the first drake (was not who you think it was)

[@lilbilliam]

addendum: so as some of y'all pointed out, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx is probably the first mafioso album. I will hold that L and say that J popularized/glamorized it whatevwr way you wanna put it Edit: I also kinda effed up the 50/Ja section. Technically 50 didn't run with Preme, he ran with a 🥷🏾 named Black Justice (5% names man what can you say) TL;DR Just was one of Preme's top dogs and so that's where the connection comes. 50 didn't actually meet Preme until after he got locked up (which would kinda explain why I he was mad about Ghetto Koran tbh) I know neither of those errors actually take away from the overall narrative of the video, but still I hate that I didn't double back and confirm what I thought I already knew. it is what us tho

[@firestone2178]

If you were forced to pick between Eminem or Drake leading Rap, who would you pick.

[@IknowMoreThanYou]

Nas popularized mafioso rap with it was written and the firm; Nas was the FAR MORE popular rapper at the time.

[@kpaso6419]

@@IknowMoreThanYou Yep IWW basically was the first mainstream mafioso album that breaks through. OB4CL and Kool G Raps first 3-4 albums laid the groundwork for mafioso.

[@AngeBiampandou]

​@@IknowMoreThanYou No he didn't. Kool G Rap is the father of Mafioso rap and Raekwon popularized it not Jay-Z or Nas

[@brianlarkins4250]

Jay didn’t make mafioso rap popular Reasonable doubt flopped was not popping back in 96. Nas made it popular Raekwon Ghostface rebirth it. You have to remember AZ do or Die only built for Cuban linx infamous all came out 95 Nas was on all 3 of them classics. Then Nas it was written is what took mafia music mainstream. Reasonable doubt was Jay z best Nas and Az impression remember Jay first single Nas voice. The firm. Jay gets credit for what Nas did. Also Nas has more longevity than Jay z and way better catalog and more consistent. Vol 2 is a Ruff Ryders compilation Vol 3 is trash age like milk Dynasty another compilation Blueprint 2 hella filler has age like dodoo. Kingdom blueprint 3 lmao trash magnum Carter super garbage. I agree with everything you said about jayz and glad someone finally said what I been saying Jayz was Drake before Drake

[@tyworley]

F.D. bout to drop in 10mins “meet the bills”

[@fnmiln8558]

This seriously made me cackle too hard at my work desk. 😅😂🤣

[@oso1165]

LMFAOOOOO cryinggg

[@moonlitegamer]

😂😂😂😂

[@potatoman7475]

😂😂😂

[@guyincognegro99]

I'm here for it 😂😂😂

[@ayayagreyeye]

Lil Bill and F.D. Signifier are like the Jay Z and Nas of cornbreadtube.

[@larrelllewis9407]

FACTS they are the Uncs of Black KZbin 😆

[@DigitalRag3X]

I feel bad for whoever is Jay Z 😭

[@rose.sinclair]

Cornbreadtube is insane 😂

[@kmarcol1]

RIGHT Because wtf is cornbreadTubeb😂​@@rose.sinclair

[@briscoedaking.]

Lil Bill = Magneto FD = Professor X

[@champadin1755]

The famous former teacher we once knew is looking paranoid, now spiraling...

[@SG-cv4pf]

FD and uncle bill's next collab is gonna be a cookout brawl

[@moonlitegamer]

An unc off if you will 😂

[@ocher8931]

😂😂

[@manhattanprojekt1275]

Spades or dominoes?

[@SG-cv4pf]

@@manhattanprojekt1275 Dominoes. Spades is boring as hell.

[@TheatricsOfTheAbsurd]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@WynnofThule]

Editor had fun with this one

[@dclassthaumiel]

FD and Ice Spice stay catchin strays💀

[@preciousbeing97]

😂😂😂

[@ericaj4494]

I feel he got a personal grude against this girl 😅

[@brandencalloway5499]

FD upped the score w that Kendrick Drake video/movie/documentary

[@CasualFox12495]

One day, FD & Lil Bill will finally be able to admit they're actually in love with one another but they're both tops.

[@jcmurie]

Hear me out: FD is a gentle top Bill is a power bottom

[@CasualFox12495]

​@@jcmurieThe war is over!!!

[@artpatron719]

Da faq.

[@liathompson2332]

😂😂😂

[@YetiCoolBrother]

Ayo?

[@othelliusmaximus]

Bill is up 1. Drop another Tyler Perry video and you'll be up 2.

[@Fooacta]

In six years, when FD finally drops the Tyler Perry vid, he's gonna be morally and legally obligated to pin whatever wild shit comes out your mouth. I cannot wait

[@othelliusmaximus]

@@Fooacta I regret nothing

[@Fooacta]

@@othelliusmaximus And we thank you for your service

[@CasualFox12495]

I'm still praying for the Trinity Fatu vs Mercedes Monet debate

[@chinortega3]

​@@CasualFox12495 interesting... Lol

[@ayoadeyemi1147]

FD don’t do it

[@lhump]

What’s going on with that?

[@NamelessInternaut]

Meet the Bills

[@jaimesanchez6390]

😭😭😭

[@lqayyim]

@@lhumpI’m seriously trying to find out too but this shit is too funny whatever it is 😭😭😭

[@TheMovies102]

​@lqayyim there's nothing to it it's really just a joke between the two fan bases because they cover similar topics and often beat each other to the punch when it comes to covering certain topics and the other one gets irritated lol so they throw a little light Jabs at each other... they are friends behind the scenes so it's just a little fun banter between them and their fan bases... we love both of them❤

[@lif3andthings763]

808’s and heartbreak wasn’t just about a breakup it was also about the guilt and sorrow he experienced from his mothers passing.

