Bling King: How Drake Became the Golden Boy of Rap

A week on from the release of his fourth album, ‘Views’, Drake finds himself the king of rap. David Renshaw looks into what makes the so-called ‘6 God’ the quintessential modern artist.

- David Renshaw

FEBRUARY 24, 2016. Drake is onstage with Rihanna at the Brit Awards at London’s O2 Arena. It’s just after the watershed and the Barbadian star is grinding against the Canadian rapper as they perform her new single ‘Work’. An hour later, 29-year-old Drake has blown off the ceremony to zip over to east London and jump on stage at Village Underground with fast-rising south London grime crew Section Boyz, who he’s been praising on Instagram. Flame emojis light up social media timelines as fan-shot videos are shared, and Section Boyz post a video on Instagram with the message “life only just began”.

These two hours of Drake’s life encapsulate his unique position in the music world. He’s a household name who megastars call up for guest verses on hit singles. He’s a champion of the underground, who’s as at home at an awards ceremony watched by millions as he is on stage with a bunch of 21-year olds from Croydon. He’s a product, and master of, the internet. And he is, following the release of fourth album ‘Views’, arguably the biggest name in rap. Jay Z is semi-retired, Eminem hasn’t released a good record since 2009’s ‘Relapse’, Kanye West’s genius is undeniable, but his erratic nature has alienated some fans, and Kendrick Lamar is awesome and powerful, but not yet a megastar.

Step up Drake, who’s asserted himself at the top of the pile. But how has he done it? And what is it about every album and video he releases that connects so overwhelmingly with his fans?

THE MIDDLE-CLASS CHILD ACTOR