Drake explains his Rugged Look

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Following the release of 2010's Thank Me Later, Drake began to grow his beard out. Over the months, Drake allowed the beard to continue to grow. Now, many have criticized Drake over his seemingly inability to shave. Because of his Jewish background, many have credited him growing a beard to religion.

Last month, Drake referred to himself as the "world's coolest Jew," but he was quickly discredited. Before this, Drake also said he may return to acting before the end of 2011. Much of what Drake says is disgarded until confirmed by his management team. However, his new beard and acting return may require a little more attention.

For months, Drake has been growing the beard out. The most recent video of him and the facial hair is Rick Ross' "Made Men video." It seems to be a little something behind the Toronto rapper's new facial hairstyle. Despite his back and forths about style and his hair, Drake may actually be working. Many rumors suggest Drake is growing the beard for a new film role.

When asked about the beard, Drake hinted at it being a part of an upcoming film role. However, he did not reveal what film, if any, the beard was being grown out for. Until this is confirmed, the guessing game will continue.

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Is Drake a legend after One Album?

There has been a lot of discussion about Drake over the past few years. People laughed when Jimmy from "Degrassi" decided he wanted to be a rapper. Around the same time, Lil Wayne was working with many different artists. Lil Wayne was featured on the first Drake mixtape. 50 Cent called Wayne a music whore after this.

50 Cent said Drake was not even a real rapper, instead he was an actor for a Canadian teenage soap opera. Drake knew about the diss from 50 Cent, but he chose not to respond. Instead, he gathered his thoughts and began working on his next release. Again, Drake teamed up with Lil Wayne.

The frustration and the help from Lil Wayne ended up making his second mixtape, So Far Gone. Because of the quality of the mixtape, some people mistook it for an album. It featured big-time collaborations and radio singles. "Best I Ever Had" and "Successful" both ended up having music videos.

Many people wanted Drake to rush and release an album before the end of 2009. This was something he could not do, even as badly as he loved his fans. Drake wanted to wait before putting out his debut album because he wanted it to be classic. He sat back and listened to Nas, much of Thank Me Later was inspired by Nas' debut album, Illmatic. Only one day after the release of Thank Me Later, it was hailed as an instant classic by Hip Hop Vibe. The album has been met with positive reivews and he has earned comparisons to the legends in the game.

Looking back at Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, AZ, and Raekwon, those rappers were legends after the release of their debut album. In the time since their debuts, there have not been too many rappers to release classic debut albums. At the time of its release, 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' was considered a classic, but it has not aged well over time. This is because of the hardcore focus of the album and his revenge against those who wronged him. Drake, on the other hand, is simply declaring his arrival to the game and assuming his position.

Thank Me Later has already gone down in the books as a classic album and Drake is being referred to as legendary. Of course, his performance on the album is legendary. But, after recording one album and it being well-received, is Drake a legend?

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Drake may become the next King of R&B

When he released his first mixtape, many people laughed at Drake because he starred on the teen soap opera, "Degrassi." Little did the people know. Even with all of the laughs aimed at his direction, Drake continued to make music. Throughout the year of 2008, Drake recorded his So Far Gone mixtape and released it early in 2009.

Until the release of this mixtape, many people wrote Drake off as a pop rapper. From 2007 until the So Far Gone release, most of Drake's audience was female. But, after the release of this mixtape, which many thought was an album, Drake solidified his position as one of the best rappers. Also, the mixtape revealed he could sing, too.

Last year, Drake dominated with So Far Gone, but this year he wants to win awards. In a few days, he plans to release his debut album, Thank Me Later. The album was led by his hit single, "Over," in which he continued to show how good he was on a lyrical level. However, on his next single, he flipped the script. On most of his songs, he sings the hooks, but no one actually thought he could hold his own with an entire song. Again with the critics, Drake proved the people wrong.

The second single off of Thank Me Later is the rising hit, "Find Your Love." The song has won male and female fans, alike and it is rising the charts. Most importantly, to Drake, the song has proven to the world he is a great singer. Easily if he grows tired of rapping, he could hold a career as an R&B singer. Since the release of his second mixtape, Drake has had a working relationship with Trey Songz. But, on most of their collaborations, Drake ends up out-singing Songz. On his latest song, he holds it down over a Kanye West beat. Drake said the song was inspired by West's own R&B experiment, 808s & Heartbreak.

However, most fans say the difference between Drake and Kanye West is the fact Drake can actually sing, while West does okay. Drake will release Thank Me Later on June 15, 2010 on Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Records.

Drake - "Find Your Love" official video:

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Aaliyah returns... for Drake's album

With his album due in less than a month, Drake is putting the finishing touches on Thank Me Later. Growing up, like many others, Drake was a fan of Aaliyah. Long before the days of Ashanti, Beyonce, Keri Hilson, and Ciara, Aaliyah was the focal point of female R&B. Being married to R. Kelly set everything off.

In August of 2001, Drake watched in shock, along with the rest of the hip hop community as Aaliyah died. She had been on an island south of the United States filming the video for "Rock the Boat." In her return, she was warned about the extra luggage on the plane. There was the possibility of the plane crashing.

Because the possibility was so slight, Aaliyah did not worry and she and her team flew back. But, before they could get off of the ground good, the plane crashed. Every person on the plane, with the exception of one person, died. The promising and rising career of Aaliyah was over with one decision.

Out of all of the music stars who have passed and gone on, Aaliyah is the one who receives the least amount of airplay. When she was dead, her family made the decision to allow her to rest in peace. They went ahead and finished the promotion of her album, as planned, though. But, once her music faded away, so did Aaliyah. There have been many other artists who have never died because they still release albums. While they will always be respected, the legacies of these overused artists are being tarnished, in a way. But, things are different with Aaliyah.

No one has heard her voice on anything new since the release of "More Than a Woman," not too much music has come from Aaliyah. Drake is actually the first rapper to ever feature her on new music. Her voice was sampled for his latest single, "Unforgettable," featuring Young Jeezy. Among the many people who have inspired Drake is Aaliyah. He feels featuring her on his track would be a great way to honor her memory and he has the approval of her family.

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