[@germyz]

What people don't realize is that heartbreak can be way more then a break up

[@deeel6926]

yeah that part blew me away... couldnt really take the rest of his shit seriously after he characterized 808s as "bitchassness" lol

[@BraMoore]

​​@@deeel6926Lost me comparing ja rule to young thug wtf??

[@lostintheark5728]

So basically Drake was "what if" this album was a person....interesting

[@GesturePasture]

@@deeel6926 Yeah that was a crazy backwards take. Also acting as if Kanye didn't drop Yeezus with black skinhead, new slaves, and Blood on the leaves after 808s and MBDTF? And he had a whole interview about "I am a god" only being controversial cuz of his blackness. I agree that a lot of artist's (Drake especially) couldn't exist without Kanye and 808s but the analysis was pretty shallow and kinda regressive there

[@NomadBulldog]

Never liked Drake even before the allegations because he seemed to carry an attitude that said “I’m just a nice guy surrounded by big bad mean people.” Basically my first encounter with the fake soft-boy type of dude. Edit- can a guy be a “pick me” for women? If so, maybe that’s Drake, or at least the image he attempts to put on. Edit edit: he’s if nothing else a “Nice Guy” in the worst way that can be read

[@thuglifeinc4894]

Drake's music isn't outright terrible but it doesn't move me. Never felt honest. Even Wayne told 'em to be himself early on and he went on to do the opposite.

[@NomadBulldog]

@@thuglifeinc4894 that’s pop music. Not bad, but not great.

[@PheLaReux]

He's definitely NOT a pick- me for women, comes off more as incel/red pill 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@NomadBulldog]

@@PheLaReux he’s not, he’s clearly a creep, but the persona he puts on feels like thats what he’s going for but missed.

[@allbricc4dathicc]

Haven't seen the vid but he been villina ice

[@cookingwithsilence]

Will Smith being from West Philly does not surprise me at all. Did you see him beat the shit outta those robots?

[@towelociraptor]

Yo this has too many levels lmao Will Smith beat up robots in i Robot before hitchbot got wrecked in Philly (which it deserved), then he played the title character in Hitch. How deep does it all go...

[@cookingwithsilence]

@@towelociraptor That, Detective, is the right question. Program terminated.

[@aandwdabest]

“In west Philadelphia born and raised” I went to Philadelphia just a few days ago, and it’s a very nice city.

[@cookingwithsilence]

@@aandwdabest Philly fuckin rules.

[@Tusskie]

Philly is lit

[@MrTombombodil]

This channel is evolving into hardcore History: hip Hop Edition and I'm so here for it.

[@brianbadonde9251]

Its giving serving sis periodt

[@sophibeans]

The cross promotion between you and FD is really working. Just subscribed to your page from his 😂

[@mbalenhlebuthelezi3198]

Me too😂😂

[@lnrdo]

Ended up here subscribing to bill because the algorithm started recommending these vids after I watched a few of FD's...so the opposite is working too 😂

[@6dragondaddy913]

I cross subbed over a year ago. I'm officially the white guy who was into it before it was big. 😂jk

[@hsdurfee]

Hip hop definitely has a before and after Drake era divide. I hated that jiggy rap era, but at least those dudes could rap and made you feel confident. And as bad as it was for promoting materialism, it wasn’t as annoying because you knew most of these dudes were in the struggle before making it.

[@imthewholetrilogy1501]

How did we know that? Because they said they was? There was many people faking the funk back in the 90s just like nowadays

[@thuglifeinc4894]

Atleast they made you feel something. For better or for worse, I'd pick UGK or Mobb Deep over most

[@Zack-vi7is]

They also wrote their own raps and had their own style. Now it's the same materialistic content but without any of the authenticity and far more homogenization sonically. Drake made it ok to bite styles and use writers. More and more of rap is becoming less about individual talent and more about marketability.

[@chalkywhite2598]

Yeah that is bullshit

[@hsdurfee]

@@chalkywhite2598 there’s entirely different levels to late 90s/early 2000s industry fuckery to the state of popular rap now. All you have to do is think about the type of people listening to rap at different times. The white nerd hip hop heads were not the same as the weirdo suburban kids who didn’t like rap before Drake came along. He was like Bizarrro world Eminem. Relatable to the struggle-free kids, without the polarizing lyrics, and he’s racially ambiguous enough to make them feel cool.

[@matthemming9105]

This Beef is hilarious. My compliments/condolences to the Editor trapped in the middle 😂

[@goeienacht]

Editor was so taken aback by the stray that they messed up the custom title card 😭 5:56

[@patio_daddio_69]

This is not a one to one comparison but as a puerto rican woman I feel similarly about J-Lo. She for the most part doesn't claim us until it's time to get claps for wearing a flag on stage. Also the ashante thing, I knew she couldn't sing why embarrass us like that bro 😭 we got la lupe and marc anthony but now when people hear about Puerto rican preformers they're gonna think of the lady who can't sing for shit. Obviously with drake this is deeper, but considering the colonial history behind puerto rico I kinda get where the anger comes from. Or like in dork english class terms: this is my text to self connection (do kids still learn that in school?)

