Unplugged Heaphones: 9 A.M. In Dallas (Drake)

There’s something unsettling about knowing that something is going to happen before it actually does, being warned about its impending arrival but not being able to do anything about it, only being able to brace yourself for the impact and hope that you’re still around after it hits. That’s the feeling that I imagine the rest of the industry felt when they heard Drake on “9 am in Dallas” and he knew it too.

“Whatever it is I’ve got it’s clearly appealing, These other rappers getting that inferior feeling”.

Hindsight is 20/20 but foresight is priceless. When listening back to old any Drake music pre-Take Care it is easy to say that someone with this talent level is destined for greatness, the uniqueness of his subject matter and ability to switch so effortlessly between rapping and singing was just so different than anything we’ve heard, but it isn’t his talent that made you believe that his ascension to the pinnacle of the game was a certainty, it was his confidence.

If I had to explain to concept of ‘The Law Of Attraction’ in 3 minutes and 40 seconds I would play this song and walk out of the room. The confidence in his own ability despite not having achieved anywhere the level of success or fame as his peers borders on arrogance, he has no right to be saying any of those things because he hasn’t done anything to warrant it… He’s telling you exactly what he’s going to do and you just have to accept it. When someone tells you with such certainty that they are coming to collect everything that the world owes them, you have no choice but to believe them.

What most of us don’t realise is that there is a disconnect between our words and reality, reality is a delayed reaction to our words – words dictate and lay the foundation for what is to come and reality manifests based off of these words, but sometimes there’s a lag between the two, and if you began to doubt the manifestation of this reality and stay to speak negatively on it before it materialises then the reality that you will create a new reality for yourself, one that isn’t as prosperous or as fulfilling. Words alone create success, but they do create an environment for success to be obtained, because they put you in a position where you can be held accountable.

“Until I Lose I’m The Game’s Single Leader”

“This One Is For All Of The N*ggas In My City Trynna Diss, Without A Response From Me You Really Fail To Exist”

Drake came straight out of the gates with a target he slapped on his own back and asked everyone to shoot at him, creating an environment for himself where losing just wasn’t an option. I just feel like it was such a bold move to come out with these kind of overly braggadocios songs at such an early point in his career and they sound even better now because he actually achieved what he said he would. The power of speaking things into existence is definitely a real thing, but it’s an exercise that most of don’t do enough because we don’t believe in ourselves. We applaud it in others but in dismiss it in ourselves, not realising that it is creating reality far less rewarding than the one that we could potentially have.

The version of Drake that we see today is him in his most complete form; successful, secure and accomplished, but we don’t get to this Drake without the Drake that we hear on “9am In Dallas”… The Drake that spoke about what he was going to be and then actually became it.

“Scared For The First Time Everything Just Clicked, What If I Don’t Really Do The Numbers They Predict? ”. I think he’s done alright.