Drake had the world talking on Friday morning when he unleashed his surprise seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind. The Canadian rapper turned hip-hop on its head by releasing a dance album and not everyone was on board with it. Some were quick to dismiss it after breezing through the album in the wee hours of the morning while others claimed it was some of Drake’s best work in years.
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There’s been some criticism that Drake’s latest opus might have a lasting effect on the state of hip-hop. Irv Gotti recently sat down with TMZ where he expressed his concern about the future of the genre because of Drizzy’s sudden switch up. Irv prefaced his criticism by saying that Drake’s an incredible person, though he wasn’t necessarily impressed by the artistic direction.
“Drake can do whatever he wants as an artist, right? But do you feel Drake is a hip-hop artist?” Gotti asked the cameraman, who described the Canadian hitmaker as a “transcending artist.” “Drake’s new album is not hip-hop,” Gotti added.
When the cameraman asked whether this album could be the demise of hip-hop/R&B, Gotti said that he hopes that isn’t the case but he’s more inspired than ever to find a new DMX, Ja Rule or Jay-Z to carry the torch.
In response to Drake claiming that people need to “catch up” on his new sound, Gott said, “I don’t want to catch up. Because if that’s catchin’ up then what does that mean for hip-hop? And he’s so strong and so powerful that he can chance the dynamic of shit. And any n***a who sees this, please, hip-hop, yo.”
Check out the full clip below.