[@TheOnlyTaps]

"Its all coming together like butt cheeks in the strip club" 😭💀

[@showdaKOs]

The only thing I'll remember from this whole video

[@QuentinJenkins]

Shout out to Eddie griffin from the Dave Chappelle world series of dice episode

[@mbalenhlebuthelezi3198]

And didn't even take it back or say sorry after he said it😂😂🤣🤣

[@manny8042]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@pandemoniousivy4651]

"big willie is big in west philly" was the one that got me

[@Anthonystark63]

The fact that ja rule was looked at as more authentic than Luda and nelly was so crazy because if you saw where they were from you'd know better

[@duhduhduhdiesel1436]

Snd belly? Is that YNW Melly evil lost twin?

[@Fooacta]

@@duhduhduhdiesel1436 It is now

[@Anthonystark63]

@duhduhduhdiesel1436 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣my bad, I'm in a losing battle with autocorrect and my keyboard

[@thomasj674]

Nelly had us singing about street sweeping a block and had no idea 🤣

[@Lexx1192]

@@thomasj674💯 I was JUST talking about this! Me thinking he’s just rapping about driving and smoking 🤣🤣🤣

[@BlaqBeanz]

Bill: LL was as squeaky clean as it got Me: watches LL lift his shirt and thrust his hips like a jack hammer🥲

[@matthewroberts6833]

Hence the "as it got".

[@BlaqBeanz]

@@matthewroberts6833 Will Smith has left the chat.

[@matthewroberts6833]

@BlaqBeanz Fair point. . . but I remember Will's last album AND Boom, Shake the Room. The thing with Will is that he couldn't be more of a rapper than what he was. LL could. . . he just didn't want to.

[@BlaqBeanz]

@@matthewroberts6833 facts that's true

[@Marcustrh]

FD & B beefing was not on bingo card for 2024😢 y’all both do great work 🔥

[@Jerricobeats]

What happened lol

[@TheMovies102]

​@@Jerricobeatsnothing it's a joke him and FD are actually friends behind the scenes and they share an editor... it started out because they both cover a similar topics and they often beat each other to the punch on topics that they want to cover so they throw a little shade at each other lol... so it's kind of like an inside joke between both sets of fan bases to catch the little sneak disses in each of their videos because it's all in good fun and Out of Love...❤

[@JohnMiller-mmuldoor]

20:13 As a white boy who, as a teenager, appreciated the more “authentic” street rap of the golden era (I was essentially a Queensbridge/Shaolin Stan), the thing that stood out to me when “Hard-Knock life” came out was that a whole bunch of younger white teenyboppers that wouldn’t give Capone-N-Noreaga the time of day all of a sudden loved rap music… as long as it was Jay-Z. He didn’t rap in that mysterious street dialect with strange terms and turn of phrase that you could maybe understand only if you did your research back in the 90s- he spoke about street life, but in ordinary language that basically anyone could understand. Or, to phrase it in an aphorism: Dealers listened to “Hell on Earth,”customers listened to “Hard Knock Life.”

[@user-cg1vk5oc3t]

Editor needs a raise, every exaggerated swagger has me in tears

[@azuredivina]

excellent research, takes, editing, thank you Bill! FD: DROP DROP DROP!

[@thesustenancecompany]

“Art is supposed to challenge as well as entertain” I wholeheartedly agree! Great Video 👏🏾👏🏾

[@ReshonBryant]

Bro didn't use the Spanish accent on the Basquiat pronunciation🤣

[@NotesNNotes]

Hated Drake since I was 16 and had to babysit my cousin while my aunt ran around and cheated on her husband and all she let me watch was the channel that played Degrassi reruns 😂 Edit: lol the editor Edit: oh wow I can’t wait to tell my mom JayZ is from her neighborhood 😅

[@ZEHAHAHA9697]

Lmao @This comment plus the edits 😂

[@tayc1312]

Jimmy getting got by Rick must’ve felt good 😭

[@ajewishchristianmuslim]

@@tayc1312because jimmy … is ACTUALLY A RICK

[@uprightaardvark]

WTF this gotta classify as horrendous levels of abuse. If you had said you were falsely imprisoned at Gitmo I'd believe it.

[@brendonwallace5941]

that just gave me some memories with the reruns

[@phonkp]

A lot of the Jay-Z hate comes from the fact that roc-a-fella defined a style of New York rap that waned in popularity in the streets the farther you moved away from Brooklyn and the more popular he became in the mainstream. Also, y'all need to stop playing with Kid n' Play's names. They've done more for the hip-hop culture than most rappers.

[@jenesishunter9674]

Absolutely 😊

[@KAR1492]

FD's community post just turned me on to you, glad to be here :).

[@510SPINESPLITTA]

Thank you for these video essays, Lil Bill.

