Did Drake Start From The Bottom?
Jan 10, 2020 3:29 PM
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- What terms do we need to define before we answer this question?
Before we are able to answer the question, “Did Drake Start From The Bottom?” it is important to define what “start” and “bottom” mean. In my perspective “starting” means his childhood, his hometown, his parents, the beginning and early stages of his life. To me the “start” was the situation he was born into. Though when we refer to “bottom” I believe it means he may have had a bad childhood perhaps low income or other bad experiences.
- What historical information about Drake can we uncover?
According to Wikipedia the song was written to give context to his fans that he had to earn his way to be successful. Even the music video is influenced by his past life showcasing him working at Shoppers Drug Mart and other scenes around Toronto. This show was intended to show his roots to Toronto and that he built his success by working hard. Additionally, Drake is mixed in terms of his economic status and his religion.
- How do you define “the bottom” in this scenario? What type of social inequality does this refer to (class, race, gender, ability, others)?
In this scenario I believe “the bottom” is referred to as low-income environment in Toronto which may be rough for a child. This area was also known to be predominantly Jewish which may have led to race issues. The types of social inequalities include class and race.
- How does Drake define “the bottom”? What can you infer about the bottom here?
Based on the research conducted for question two, Drake defines “the bottom” as working a low paying job in his hometown working pay cheque to pay cheque to pay the bills. I can infer that “the bottom” is very stressful as it is hard to maintain basic needs like food, water and shelter if you do not budget properly. It is hard to be working to support yourself and be barely scraping by.
- Are these definitions of social inequality individualist or collectivist?
In my perspective these definitions of social inequality are collectivist because “the bottom” is the experience that many people throughout the world go through. There are many people struggling to get by, many people can relate to this song. However, there are points in the song which indicate this was an individualist social inequality as he rose to fame on his own, even though he claims “his whole team is here”. He is the only one with success and power. However, there are many other individuals in this world who can relate to starting from the bottom and being successful, therefore this is more of a collectivist.
- What can we assume and what can we not assume?
We can assume that Drake did in fact start from “the bottom” in the bigger perspective of his life. Compared to the fame, money, and success Drake has now we can confirm he did in fact start from “the bottom”. Though, we cannot assume that we know all of the details of how bad or good his life may have been. This song may highlight some rougher points of his childhood and past life, though this does not represent every day of his life “at the bottom”.
Jan 10, 2020 12:00 PM
- What terms do we need to define before we answer this question? Hint: “started” and “bottom” are vague terms. I think in the case of this song and video, “started” can be defined as the socioeconomic context in which Drake was raised, and “bottom” may be defined as the bottom of the capitalist pyramid, that is the working class layer.
- What historical information about Drake can we uncover? Hint: Check his Wikipedia page, do a search for interviews where he talks about this song, do a search for further biographical information about Drake, search for any academic/online articles that address this topic. Adding further to the conversation: Business Insider says that Drake was raised Jewish in a Jewish neighbourhood and that he grew up in a household living paycheck to paycheck. “He may not have started all the way at the bottom, but he sure worked his way up.” This statement perpetuates the myth that hard work is the only factor involved in material comfort. Lots of people work hard. Most people don’t end up where Drake is.
- How do you define “the bottom” in this scenario? What type of social inequality does this refer to (class, race, gender, ability, others)?The video, to me shows a privileged childhood, in that Drake is portrayed as having played on a soccer team, without any indication as to whether this was a rep team, which would indicate more privilege. He also shows himself working as a stockboy for Shoppers Drug Mart. I feel like this job would be a coveted position for most teenage students looking for a part time job. So Drake was not denied the privilege of playing teamsports as some lower ses kids and as some gender fluid and transgender kids are, and as well, he attained employment, which also is not always so easy from a young person’s perspective. A lot of these positions are filled by privileged people who have connections.
- How does Drake define “the bottom”? What can you infer about the bottom here? Drake defines the bottom from the perspective of someone who has privilege, money, social equity and status, and has benefited from and supports the capitalist system. He claims to have worked hard to get to where he is, and that is, I believe true, but it is also true for many people who do not reach the pinnacle of a successful music career.
- Are these definitions of social inequality individualist or collectivist? I feel that these definitions are collectivist in that he defines his bottom, but individualist in that he is at the top of the capitalist pyramid with his “whole team.” He claims in the lyrics that “we just want the credit where it’s due.” So Drake is really espousing very capitalistic ideas that he fought his way to the “top” and that he, the individual deserves to be there in all of his material success, and he chooses who benefits from his position and wealth at the top.
- What can we assume and what can we not assume? We don’t know everything there is to know about Drake. I think it really is unfair to judge a person by the very little we see through their art work and media exposure. There may very well be painful trauma he chooses not to share. He started from the bottom from his perspective, and perhaps this idea is alienating for people without his privilege. Maybe he is taking a defensive stance to substantiate his right to his status and to spend his money as he chooses.
- I think this case is quite extreme. I know that people are very protective of their privilege wherever and in what degree they have it. At Canada Post, there is a lot of infighting and divisiveness amongst union members in terms of graduated pay scales. Some senior members claim that they have been paying dues the longest and have earned the highest pay, while they don’t see why they should fight for union members who perform the same work but make less and have less seniority. Of course this hostility has been orchestrated by Canada Post and the government who have taken away bargaining rights, and despite the inability to retain new employees, refuse to address the issue.
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