Drake Found A Signature Sound On So Far Gone — Here's How It's Evolved

By Marcus Blackwell

So what I tend to do is think of today because the past

It's funny any time as soon as you coming in first, although you hope that you last

You just hope that it lasts

On the 10-year anniversary of his critically-acclaimed 2009 mixtape So Far Gone, the closing words from a 22-year-old Drake on “Lust for Life” have indeed become a reality. Drake hasn't simply “lasted” nevertheless has been regularly one of the most dominant musical acts within the past decade — just check the charts.


His ability to transcend genres and continually grow his fanbase has placed him in a unique position as a MC. The signature slow-paced, atmospheric, and melodic sound he built with in-house producer Noah "40" Shebib (heard on early songs like "The Calm," "Brand New," and "The Resistance") is still very much thriving today, yet it’s been Drizzy’s ability to maneuver into diverse musical spaces over the years that has aided in his calculated efforts to sustain his top position.


On the 10th anniversary of what was a career-catapulting mixtape, we trace and highlight the most calculated and standout moments in Drake’s sonic evolution.


Fortifying His Signature Sound (2010-2013)


Not long soon following the So Far Gone mixtape hit the 'net on February 13, 2009, Drake inked a deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Cash Entertainment under the legendary Money Cash Records. Because the new kid on the block, his career took off, propelled by that trademark airy sound. It's a sonic mood that resulted from the R&B that first brought Drake and 40 with each other, because the producer told GQ in 2011. Shortly soon after, they created "Houstatlantavegas" in the studio and "that abstract world we were taking rap music to" was born.


From the time of his debut album Thank Me Later in 2010 to 2013's Nothing Was the Same, Drake noticed comfort in that world, and yes it was with little effort identifiable; you hear it on key singles like "Headlines," "Marvin’s Room," and began From the Bottom," effectively showcasing his artsy length and taste.


"A lot of people pick their single by what's the strongest song. I don't really do that," Drake told Billboard's The Juice in 2011. "I like to prepare ensure that the context is very relevant to now. I want people to party to it yet at the same time the fans, the people that care about my career, the people that follow me, will hear a message in it."


after the release of Drake’s third album, the scope of hip-hop was starting to shift. In late 2014, Migos were bubbling with anthemic trap cuts like “Fight Night” and “Handsome and Wealthy,” while Future had the streets on lock with a flurry of records complemented by radio hits like “Fuck Up Some Commas.” This generation of Atlanta’s distinct, high-energy trap sound was beginning to take over the mainstream.


The era’s early elites like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake himself were no longer the fresh faces of the industry. Immediately after five-plus years in the game as a top-tier act, Drake had to prepare some calculated adjustments to his musical direction.


Experimenting With Trap (2015)


Once discussing 2015’s year in hip-hop, two things that will eventually enter the conversation are Drake’s surprise mixtape, If You’re Reading This It’s Also Late, and Future’s legendary mixtape run that eventually led to their joint project, What a Time to Be Alive.


A heavy, well-documented critique from Drake fans who have more of an affinity for his prototypical rap cuts is that his albums are generally overly drenched in R&B or “sing-songy” records. If You’re Reading This It’s Also Late was Drake’s possibility to strategically showcase that he not only could pump out the easy-listening hits fans were accustomed to (think “Hold On, We’re Going Home”), yet that he might also take on the sound that was holding down the streets.


"I routinely wanted to create an assignment with [producer] Boi-1da, just like exclusively his brand of music... Like just hard shit, just snap as much as I might and get as several joints done as I could Drake told Beats 1 Radio in 2016. Drake adopted this heavily trap-influenced fashion all through 2015 — also it worked. Records like “Know Yourself” and “6 God” were strong renditions of the bubbling Atlanta-based sound, and the project was well-received by fans and critics alike. A track like “Energy” set the stage for Drake to get into a braggadocios bag and rap with a more aggressive delivery than what fans generally heard from the Canadian rapper.