[@aeschafer1]

This is only my second Lil bill video, but Get Rich or Die Trying being the record Nas failed to make in between Illmatic and Stillmatic just blew my mind. Subscribed. I had never thought of it that way. (Probably because 50's music has never hit for me. )

[@jcmurie]

Wow! I'm blown away by this and I'm definitely gonna have to watch (listen mostly, let's "keep it a buck") again to get all of it, but I just want to share a particular perspective as a white hip hop fan. I grew up in a conservative evangelical Christian household, where pretty much everything about mainstream hip hop (language, sex, drugs, violence, etc.) was absolutely off limits. I also had zero exposure to black culture because I was homeschooled in a small town in TN where I knew 1 black family who didn’t even have kids my age. Because of that, I was entirely unaware of black culture and black struggle. I knew about racism and slavery and we watched MLK Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream' speech every year, but I had no idea what the real world was like, especially for black people. I had no context for what hip hop was as a black art form. All I knew was the corny Christian rap I heard at youth group, and Hamilton. So when I grew up and moved away, I started to hear more music and develop my own taste, but I never got into hip hop cause I thought it just "wasn't my thing." I liked Hamilton cause I was a theater kid, but I didn't view that as hip hop. However, especially after Black Panther came out, I started hearing more and more about Kendrick Lamar and how great he was, that he won a Pulitzer prize, and that To Pimp A Butterfly was one of the greatest albums of all time. So I knew I needed to check him out eventually, but I was intimidated. Not only because it was a whole genre that I had no real knowledge of, but it was rooted in a culture that I had no real knowledge of either. So for years I put it off, until 2022, when Kendrick announced Mr. Morale and the whole internet lost their collective shit. I decided I would finally check out this Kendrick guy when his new album dropped. So, on May 13th, 2022, I listened to Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, and I was blown away! I didn't have all of the context I do now, but I knew it was special. I felt Kendrick speaking to me and challenging me, as a person who should go to therapy, and as a white person who should really look inward at my inherent biases. I listened to everything Kendrick released, and then I continued to listen to everything I could possibly get my hands on, hip-hop-wise. I started reading more and seeking out perspectives that were different from mine and trying to understand as much as I possibly could. It's only been 2 years, and I still have a lot to learn, but my point in saying all of this is that Kendrick's honesty, humility, and empathy are what opened my eyes to an experience that I only ever had the chance to see through art. I understand my place as a white person in America, and I know that my opinion here is not the most important, but I do believe that hip hop and black art are extremely important for white people like me to see what society tries to hide from us, or worse, actively demonize, like it was for most of my life. I'm sorry for going on a whole thing making this about myself. I know I'm not the main character, I just wanted to share my experience and let you know that I'm here on the sidelines supporting you and using my privilege to the best of my ability to educate my white family and protect my biracial wife. I hope this doesn't come across as lame or corny or patronizing, but I told you where I came from, so I hope you can understand that I'm being 100% sincere. Thanks for all your hard work Billiam, can't wait for the next video!

[@jenesishunter9674]

That was super Beautiful! I’m Proud of Ya King 👑 😊

[@TheRedTailF22]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@jcmurie]

@jenesishunter9674 I'm glad somebody appreciates it. I was worried it was too self indulgent, but I just wanted to show that not all white lovers of black art see it as "poverty porn" but as an important (if not the most important) part of American culture

[@ConversationswithCyle]

​@@jcmurieI grew up as a black Christian and I felt disconnected from American black culture so I am happy for channels like FD significance and lil bill.

[@shaggythewriter8185]

Lil Bill was grown in Y2K, in highschool in 2009, and also in highschool in the grunge rock era???? Are you 30 or 50 man?

[@breezus3928]

"I am 30 or 40 years old and I do not need this" head ass 😂

[@OfJournalandJourney]

We won’t get an actual answer 😂

[@geminate3997]

LL Cool J should be shown a lot more respect.

[@dranek]

I’m a 30 something middle class Asian/white dude who only started to get into rap about 10 years ago and I’m surprised that I basically have the same view of Ja Rule, Jay Z, Eminem, 50, Drake, and Kanye that you do. I guess that goes to show that realness/respect can’t be faked. People who have lived completely different experiences still pick up on what you’re putting out.

[@kelandj22]

You have this all wrong, the first Mafioso rapper was Kool G Rap, he was doing the cross references to drug lords & rapping about luxurious lifestyles in the late 80s, Raekwon brought those raps back in Wu-Tang, most prevalent on “Can It All Be So Simple” which then carried on to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. AZ actually dropped the next mafioso rap album with Doe or Die & this is where Jay, Nas & Big changed their styles to be more mafioso because before this Jay was a more Das EFX, fast rapper type, Nas was like a street poet & Big was rapping like a grimy Brooklyn cat. Also you can’t leave out Pac’s influence on Bad Boy, the President of Bad Boy Kirk Burrowes & Diddy’s right hand man during that time is literally on record saying that Diddy used Pac’s style to influence Bad Boy. Big never wrote for Mase either, like NEVER. The truth is Mo Money Mo Problems was actually a record Mase wanted & he created the concept for it, wrote his verse & Puff/Diddy’s verse. Mase was even supposed to ghost write for Lil Cease but had Cam’ron do it so he can make some legal money & that’s where Big & Un met Cam & signed him to Undeas after he wrote the verses on Crush On You for Cease & the song became a hit. Big ain’t write for The Lox either.

[@kalvisjatnieks7740]

damn i never knew he wrote cease verse on crush on you. good ass comment!

[@deonlepharaoh]

I was gonna complain about that one detail but I'm glad you did...and went even further than I would have

[@kelandj22]

@@deonlepharaoh Yeah this is vital information that has to be corrected. Also Reasonable Doubt didn’t sell like that & Jay’s albums weren’t considered Classic back then, his first album to be label a classic in real time was The Blueprint, Reasonable Doubt got labeled a classic later on & then the Black Album. But Vol 1 was considered trash, Vol 2 made him a superstar but it wasn’t considered a classic, Vol 3 confirmed he was a superstar & Dynasty stamped him. Blueprint put him in the GOAT convo.

