Drake told the world he’d be dropping a new single on the weekend of the Grammys, but it appears “Started from the Bottom” wished to make itself known a few days early.
The Young Money MC and singer hatched the song on his OVO website, along with an open letter supporting the song’s claims that he “started from the bottom.”
“I feel sometimes that people don’t have enough information about my beginnings and therefore they make up a life story for me that isn’t consistent with actual events,” Drake said. “My family and my second family (consisting of the best friends anybody could ever have) all struggled and worked extremely hard to make all this happen. I did not buy my way into this spot and it was the furthest thing from easy to achieve.”
Perhaps he ought to clarify the main differences between the struggle becoming a worldwide rapping phenom and what exactly qualifies as the “bottom.” In the track, it seems all that requires is to fight with your mom and your uncle asking for the keys to his car back early.
And gone is the sing-songy vocals, and in its place Drakes best “hardened rapper” monotone. The production behind it helps the sentiment, with its teeth-rattling low end and single-tear-drop piano line. That, at least, is very Drizzian. It’s the sound of the Drake hype machine warming up, but it’s certainly not at full-tilt: “Started from the Bottom” is certainly a cool record, but it’s not what made “Take Care” what it was to the rap community. The chip is still firmly yet tenuously on his shoulder, even as he celebrates that his whole crew’s made it.
If former child acting star Drake aka “the first rapper who could also sing” (megaLOL) wants to help out on clarifying his upbringing, then this does little to quash the mythology. It’s a cool record for sure, still with plenty of ego, but nothing of substance. Guess the second single will be the stronger launch pad.
No word when an album will arrive, but I expect another strongly worded web post soon.