Hear the isolated vocal track for 'God's Plan' by Drake

Drake has undeniably had an impact on hip-hop. For better or worse, his arrival in the culture most definitely shifted the sonics of the genre. From his beginnings as Lil Wayne’s protégé, he has become one of the most successful rappers of his generation. The Canadian rapper is a shapeshifter who has explored multiple genres during his career.

From amapiano to UK drill, the emcee has tried his hand at many different sounds, but not always successfully. However, regardless of what genre he’s doing, the act has always seen vast amounts of critical acclaim, and he is one of the most highly decorated hip-hop artists alive.

The rapper’s projects are constantly evolving, and with each album, we see Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) grow. His 2010 debut project, Thank Me Later, saw the rapper fuse R’n’B with hip-hop. Some blame Graham for US rap’s contemporary melodic delivery. However, many people have tried to identify a single culprit. Still, it was the direction in which the culture was moving.

Nonetheless, many still despise Graham for this. However, Drake attracted fans en masse, in droves, with his unique, still, seemingly autotune-free melodic hip-hop—a far cry from T-pain. Tracks such as ‘Best I Ever Had’ and ‘ Find Your Love’ resonated with people. Following Thank Me Later, the Young Money rapper began popping up on the radar of formidable artists such as Kanye West and Jay-Z.

The Toronto native is undoubtedly capable of producing a cohesive and musically solid body of work. However, many have been sceptical of his so-called “love” for other genres of music. Whether it’s amapiano from South Africa or UK drill, several artists and figures within hip-hop in America and beyond have been concerned about Drake’s musical integrity. Between 2014 and 2020, Graham professed his affinity for UK music. However, many began to see flows and cadences previously used by UK artists being used by the emcee, who gave no credit or recognition to the rappers.

When grime had its brief resurgence between 2014 and 2017, the Canadian lyricist became involved in the scene and began collaborating with artists from the genre. However, when the frenzy died, he was nowhere to be seen. The same can be said for the UK drill and amapiano scenes. Graham was keen to get involved when these movements were at their height of popularity. Still, when they were no longer profitable, he quickly detached himself. Drake has said that he has a love for all music, but many still label him as the shifty “culture vulture” of hip-hop.

Irrespective of his polarising genre-hopping ways, the rapper is highly favoured. One of his standout projects is his 2018 album Scorpion. Known by many for its controversial inclusion of UK rappers such as Giggs and Skepta, the body of work boasts some of the act’s most beloved tracks, such as ‘In My Feelings’ and the phenomenal ‘God’s Plan’. You can hear the isolated vocals for the latter in the video below.