Masta Ace weighed in on the “Is Drake Hip-Hop?” debate in an interview with AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur. The respected rapper viewed Drake as an artist who went the pop route yet maintained bona fide rap credentials.
“This is what I’ll say about Drake: his sensibilities are still there,” Masta Ace explained. “He’s still the same guy. He just got introduced to the music industry. He had a hit record. He saw what that looked like. He was like, ‘Oh, this is easy. So, I don’t even have to get super lyrical really. I can do this and win.’ And so, of course, some artists are gonna chase that and some artists are gonna run from that. I was more of an artist that kind of ran from it.”
Masta Ace recalled his own experience with a hit single, noting how he shied away from radio-friendly music after the success of his song “Born to Roll.” The legendary Juice Crew member did not want to sacrifice his artistry, but he did not begrudge Drake for pursuing a different path.
“’Born to Roll’ blew up and it was all over the radio and all of that,” Masta Ace said. “And I didn’t want to chase that. I wanted to stay within the artistry of what I was trying to do. I could’ve just started making radio records like crazy. But it just didn’t feel right to me. I understand why he did what he did. But for me as an artist, what it comes down to is this: can he rap or not? The answer is yes. Kid is nice, period. You might not like all the songs. It might be too much singing, too much Autotune. Listen, I don’t like every little ditty bop song that he makes. But when he goes in and he goes bar work, it’s quality. So, that’s my take on Drake.”
Masta Ace teamed up with his go-to producer Marco Polo to release their album Richmond Hill in January. The two discussed the project and much more in their conversation with AllHipHop.
Check out the entire interview below.