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Assuming niceness: private and public relationships in Drake's Nothing Was the Same

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 December 2014

Kris Singh  and
Dale Tracy
Kris Singh
Affiliation:
Department of English, Queen's University Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Dale Tracy
Affiliation:
Department of English, Queen's University Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
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Abstract

As an artist understood to be foregrounding in hip hop topics such as the emotional experience of private relationships, Drake has the opportunity to shape the conceptions of masculinity that are especially hardened in the context of male rappers. Recognised for his niceness in terms of rap skill and personal decentness, Drake has established himself as a genuine person making intimate connections with his fans. However, this image depends on his disregard, in his interviews and his albums, for the effects of the commercialised hip hop genre on his music and his message. Although he presents himself as a model for his generation, this discounting of context limits Drake's possibilities as a public figure.

Type
Articles
Information
Popular Music , Volume 34 , Issue 1 , January 2015 , pp. 94 - 112
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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