Drake, Kid Cudi, and Wale earn a spot as “The Gangsta Killers” in the year-end issue of the respected GQ Magazine.
GQ writes:
”Have you been listening to hip-hop this year? If not, we’ve got good news: The gangster persona is finally dead, and these are the kids who killed it. One song at a time, they built a new era in which duct-taped kilos, exotic firearms, and freaky girls are out and real life is the focus.
That can still mean trumped-up egos and battle raps, but it also means family, drama, vicious hangovers, and regular chicks who will make good love to you, then stomp out your heart. (Weed? Weed is always in.) Wale is as famous for his live shows as for the slick-witted lyricism of his debut, Attention Deficit.
Kid Cudi is the cutup who scored with the stoner anthem “Day N Nite” and his album Man on the Moon. And then there’s Drake, who found himself turning down multimillion-dollar offers after his single “Best I Ever Had” exploded. (It helps that the girls like Drake. A lot.) Drake’s debut, Thank Me Later is easily the most anticipated album of 2010 So what do these underdogs thing about being cast as gangster slayers?
“The dope boy is going to be a fixture of black culture as long as “thug” is a legitimate option alongside a job” Drake says. But I’m not going to rap about how much crack I’ve sold.” Cudi also laughs at the idea of talking tough. “Anybody from cleveland will tell you I wasn’t in the streets” he says. “Ask them! They’ll say, ‘Scott was the goofy class clown.”
Drake collapsed onstage after his injured knee gave way during a show in Camden, New Jersey on Friday night.
The Canadian hip-hop newcomer was forced to pull out of the 30-minute set at The Young Money Presents: The America’s Most Wanted Music Festival. Doctors had advised Drake against performing so that he could recover from a torn ACL, but the actor turned rapper was determined to take the stage. Drake lasted just a few seconds before slipping and collapsing on the stage.
In a post on his Twitter.com page Saturday, Drake writes, “All is well… on the bus laying down… getting surgery this week, but I’m walking.”
Drake was interviewed by ABC News correspondent Darius Brown this week. Canadian hip-hop’s newest sensation — the movement behind the mega hit “Best I Ever Had” — recalled his start in showbiz, appearing as Wheelchair Jimmy on Degrassi: The Next Generation, how he met Lil Wayne and Young Money, and the similarities to Will Smith.
The music video premiere for Canadian hip-hop sensation Drake’s smash summer hit “Best I Ever Had,” directed by Kanye West, officially premiered on Thursday morning. The Degrassi alum recently ended an industry-wide bidding war and signed with Young Money/Cash Money. Drake’s debut album Thank Me Later will debut later this year.
