Defining a Flop for Drake’s “Thank Me Later”

Drake is the biggest name in Hip Hop. So how will we know if his album is a truly a success? We must come up with some expectations of this album before it drops and people run to make weak excuses for why people bought it or didn’t buy it. First, I’d like to say that I’m a fan of Drake. I think people think that I hate him because I don’t want to crown him as the next Jay-Z. I just think you have to put in a few more dues to get to that level. I compare Drake to Tony Romo, he’s really good, but let’s not break out our anointing oil just yet. For the ladies, Drake to Paula Patton, she’s really pretty, but stop saying she looks better than Halle Berry in her prime. My point is stop being ridiculous, stop hyping up something that’s perfectly fine as it already is.

What do I expect from Drake? I expect him to continue to rap and sing on every song he has. I don’t expect the Drake from “Ransom,” I expect the Drake from “Over.” I’d like to see Drake be around for a long time. I think he’s a lot more talented than most rappers who have long careers in Hip Hop. However, he’s been hyped too much. We’ve waited too long for this album, and so our expectations have to be higher. He’s pushed it back so many times, and bragged that he got so much without a deal or an album, that now that he’s putting out an album. “What you gon’ do next?” is the only appropriate question.

I’ll just come out and say it, Drake needs to sell more albums in his first week than, “Tha Carter III.” Period, end of story. If he can’t do that, then he failed, he did not meet his expectations. Let me be clear, The Carter III album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 1,005,545 copies in its first week. If he doesn’t sell more than Tha Carter III, that’s not to say that he is not a success, it just means he didn’t meet expectations.

But those aren’t really realistic expectations, but that’s what the public has set forth. Here are some realistic expectations for Drake; The College Dropout, Kanye West’s first album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 441,000 copies in its first week. Maybe a better expectation, Get Rich or Die trying, 50 Cent’s first album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 872,000 copies in its first week. (#seewhatididthere)

I shouldn’t have to break it down the difference between Kanye and 50 Cent. Neither should I have to explain to you that backing down from your expectations now will be seen as cowardice behavior. But yeah, I put it out there and I’m sticking to it.

One last minor thought:

Drake causes us all to rethink the music industry and what it has become. As many of you know, his album was leaked on Tuesday and the internet has distributed it. I thought he signed a distribution deal with Universal. That definitely messed with their money. That’s neither here nor there, and my brief comments will be that as a member of the music industry, which Drake is… you can never condone piracy. You may still make your money on tour, but you need to be concerned with all the little people who make you great.

"RT @DrakkardNoir: I gave away free music for years so we're good over here...just allow it to be the soundtrack to your summer and ENJOY! JUNE 15th!”