Y'all hear the new Drake song? On Friday he dropped "Nice For What," a New Orleans bounce-inspired track that's all about telling a woman she doesn't owe anyone shit. The Karena Evans-directed video features cameos from a stable of empowered women including Issa Rae, Tiffany Haddish, and, for some reason, Emma Roberts.
"Nice For What" comes on the heels of "God's Plan," the video for which shows Drake handing out large sums of cash to people and organizations who need it like he's Jesus or Blink-182, whichever you prefer. The real point here is that we should all batten down the hatches, because Drake is woke now, I guess.
Per his own admission, we are entering another Drake album cycle. This time around it seems his schtick will be being a good person. It makes sense. Every Drake era features a public persona that I assume is a variation on his actual personality. Take Care Drake was a heartbroken asshole, If You're Reading This You're Too Late Drake was a chest-pounding alpha with a sensitive side, and More Life Drake just got back from a London vacation.
That he would settle on Being A Nice Guy as his latest identity totally tracks. If Drake is anything, it is adept at understanding what people want at any given moment. He got the memo that it's 2018: we're supporting women and advocating for the distribution of wealth.
Here's a fun game: it's called How Woke Can Drake Go? You can start simple, dreaming up a new track that features a "Marvins Room"-esque voicemail where he genuinely apologizes for his bad behavior. If you wanna step it up, maybe consider how you would direct a video where the only requirement is that Drake has to go to a Democratic Socialists meeting. He probably looks good in red. The ultimate challenge, if you dare, is imagining a Drake album that not only tells women they can do what they want, but actively admonishes men for their bad behavior.
Maybe my dreams of Woke Drake are too far-flung. He's still supporting Baka Not Nice–a man who served time for assault and human trafficking charges, which you think would be an easy thing not to do. If Drake is seriously committed to his newfound respect for women other than his mother, he could drop Baka from OVO. He probably won't though.
This upcoming album will most likely consist of the bangers we know he's capable of and a song or two about being sad in the club. No matter how elastic his persona may be, at the end of the day he's still Drake. As any true fan knows, the man is a chameleon, performing whichever role he decides we want.
Thumbnail image via Michael Loccisano/Getty Images. Art by Aimee Bowen.
