September 16, 2024
Episode

Where Does Drake Go From Here?

Where Does Drake Go From Here?
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Drake attends HBO's series "Euphoria" Los Angeles Premiere at Cinerama Dome, LA, CA. Via Shutterstock.

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Today’s episode memo is about Drake. Where does he go from here? I was joined by journalist and author, Sowmya Krishnamurthy. We discussed the impact of the Kendrick Lamar beef, what we would do if we advised him, and more. You can listen to the conversation here or read below for my thoughts on Drake.

One of my favorite classes in school was on crisis and turnaround management. If you were CEO of Johnson & Johnson in 1982, how would you handle the Tylenol crisis? If you were CEO of Coca-Cola in 1985, how would you navigate the New Coke blunder?

The stakes were high and their brand reputation was on the line.

If I taught that course today, I would ask the question of the moment. If you managed Drake, how would you navigate his career from here?

Comeback season

Thanks to our fragmented media environment, Drake will always have a group of people who stick with him. This isn’t a Ja Rule vs 50 Cent situation where gatekeepers like Hot 97 are kingmakers that shape mainstream perceptions. Today, every corner of the internet has its supporters, and Drake’s base is still larger than anyone else’s in hip-hop. His music still gets streams more than any other rapper (including Kendrick Lamar) and his tours sell the most tickets. Despite Drake’s reputation hit, his commercial foundation is there… for now.

Without a strong turnaround effort though, that foundation may slowly push Drake into legacy mode before he’s willing to go there.

Since “Not Like Us,” Drake has thrown a few things against the wall that haven’t stuck. His call for a “game 2” against Kendrick was squashed by k. dot’s “no round twos” statement in his Super Bowl halftime show announcement.

Drake also dropped 100 Gigs—a forgettable hard drive dump with hours of raw footage from his older albums, photos, and unpolished songs. It’s the type of content that might have landed Drake a $20 million Netflix documentary five years ago, when Drake’s approval was sky-high, and studios threw crazy money at artist-produced documentaries.

100 Gigs follows the media tactic to keep Drake in the news and divert attention from the elephant in the room. It hasn’t worked, but if that’s step one, then step two needs to be a new chapter.

The best music comebacks require some image reinvention. The artist’s public image often evolves into a more mature, sophisticated version of themselves.  New year, new me.

Mariah Carey bounced back from her early 2000s setbacks with The Emancipation of Mimi. Britney Spears’ comeback album was Circus. And after Jay Z’s elevator incident, he turned a new page with 4:44.

A similar effort from Drake would be wise, but it would also be a seismic shift. In the streaming era, Drake has perfected the art of “monetizable mid.” He consistently drops underwhelming projects that help him recoup his massive licensing deal with Universal Music Group. But the new music doesn’t live up to the music from his early years.

He’s like a venture capitalist who exceeded expectations on their first fund, which helped them raise a massive second fund. But now, they’re incentivized to deploy more capital into even more startups that they would otherwise overlook.

You can listen to the full episode here or keep reading.

Room for improvement

Despite the competing economics, it’s time for OVO to level up. There are plenty of new topics that a father approaching 40 years old can share with the world. A carefully constructed, 13-track album may not get as many streams as a bloated 23-track double album would, but less may be more. The streaming algorithms reward music with staying power.

It may also be time for Drake to repair some fractured relationships. It would send a signal that he’s gotten over petty drama and is onto their next one. Drake has a long list of people he has had issues with: Kendrick Lamar, Chris Brown, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Kanye West, Mustard, Rihanna, Future, Common, Rick Ross, potentially Jay Z, and more. Some of those are relationships irreconcilable, but not all of them. New music could bring a few of them together.

When it’s time for Drake to release more “content,” he should sit down and do a real interview. Not with Lil Yachty. Not with Bobbi Althoff. Not with any fellow artists or influencers. He should talk to someone who can ask real questions, address his past in a fair way, and focus on personal growth.

Time is on Drake’s side. He can take a step back, reflect, and make moves when he’s ready (preferably sometime after the Super Bowl).

