Is Drake REALLY the New Face of Hip-Hop?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you should be well aware of up-and-coming hip-hip star, Drake (if you're old -- meaning 100 years of age, plus -- then I suppose you're worthy of a pardon). Drake's official debut, Thank Me Later, dropped two days ago to glowing reviews from a slew of reputable periodicals including the The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. Public response has also been stellar, as Drake's first full-fledged LP is expected to sell between 425,000-475,000 copies in its first week (marking the third largest opening week sales of the year after Sade's comeback album Soldier of Love and country act Lady Antebellum's sophomore album Need You Now).

While Drake is surely off to a strong start and is reaching unprecedented success for a debut artist, I think the imprimatur of "The New Face of Hip-Hop" may be a bit premature. After listening to Thank Me Later about ten times in its entirety, I must admit that the album is solid. It is a GOOD album. However, in my opinion, Drake has yet to wield enough control of his music to truly become the new icon of hip-hop music. One of my biggest qualms with his LP is the fact there are so many features. While features can certainly add flavor to a record, too many of them can be stifling to an artist. I equate a debut album with a host of features to a child riding a bike still equipped with training wheels; it's as though they don't have the confidence to just ride solo. Either that, or the record label lacks faith. But then I got to thinking: Perhaps the album was aptly titled Thank Me Later because he knows that his best work is on the horizon. Or maybe it's because after multiple listens, we will truly be able to appreciate Drake's latest contribution to the hip-hop game. Maybe it simply had a ring to it. Who knows.

Whatever the case may be for Drake, his talent in undeniable and I look forward to hearing what he has in store henceforth. The guy brings a sense of wit that is certainly a welcome addition to the hip-hop genre, and his tongue-in-cheek flows can be pretty contagious. I just have one request for Drake: for album two, tell Wayne, Nicki Minaj and everyone else to get lost; I want to see what YOU can do.

Until then, I'll just keep on spinning Thank Me Later and sit on the sidelines to see whether Drake does, in fact, become the new face of hip-hop.