But, whereas on So Far Gone’s “Say What’s Real” and his 2010 loosie “Paris Morton Music” he remains optimistic while facing the pressures of celebrity brought on by his sudden rise, Take Care’s closing statement finds him trepidatious and jaded. By then, he’d mulled over the idea on a handful of songs. “The Ride” wasn’t the first time Drake grappled with the trappings of fame.
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“ I gotta keep watching for oppers, ‘cause anything’s possible, yeah / There’s no code of ethics out here, anyone will take shots at you, yeah.” More impressively, the next line suggests that even Drake knew he was too big to fail, as he shrugs off Meek’s future shots, rapping, “ N****s think they can come take what I got / Let’s be logical, yeah.” “1AM in Napa Valley” (“The Ride,” Take Care, 2011) Of course, the most profound statement comes at the beginning of his final verse, when Drake practically foreshadows the beef that would, five months out, threaten to end his reign. “ Please do not speak to me like I’m that Drake from four years ago / I’m at a higher place.” Then, as if we weren’t aware, he takes a moment to remind us that this isn’t 2011, back when he still had his eyes fixated on the throne. In the same city where, six years earlier, he was introduced to the lifestyles of hip-hop’s rich and famous, Drake is now the living legend who’s forced to eat his Alfredo pasta in the kitchen of VLive like a mob boss.
The length of his dominant run atop hip-hop sets in when he transports us back to Houston.