[@JawnLouis]

Once people decide they don’t like someone any negative stories become true. Jay,Dame Dash and Karem Biggs all had legit ties to the streets and started Rocafella with street money trying to leave that life after record labels said 26 Jay at the time was to old to break a new rapper Biggie and Jay also planned on making an album together once they both had enough time. I forget the full story but Biggie was supposed to shot the Brooklyns finest video but Puff stopped it for some reason over industry 💩 The whole Jayz and Biggie was never close and Jay stole his style is only something that started being said because he beefed with Nas and Camron

[@Lexx1192]

@@JawnLouis💯 The Commission!

[@yfaudio.bsky.social]

Beef got the editor out here like J cole🤣🤣🤣

[@ImAllisonWonderland]

Oh, y'all just figuring out Kanye created Drake? Welcome 👋🏽👋🏽

[@lilbilliam]

I didn't want to admit it 😭

[@artpatron719]

@@lilbilliamdrake naturally did what wanye & ye wanted to do. Hold a note with limited auto tune… no mention of the cold crush brother but skipping to LL. No scholly d, steady b or hill top! Philly yo. this whole vid is some Yung 🥷 shit.

[@riqotarentino]

@@artpatron719😂💯

[@bLAZay00]

I'm at work and I'm trying to watch the whole thing before it gets taken down

[@travismathis3279]

Same! Lol

[@youmaboi5279]

Your videos are criminally underrated.

[@larryknicks]

For some reason I heard Jayfabe instead of kayfabe and I can’t get it out of my head.

[@khulekanimagubane9153]

You're on the clock Fiq!!!

[@teemarie5949]

Puffy did not create the Big Poppa persona. He stole it. The original artist's name is Big Daddy and he's from Mississippi. I don't usually comment. But you will actually research this fact and an interesting video may come from it. Thanks!

[@rahbeeuh]

Never heard that before so I learnt sum'n new today

[@gogan]

I suppose you've never heard of Heavy D, huh? Wouldn't you know Biggie never liked the song Juicy & didn't perform it until some audience's out of town damn near forced him to perform it. So, Big stole a song, the lyrics are all his. Where is the rest of dude from Mississippi's catalog?

[@saturncrush]

Yes indeed

[@tones.melodies]

It’s crazy how connected “ether” and “meet the grahams” truly are.

[@amateuroverlord8007]

I can’t hear that Izzo drop, and not feel sad thinking about how talented of a producer Kanye really is/was.

[@VeridisJoe]

this video was amazing

[@jadenredd]

crazy ass monologue at the end billiam, had me snapping at my tv 🫰🏾🫰🏾🫰🏾

[@ReaperCet]

I'll say it again, Drake is a phoney, but he is NOT an imposter. He came to us with the word "phoney" stamped on his forehead. As we collectively went, "🤔🤔🤔..... Okay" And that's how we got here.

[@DonnyKanone]

Word.

[@sageofthesix9608]

Yall are such haters

[@forgotmyun]

The first Drake was that Eamonn guy, that guy that sang that whiny “I don’t want you back” song

[@rahbeeuh]

OMGSH 😭🤣 Blast from the past for sure. You right! Maybe he was the first Drake 🤔 only he's a one maybe two hit wonder?

[@gcopeland442]

I’m SO glad I’m not the only one who thinks this! I definitely was racking my brain thinking ‘Drake reminds me of somebody’… If that damned song isn’t everything Drake ever did, I don’t know what is 🤣

[@pinkmazohyst]

I HATED that fucking song, dear god 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[@LOGASTL]

Thanks for dropping this knowledge. I really enjoyed listening to your commentary.

[@Jiturra01]

The ghostwriting exception and normalization the community/industry gave him is what made me anti-BBL Drizzy

[@Jalenlane93]

Drake has written for people and people have written for him. Most songs have co writers.

[@AngeBiampandou]

​@@Jalenlane93Yeah bc of hooks and samples. Drake got referenced tracks where he took EVERYTHING word for word, bar for bar and borrowed the flows and cadences

[@Zack-vi7is]

​@@Jalenlane9320 years ago it was not acceptable to ever have anyone write your verses under any circumstance unless you were someone like Dre or Eazy E who offered something else of value. They always acknowledged it and it was always understood they could never claim to be the best rapper. If Drake was acknowledged as a pop artist rather than a rapper, if people didn't try to treat him as if he was one of the greatest rappers of all time, I don't think anyone would care that he has writers. But too many people refuse to disqualify him from the GOAT discussion despite clear proof he has writers. Objectively, he can't be the best rapper if he has writers. That shouldn't even be a debate. Yet he's always in the discussion.

[@jenesishunter9674]

@@Zack-vi7is Clock ⏰ That Tea 🍵 😊

[@chalkywhite2598]

How do you know he has a ghost writer?

[@mushymass9716]

That bit at the end was something I haven't heard in a while, but needed to hear. Appreciate you, man

[@conduitofthegospeldarrellb9154]

LL Cool J is the template for the solo rap superstar. The first to be what the ladies wanted, perceived a dope/hard by peers and fans alike PLUS had the charisma to sell any product or push a hit to the top. Without LL you don’t get Cube, Pac, DMX, Ja, 50, Drake… they all come from his roots. By the way, he’s the original GOAT and the man who coined the term.

