At 6 AM, on October 6th, Drake released his most recent album, For All the Dogs. This album has hit the charts as its 108.6 million streams makes it the eighth-biggest first-day album debut in Spotify history. Drake is such an international sensation that it may feel out of reach. But regardless of the massive success of the album, it may be more relatable than you think. Especially here at Green Level High School, and across the East coast, there are a few East coast references in these songs.
1) The first East coast reference is a song called 8am in Charlotte. Drake released this track in a video featuring his son, Adonis, on social media. But, aside from the title, the song never mentions any references to Charlotte or even the word Charlotte. But, rappers commonly release songs known as “timestamp songs”, which are titled the time and location he recorded them. So, maybe it’s just as exciting that Drake recorded a hit track in this city of North Carolina.
2) The next East coast reference is in the first track of the album, Virginia Beach. Now this reference isn’t exactly as positive. In the song he compares a love interest of his with Virginia Beach. He says, “She pretty but ghetto, pretty but rough, just like Virginia Beach.” Although this definitely has a negative connotation, it mentions a major destination on the East coast. Can anyone confirm that Virginia Beach is “pretty but ghetto”?
3) The final reference is another North Carolina mention. This one can be found in the song First Person Shooter, which is a collaboration with J Cole. J Cole was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, so it’s not surprising when he makes a reference to Wake Forest University which is only about 2 hours from his hometown. In J Cole’s feature he raps, “It’s like we recruited your homies to be demon deacons, we got ’em attending your wake”. This is a powerful bar that cleverly connects the name of the university to its mascot, the demon deacon. While some people might not notice this lyric, it is a major remark to a university on the East coast.
Although one of these references isn’t exactly positive, they still bring attention to major destinations near you! Drake is such a top celebrity that it’s possible that these areas might even gain more notice or popularity. Overall, maybe Drake doesn’t seem so out of reach when he raps about a location a few miles away from you or your hometown.
