, Drake has made references throughout his career to his ties to the street. Unlike other rappers like Young M.A or Blueface, who regularly rap about their involvement in gang activities and loyalty to their communities, Drake has never confirmed any membership to any organized group. Due to this back-and-forth debate over the reality of Drake’s lyrics about gang life, I will refrain from making any significant assumptions about the severity of these lyrics. Many rappers in the industry, whether involved in any legitimate illegal activity or not, use words like “opps” and talk about violence to express every man for himself environment in the music industry.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading my Drake blog as much as I’ve had fun writing it. I’m so happy that the release of Her Loss came at this specific time, it seems like the perfect way to end this blog is to cover such a recent song!! Thanks for reading and leaving comments, see you guys soon!!