[@KrashyKharma]

You're really gonna sit here and say Jay invented Mafioso rap when Only Built For Cuban Linx is sitting right there??? When Junior MAFIA is literally sitting right there?!?!?!?

[@lordjugga168]

Smh 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@geminate3997]

Isn’t that the same era though?

[@KrashyKharma]

@@geminate3997 Only Built For Cuban Linx and Junior Mafia's first album both predate Reasonable Doubt by a year, and Reasonable Doubt barely charted (none of its four singles were in the top 40, it didn't go platinum til 2002); Jay took longer for his career to take off, while Wu-Tang and Jr Mafia/BIG were already well established when these albums were released. Mafioso Rap was a movement started by Rae and Ghost and furthered by BIG Kim and Cease. Jay hopped on the trend quicker than most because of his proximity to BIG. He definitely did not *invent* it, he road the wave.

[@thuglifeinc4894]

​@@KrashyKharmaGhost and Rae being the kings of saying abstract shit in the flyest way.

[@KrashyKharma]

@@thuglifeinc4894 find me another mf that can make say a line like "ping-pong pussy" and have it sound hard as hell

[@floppies]

I miss Dmx, may his soul rip.

[@charlesbeerguy474]

Where does The Love Below fall in to the history of rappers rejecting rap and making non-rap albums? I know it's sacred ground but it definitely felt like a major step towards what happened with 808s.

[@paulvalenzuela7994]

Damn bro you articulated so many stances I have so much better than I could have ever! I really appreciate your knowledge and perspective on hip hop

[@vincentechavarria72]

Amazing video man. You gained a subscriber in me. Your narration and historical break down was top notch. Keep up the the great work 👍🏿

[@VoltBD]

I can't there's already so much beef this year Edit unless it’s for jjk fans they’re catching all the smoke

[@sonnyg960]

You were into hardcore and grunge back in the day?! That awesome man!

[@Winteramen]

"Custom Title" 😂😂😂

[@Winteramen]

Ngl, i did not know how much influence LL Cool J had on hip hop. I definitely knew him as an actor first

[@Winteramen]

Thank you for your last statement. Yes, we as consumer need to recognize that many of the problems (in terms of our relationship with media) is our own doing, and we need to recognize, accept and allow ourselves to take back the power to control what the media can do to us, what kind of media is out there, and that we need to do better to control the reality rather than letting reality control us

[@GreatGospel97]

As a Haitian hearing you say Basquiat as “bas kwee” hurt. Thank you for this lovely and sound analysis though!

[@VilcxjoVakero]

Declaring for the editor

[@jennyanthonia7553]

this was a great video. I have nothing to add to this other than you voiced my issues with the music industry when it pertains to hip hop very well

[@JawnLouis]

20:00 I say this in the nicest way possible Jayz is only hated and over rated by think piece blacks/Gen Z who don’t know who AJ &Free are because it’s the popular thing to say It’s like how no one on the internet eats Arby’s but the company is one of the most valuable restaurants in America

[@TeagueChrystie]

Hey Jawn's here.

[@lukejones7164]

Lot of Jay-Z hate is really just Crab in a Bucket mentality from fake-smart black folks and anti-capitalist types to be honest. Nearly every HipHop legend past and present respects Jay-Z as one of the GOATs. Only 2Pac is more loved than him.

[@lukejones7164]

@@ayomideajimuda8234 There's far more people who put Jay-Z in their top 5 than they do with DMX. 2pac and Nas are the only rappers that get more nods than Jay-Z

[@lukejones7164]

@@ayomideajimuda8234 He gets just about as much props as Jay does not more.

[@lukejones7164]

@@ayomideajimuda8234 That's fair

[@glittersoop]

my friend….that intro was so effective, i was just listening, sorting thru my legos (just got some new sets), and while listening, i was genuinely wracking my brain to figure out how this data breach was related to drake lmao, so smooth

[@magoakshun]

You guys make me wish i paid more attention in school. Love it

[@6dragondaddy913]

FD drops from the top rope with a 3 hour plus vid. BAM!

[@PhilipVideos21]

Thank for the algorithm pointed me to this video! Extremely well written and put together

[@TheStruggleStreamShow]

Been telling folks this about Jay for a looooong time. Great video💯💯💯🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿

[@Lexx1192]

“Please don’t compare me to other rappers. Compare me to trappers. I’m more Frank Lucas than Ludacris. And Luda’s my dude, I ain’t tryna diss” ~ No Hook by Hov on the American Gangster album. He’s been telling us the whole time 😭

[@knivespines935]

CHILE MENTIONED 🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@bonnetboys_]

5:59 u gotta graphic error i peeped hate to see it had to let you know

[@Fooacta]

@@bonnetboys_ it's as much as Drake deserves

[@ZEHAHAHA9697]

​@@Fooacta you ain't lying

[@NolanJohnson423]

I thought it was a joke after the editor stuff

[@codeineskywalka5691]

This video was amazing bruh I mean you always make good content but this one was legit really good the closing thoughts made me want to destroy my tv phone and computer

[@WynnofThule]

You know, something I've realized is that 5% stuff was kinda the canary in the coal mine. Cause the NOI is openly, blatantly black in a way that, whether good or (I'd say) bad, the culture industry and capital does not like. You could list lots of legends from back then with ties: Rakim, Kane, Nas, LL Cool J, Wu-Tang, Busta, Jay-Z, you get it. But now there's uhh...Jay Electronica? That 5/95 bar in euphoria (edit: Meet The Grahams) is the first new reference to them I've heard in ages.