Pop culture loves a teardown, but it also loves a comeback. It’s Drake’s time to show how he handles adversity. He may never get back to 2013-era Drake, but there’s plenty of grey area between that and where he is right now.

These are just a few highlights. Listen to the rest of the episode for more on:

- why there haven’t been many hip-hop hits in 2024?
- the difference between LA and Hollywood
- why nothing was the same after Nothing Was The Same

You should also check out Sowmya’s book Fashion Killa, How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion.

Chartmetric Stat of the Week -  Sphere's jam bands

Several jam bands who have performed at The Sphere reach fans who don’t stream but show up for live shows. Phish has less than 500,000 Spotify monthly listeners, but they still sold out several shows at the Las Vegas venue. There are a few artists with 50 million followers on Spotify who may not be able to sell as many concert tickets as Phish and its cult followers. Wild!

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Dan Runcie
Founder of Trapital
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I am a real estate investor and came across this podcast after a recommendation from a friend who shares my loves for both hip hop and business. Often, those two interests have such polar opposite “voices” - but Dan’s podcast brings those two together for me. The result is magical. Great guests, too!
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As a guy who came up in NYC during the late 90s / early 2000s rap scene, I appreciate the history revisited by Dan, who obviously has an authentic and unique perspective on the culture. But he’s not only a hip hop historian; he’s also a visionary of art, technology and culture who curates other trend setters from across the globe. Salute!
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I stumbled upon this podcast by learning about Dan / Trapital via LinkedIn. I listen to A LOT of podcasts and I decided to give it a listen. First, Dan has a calm and authentic demeanor, which are great qualities. When he’s talking to his guests it’s very conversational and easy flowing. I’m a former music industry vet so the topics are right up my alley.
Phil Stolaronek

Read what the industry leaders read

Hip-hop mirrors the business world in a lot of ways. While I’ve always thought and known that, it’s great to see those ideas brought to life by someone so knowledgeable about both of those things. Huge fan of Trapital.
PPLS CHAMP
Looking forward to future episodes of Trapital. I’ve been following the newsletters for awhile and always learn something new that’s relevant to hip hop and business. Great job getting the nuggets of info from Matthew Knowles on the 1st episode, can’t wait until the next one!
Cburns08
If you’re looking for a podcast with a wealth of info on the business of hip hop, then Trapital is your new home. Dan is an excellent host who has a myriad of of experienced guests to talk their role in the business of hip hop. Check it out!
RoyalSkegee
If you work in — or have an interest in — the music business, Trapital is a must.
Samu Rast
A good friend of mine put me on this podcast and it took me some time to tap in, but once I did, I couldn’t stop listening! Dan has a talent for pulling out the narratives between lines, connecting it to the culture and then making it make sense. I’m a loyal subscriber and am thankful for the podcast!
Zealous Advocate
I am a real estate investor and came across this podcast after a recommendation from a friend who shares my loves for both hip hop and business. Often, those two interests have such polar opposite “voices” - but Dan’s podcast brings those two together for me. The result is magical. Great guests, too!
Gabriel Blue
As a guy who came up in NYC during the late 90s / early 2000s rap scene, I appreciate the history revisited by Dan, who obviously has an authentic and unique perspective on the culture. But he’s not only a hip hop historian; he’s also a visionary of art, technology and culture who curates other trend setters from across the globe. Salute!
Mrkamal
I love Dan’s ability to bring diverse and timely perspectives to the show while asking deeply insightful questions that engage the audience on so many interesting levels. I’ve learned so much in just a short period of listening. Excited for what Dan has in store for the show in the future!
Greg0188
I stumbled upon this podcast by learning about Dan / Trapital via LinkedIn. I listen to A LOT of podcasts and I decided to give it a listen. First, Dan has a calm and authentic demeanor, which are great qualities. When he’s talking to his guests it’s very conversational and easy flowing. I’m a former music industry vet so the topics are right up my alley.
Phil Stolaronek
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