The deeper into his career he gets, the less bothered Drake has become by the criticism of others. His Honestly, Nevermind album – which recently celebrated its first anniversary – left the music industry divided. Since then, we've primarily seen him focus on rapping, though he did also give us a taste of his skills as a poet too. After announcing his plans to release a book in 2022, the Canadian finally shared Titles Ruin Everything earlier this month, which he put together in tandem with Kenza Samir. While some hip-hop heads are loving the collectable piece, Complex reports that award-winning poets are less than pleased with what Drake has done.
"Some of these are so absurd that they’re actually funny," New York Times best-selling author Hanif Abdurraqib said of the 168-page effort. "But it’s hard to tell if he also understands that they’re bending into absurdist humour, and understands that there will be people who find it profound. Or if he’s convinced himself of the profundity. Really, it’s kind of just a book of puns. Silly lil’ jokes." Abdurraqib added that he's having a hard time deciphering how "in on the joke" Drake is, though he wasn't "personally offended" by any of the content in the book."
Drake's Titles Ruin Everything Arrives to Mixed Reactions
Upon hearing the public's reaction to his work, the father of one turned to Instagram to share his thoughts. "Randomly angry poets: blahagaggagesvachjsksyavsvvehevehebwgabvqvqqvwww[.] Me:," Drake wrote above a shrugging photo of the late Sue Johanson, who tragically passed away earlier this week. As HipHopDX notes, the Canadian icon previously appeared on several episodes of Degrassi, where Drizzy first got his start.
As reactions to Titles Ruin Everything continue to pour in, the 36-year-old has been focusing on his future too much to worry about the perception of others. In just a few days, he'll be back on tour for the first time in several years, and along with his book Champagne Papi confirmed that he's got another album on the way in the near future.
More Love for Sue Johanson
Elsewhere on his IG Story this week, Drake shared a smiling photo of the late Sue Johanson, giving her flowers by declaring her "a goat." Are you familiar with the work of Canada's favourite sex educator, or is this the first you've heard of her? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.