[@Zack-vi7is]

5/95 bar was in meet the grahams. But yeah other than Jay Electronica (whose entire identity seems to revolve around the NOI and antisemitism) no one really references them. Despite Kendrick referencing them I don't even think he believes in any of that. His views don't seem to align with the NOI, especially as it relates to LGBTQ+ acceptance and race relations.

[@WynnofThule]

@@Zack-vi7is I'm not a fan of them either. Black people then and now needed someone to tell them "you're the man" in one way or another, and NOI filled that niche. But plenty of other things could've probably done that a whole lot better, more inclusively and with greater room for nuance and diversity than them.

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

@@Zack-vi7is Yeah Kendrick is the man who made his first full length project's intro track "Fuck Your Ethnicity". I dunno how you can think his views align with NOI or any of their relatives.

[@WynnofThule]

@@KiraDaBeastNY Oh no, they definitely don't align at all. What I'm getting at is that you'd think they dropped off the face of the earth.

[@whym6438]

As a Jewish guy, going back and listening to rap from the 80s and 90s is kind of a minefield.

[@charlespeter5610]

LL Cool J’s album “Ten” was the e first album that was ever given to ME instead of something my parents happened to listen to that I also liked. Mad props on this

[@idkwhtmynameis1993]

I asked for that album for Christmas in like 5th grade and got it🎉

[@Xmao002]

I’m fascinated by this beef that started with the editor 😂😂😂

[@kokikodevereaux4932]

Jay has seemed to always maintain that he did rap to get money. He at least came from an element. Dame even says that they got money in the streets. Everyone will not know everything about you especially when you are doing illegal things.

[@shylandethomas7381]

Thank you for your commentary on Kendrick! I’ve been having this conversation in my head the last few weeks the more I keep seeing people say “Kendrick makes music for white people” no he does not! But they gravitate to him because he provides a good picture of the black experience they can digest coupled with the belief that he is a “real rapper/artist” I think many of them still view hip hop music as bafooney deep down, but Kendrick gives them rap music they can break down.

[@dia.6213]

@shylandethomas Maybe listening to music would be less complicated if it was segregated

[@Zack-vi7is]

It's because Kendrick is able to present his views without the antagonistic approach toward white people that many black artists tend to use. Not to say I have that much of a problem with black artists referring to white people as "white devils" or "crackers" but naturally there's going to be white people who hear that and think "this person hates me". Kendrick has less of that antagonistic wording in his raps so white people feel more comfortable listening to what he has to say. But yes, he also makes it digestible as well. While still painting a vivid picture of his stories.

[@shylandethomas7381]

@@Zack-vi7is ehhh not entirely true he calls out white people on TPAB, he calls out police brutality on GKMC, he says having sex with a white women felt like a fuck you for his ancestors on MMATBS (not worded exactly like that but you get the point).

[@ArienDH11]

@@shylandethomas7381but even though I’m white, who am I to be mad about that? He has a very real reason to do and feel the way he does.

[@shylandethomas7381]

@@ArienDH11 I don’t think you should be mad.

[@rapaholicz]

great video and channel

[@MetaniteHall]

Only Built 4 a Cuban Link is pretty much the grittier version of Mafioso Rap. Reasonable Doubt is definitely the Hollywood glamor of the Mafioso Rap It was written took the route. This shit almost like a cinematic universe lmaooo

[@ReshonBryant]

Well, it was the 90's alternative fusion version. Perhaps, with a more Island boy/West Indian twist. Some of the Wu got Caribbean heritage too.

[@sonderson6363]

I appreciate you for bringing up Mc hammer, I am from Oakland and growing up we used to always hear stories about mc hammer beating somebody ass😂😂 that man was handing out smoke to any and everybody.

[@lamimijae]

You just got yourself a new subscriber after that Berleezy reference at 19:01 😂 Was not expecting that lol

[@88bombshell1]

Man scholar, that was a masterful presentation. I'm going to have to watch this again.

[@Poorbby]

Found a new person to subscribe I love your content and approach!

[@MrPeterReyes]

This was excellent. Thank you.

[@ArexuRj]

As a white nonbinary central european person, who got intensly into rap and black culture through your and f.d., tee noire and other poc creators on youtube, its incredible how I learn so much about systems of opression, colonialism and culture commodification and human entoxication with the sedatives of status quo, that I can apply to my everyday life. I work as an arist, teacher and activist, your way of putting these ideas into words helps me immensly to spread the awareness of what is happeining all over the world, and as you said - new android every few months? we are a part of the problem, thank you for all your work ❤️

[@pomm100]

I’m so pressed for a new video I went back and re watched the old ones I can’t believe I missed this 💎

[@ka9202]

Nelly was actually born in Austin,TX while his dad was in the military

[@jenesishunter9674]

True 😊

[@cunni3tv]

First time watching you and man this video was a whole ride, loved it. Thank you.

[@Jigganaut2000]

“Marcy raised me, and whether right or wrong Streets gave me all I write in this song… Hootie babysitted, changed my diapers Gil introduced me to the game that changed my life up East Trenton grew me, had me skippin school Valencia's boyfriend Volvo had me making moves” Jay-z

[@hjr228]

People dont do the knowledge Bro. He tells everything in one or another in his rhymes.