The victory lap of What a Time to Be Alive noticed its massive moment, also, and propelled St. Louis producer Metro Boomin into stardom through the a couple of undeniable records like “Jumpman” and “Big Rings,” and set up the record-breaking Summer Sixteen Tour the following year.


Dipping Into Dancehall (2016-2017)


In January 2016, Rihanna dropped “Work,” featuring Drake, because the lead single to her eighth studio album, Anti. The record's combination of reggae, pop, and dancehall — a Jamaican sound that Rolling Stone called a "sleeker, rowdier descendent" of reggae that incorporates more electronic sounds and rhythms — made it an instant smash. Looking at the wide audience and international success that “Work” and Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” garnered as No. 1 songs in numerous countries, it made a lot of sense for Drake to step into that lane. He’d already flirted with the idea of doing more dancehall-leaning tracks with “Find Your Love” back in 2010.


This calculated experimentation eventually earned Drizzy his first Billboard No. 1 record as a lead artist with the Afrobeat, dancehall-influenced hit “One Dance” later that year. In a sit-down with DJ Semtex, Drake spoke proudly about the influence U.K. Singer Kyla's "Do You Mind" had on the record. (He enlisted her for "One Dance" as well.) “I love that tempo, that cadence, and those melodies," the rapper mentioned. "That’s the sort of music that makes me happy in life. It was fantastic have the ability to prepare something like that and to shine a light on a song from the U.K. That deserves it.”


He built upon these international sounds during 2016 on his fourth album, Views, and his "playlist" More Life in 2017 with tracks like “Controlla,” “Passionfruit,” “Blem,” and “Madiba Riddim.” He flexed his versatility in his rhymes, too; on the loosie “Two Birds, One Stone,” he declared, “I rap like I know I’m the greatest and still give you tropical flavors / Still never been on hiatus.”


New Orleans Bounce And Behind (2018)


Despite the mixed reception of Drake’s fifth album, Scorpion, 2018 can be argued as Drake’s most impressive year, in wonderful part because of the strength of his singles. “God’s Plan,” “Nice for What,” and “In My Feelings” all hit No. 1, giving him a career total of six chart-topping hits. Two of those were exercises in Bounce, a high-energy southern fashion of music rooted and based out of the eclectic culture of New Orleans. It had previously been immortalized on Juvenile’s "Back That Azz Up" in 1998 and personified by the N.O. Legend Big Freedia, who features at the starting of "Nice for What." Drake tried to pay homage to the sound back in 2011 on Take Care’s “Practice” and more recently on Views’ “Child’s Play,” yet there seemed to be a lack of precision in his execution.


With “Nice for What,” Drake was able to successfully tap into and uplift a Bounce fashion that was under-appreciated by the mainstream. With Big Freedia’s vocals on the backdrop of a upbeat Lauryn Hill-sampled banger, Drake knocked another feel-good No. 1 record out the park. It was only right that months later, “In My Feelings,” a song in the same vein, would take the nation by storm. By sampling "Smoking Gun” by Magnolia Shorty and sprinkling in vocals from the City Females and Lil Wayne, it captured an authentic southern New Orleans vibe. Shiggy's Kiki Challenge also gave the song an extra boost, propelling it from mere hit song to cultural moment.


A decade right after So Far Gone, Drake's story is still being told through his public successes and fallouts, while being perplexing through his deep-cuts and mainstream smashes. Yet what musical territory will Drake venture into next?


Was his Spanish-language hit “Mia” with Bad Bunny a preview of a future run in the Latin-trap scene? Will he continue to build upon the chemistry he and Memphis producer Tay Keith showcased on hard-hitting records like “Nonstop” and “Sicko Mode?” Only time will tell, nevertheless coming off of a 2018 campaign where he explored a span of different musical styles to relentlessly dominate the charts, fans will be undoubtedly be locked into wherever Drizzy takes them next.