Started from the bottom now we here. 0-100 real quick. Yolo. Drake is a shining example of the business-minded musician. In the span of 6 years he’s gone from an unsigned, overly emotional, joke of a rapper to one of the biggest acts in the international hip-hop community and a major influence on American pop culture. Here are 4 lessons to take away from Drake’s explosive rise to the top:
1) Confidence is key – Anyone who spends time on MTV or Twitter has seen it. For the past couple years people have been absolutely roasting Drake all over social media for his emotional lyrics. Have you ever seen him complain? I haven’t. Drake has demonstrated the importance of “fake it ‘til you make it.” Playing off criticisms with humor, or embracing them are great ways to demonstrate confidence and improve a brand.
2) Be a people person – Drake’s benefited greatly throughout his career from his ability to network and make allies. It started with his partnership with Lil Wayne and Young Money Entertainment where he got his first deal. Since then he’s greatly benefitted both his catalogue and his network by joining the likes of Kendrick, J. Cole, Jay-Z, Nas and many others for guest appearances.
3) Make calculated risks – Anyone who witnessed the Drake v. Meek Mill social media feud knows who won that battle. Drake destroyed Meek Mill with diss tracks and in-concert memes making fun of Mill. The lesson here is to do your homework and make moves confidently. Drake picked a battle with a lesser rapper and emerged stronger. If he had engaged a heavyweight like Kendrick Lamar things likely wouldn’t have gone so well.
4) Be diverse – Drake writes about everything. Love, loss, sex, sports, girls, money, life, clubs, you name it. On some songs he’s comes of as weak, love-torn artist, while others feature him as hard-nosed gangster. By expanding his image this way Drake has made his brand universally relatable to people in all walks of life.
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