Drake
Brisbane Entertainment Centre 05.03.2015
Australian audiences have been made to wait 6 long years for Drake’s maiden voyage down under. It’s not a great deal of time in what many would consider the lifespan of an arena act which is what makes his dominant position in the current hip-hop and pop landscape even the more formidable. With 14 spots currently occupied on the Billboard 100 charts after the release of his surprise mixtape, it would be fair to crown Drake the current king of a genre built on competition.
The audience’s first glimpse of the hip-hop grandeur and bravado that would characterise most of the night was had the minute 2 Chainz stepped onstage. As the glare of his ostentatious array of bling swept across the arena it would have been a fair concern to think fans of Drake’s more personable lyrics would have felt alienated. 2 Chainz’s persona however, was more hip-hop court jester than rap thug. The set was rammed full of catchphrases, chart topping hooks and a signature Atlanta trap sound which ensured that audiences were revelling in this cartoonish display of hip-hop decadence till the very last bars.
As the lights dimmed and the majestic opening bars of ‘Trophies’ bellowed out the speakers Drake spun onstage dizzy by the overall assault of strobe lights and hysterical girls collectively losing their minds. It took no more than fifteen minutes for Drake to peddle through five hits predominantly from older records in a bittersweet attempt to make up for lost time. It was at this moment that Drake declared he “wasn’t asking to change our lives but simply to be a part of it”. The conceited comments were met by large-scale eye rolls of bashful fans who battled to supress the feeling that they were the most romantic and wisest words anyone had ever said to them.
The 16 bars and chorus formula Drake had taken to churn through the singles in the early part of the show hit its stride halfway though as he delivered his greatest guest verses from an array of Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, ILOVEMAKONNEN and Lil Wayne crowd pleasers. Whilst this concentration of fellow hip-hop heavyweights hits at times felt like a teenager hitting shuffle on their iPod it simultaneously acted an expertly veiled lesson in Drake’s rapid rise up the ranks.
After a painful amount of smooth talking the crowd was instructed we were reaching the ‘home stretch’ to which many were left hoping he was referring to the Hitch-like pick-up lines rather than the music. Luckily the throbbing bass lines of ‘Worst Behaviour’ and the echoing croons of ‘Take Care’ reassured the audience he wasn’t done pumping out the hits quite yet.
Just as the show was beginning to ramp up, Drake jumped up on (what will now be referred to as) his ego swing where he glided over the audience collectively catcalling all girls in sight in a hilariously overstated sing song voice you could liken to an SNL cast member impersonating R.Kelly. After what seemed like an eternity, Drake finally floated back down from the heavens where he delivered a rapid-fire string of singles including new cuts such as ‘0 to 100’ and ‘Energy’.
Drake has always been the easy target of online haters who discount his artistry to instead simply label him as overly emotional, romantic or sensitive. Whilst fans may still not know anymore about the man behind the meme, the self-proclaimed 6 God (6 relating to his hometown Toronto) showcases the hip-hop messiah complex with a twist. Whilst the show was packed full of club bangers and sometimes cringe-worthy bravado it was an inclusive experience due to his ear for introspective yet universal lyrics and masterful use of melody.
Words: Tom Shannon