[@Unagreeablenature]

Another good video Billiam. I enjoyed how you. Your Drake and Jay Z comparison was spot on.

[@TheRayvolution]

Let me get my shit off… Back in the day, Hip Hop was all about being real. If you weren’t "getting it how you’re living it," you were exposed and excommunicated (looking at you, female rapper Bo$$). Tupac reached the top because of his undeniable realness. Now, Hip Hop is 50 years old, but for the last 35 years, Black Americans have been groomed to accept less authentic, downright knock-offs in the culture. Stay with me. “A Chrysler 300 looks like a Phantom until a Phantom pulls up.” - Katt Williams Biggie rapped about sewing alligators on his shirts in school, and when asked to see the tag, he’d say, “See you later.” Authenticity was woven into the fabric of the culture until it started to soften in the late '80s and early '90s. Weaves were a joke until they became accepted. Knock-off fashion became more accessible and accepted because, I feel, the culture started to care more about the aesthetic than authenticity. Does it look good? Yeah, who cares? Enter music. The paradigm shift happened 23 years ago (to the day of my writing this) when Sean Combs announced, “Don’t worry if I write rhymes, I write checks.” P. Diddy shifted the narrative from art to commerce. It became all about the money. The conversation in every school cafeteria, ball court, and barbershop turned to, “But he got more money than him…” Do you see where I’m going? Enter a child born in Toronto, Canada (not exactly a Hip Hop hotbed), with zero buzz, who somehow manages to secure DJ Smalls, Trey Songz, and Lupe Fiasco. He releases a Hip Hop mixtape under his own banner, ‘All Things Fresh’ (later OVO. Let me cook: We should have known at All Things Fresh. Huh? The fuck. That shit lame as FUCK! We let that sawft baby shit label name skate!?). Where’s Kardinal Offishall? Where’s Choclair? Why cross the border to align yourself with American artists to break through? This is the genesis of Drake passing himself off as Black American and riding OUR wave into mainstream success. The audience loved the aesthetic and "vibe" of his non-threatening, lukewarm vocals and raps; they had been groomed for this moment for 30+ years. They didn’t question his authenticity; they signed up and consumed his offerings en masse. It looked good, sounded good, and he made all the money. The Nigga Trifecta. Drake rode Lupe’s wave of Kick Push out the gate. He rode Phonte’s flow, Ja Rule rose to superstardom singing hooks, rode Soulja Boy’s flow-line for line, bar for bar. He rode Weezy’s popularity and Future’s wave. What did Drake create? What wave did he generate? He isn’t organically producing; he’s been inauthentically swag surfin on the originators' waves to commercial success. (Interestingly, this is quietly why “purists” hate Jay-Z. He’s a capitalist more than an artist who rode waves.)

[@hrnekbezucha]

That final rant hit so good

[@bdodd101]

I love LL Cool J, but my favorite song is Around the way girl.

[@Lessinz]

I’ve watched many of your videos. Always great journalism, lots of knowledge being dropped and lastly, one of the best senses of humor on KZbin!!! So today I subscribed

[@Eniggma39]

Eminem loves the technicalities and the competitive nature of Hip-Hop too much to focus on being a Popstar.

[@STARK0181]

Facts. Say what you want about Em, but the man has never dumbed down or comprised his style for mass appeal. Dude only cares about proving his one of the best MCs, even now .

[@Zack-vi7is]

​@@STARK0181he has tho. I mean not his lyricism but musically he's compromised his entire sound for mass appeal, that's why the quality of his work has taken a nosedive since TES. And he's gotten a lot of pop features over the years to help keep his name buzzing. The hits with Rihanna for example. Then he made Revival which was his most blatantly pop album (literally zero rap features, only pop features).

[@STARK0181]

@@Zack-vi7is But the man never compromised his rapping and MC style. There's nothing wrong with playing around with other genres. Monster and love the way you lie still have Em rapping his ass off. And after people gave him flack for revival he came back with Kamikaze and MTBMB his least sounding pop albums in years. Dude rapped along side Royce, Joyner, Black Thought, Joell Ortiz, Qtip, Kxng Crooked, Nas. He just released a new song with big Sean and baby Tron. Does this really sound like someone prioritising mass appeal over being a great MC?

[@jenesishunter9674]

@@STARK0181 It’s just Mainstay to Hate on Marshall Mathers because Gen Z SJW 🤭

[@jsmacks11]

I remember Walking with a Panther. This was one of my favorite LL Albums. He was pretty much at the top of his game. This was out a bit before Gangsta Rap put the industry in a chokehold. In the late 80s you had Hammer, Kid and Play, Fresh Prince so feel good Rap wasn't out of the ordinary. Walking with a Panther was a Pop album but IMO LL still had street cred around that time. I was a kid though but alot of older teenagers was rocking that album.

[@misterfelder]

Idk what culture doesn’t regard Jay Z as the GOAT if not one of the GOAT rappers. Like that’s an insane statement to me.

[@c4prez]

Yeah, I don't know where that takes comes from. The Hip Hop community doesn't even refer to him as Jay-Z they refer to him as Hov

[@Tandy_Hard]

Wow. Watched the whole vid and Im off to find the next one. Bravo. Subscribed. Where's the next vid?! LOL I need it!