Drake finds his niche as a “softie” in the hip hop community

Drake’s sensitive bravado and knee-wobbling falsetto (yes, I’m calling Drake’s voice knee-wobbling), make him great fodder for Photoshop vandals who have done everything from doctoring pictures of the rapper during his Degrassi days to adding some of the most hilarious captions to candid photos. 

“Does this mean we’re together now?” one caption reads beneath a picture of the Toronto-born rapper hugging a woman at the VMAs on Sunday.

The criticism is hackneyed but hysterical: Drake is a softie, so we make fun of him. It’s a genuinely fun exercise in escapism. He’s become a pop-culture punching bag in a way that I guess only a true softie can: He takes it because he loves you — and because he’s worth more than most rappers ($30 million).

“Drake’s the type of dude that waves at you with two hands,” one Tumblr post reads with slightly more offensive language.

But the GQ cover boy isn’t phased. His latest single, “Hold on We’re Going Home,” is the most bleeding-heart anthem out right now, and despite the jokes, it’s really good. The track rides an ’80s-inspired 808 beat that rivals Daft Punk’s dance-infused drum patterns. The chorus is beautiful, albeit cheesy.

“You’re a good girl and you know it,” Drake croons. Aww.

The same goes for the track “Girls Love Beyoncé.” Here, we find Drake actually singing vocals from a song made famous by women. It’s like he’s getting bullied at Degrassi Community School for wearing women’s clothing, but he fearlessly continues.

That’s why he’s winning the rap game: He belongs to a class of artists who truly don’t care about their public perception. Instead, he’s making tracks that are self-effacing in a way that seems unnatural — he is perhaps too real.

But he’s also a phenomenal rapper. If hearing “Started From the Bottom” doesn’t get you out of your seat, it’s only because you broke Drake’s heart and he’s over you now (Rihanna). “5AM in Toronto” puts your favorite rapper to shame as Drizzy channels his inner Max B, rapping laps around the competition.

Go back and listen to every release the 26-year-old has put out: He was collaborating with indie artists before Grimes and 2 Chainz wore the same pants to the VMAs. He embedded himself in Houston culture long before demographically problematic college kids even knew what a “trap” was. Drake is the reason Jai Paul garnered his rightfully deserved hype. And everyone seems to forget the fantastic remix of “Wildfire” by SBTRKT that came out years before electronic dance music was a cash cow for rappers.

Nonetheless, the Internet is obsessed with making fun of easy targets, and Drake is no exception. As long as he pillow-talks to his audience, memes will exist similar to the Photoshopped texts to Kendrick Lamar after his “Control” verse.

“R we still friends?” he supposedly asks.

Drake’s the kid who had a lot of girl trouble growing up and maybe has a few trust issues, but he made it, and in the end it’s worth it because the haters aren’t invited to the party next month when his album drops, anyway (he’ll probably make sure they see the Facebook event, though).