The Revolution of the Broskis
In mid 2018 the famous lyricist and poet 6ix9ine released the video for Gotti, with groundbreaking visuals and superb sound mixing. However I want to point to an aspect that got a lot of attention too, the second part of the music video, where he hands out hundred dollar bills to the community, raising awareness to the growing wealth gap. This was widely praised as the behavior of a true philanthropist, however I don’t think enough people pay enough attention to the video that inspired this: God’s Plan.
Six months earlier, the king of rap, which became famous for the critically acclaimed television show Drake & Josh released his best work to date. He goes by his moniker “Drake” and those 5 letters are enough to recognize who we’re talking about here. One of the most versatile artists of all time, he rose through the ranks getting praise from the all time greats of Hip Hop: Tupac, Logic, Nav and many many more. I can very easily imagine Biggie dabbing as the beat drops in God’s Plan, if only he were alive. RIP Biggie.
The way in which Drake crafts his music doesn’t get enough praise and it is easily dismissed as mainstream “bro music” and that’s why I decided to write this love letter to my favorite song: God’s Plan.
I think it was Albert Einstein that once said “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. And to have your work imitated by one of the greats of the new rap game, is no joke. For those who are not familiar with Drake’s music video, it starts with the iconic city of Miami, Florida. We hear a couple of residents talking to the camera, we listen to their stories, and then the surprise comes. Drake is giving out all the money in the music video’s budget to the community. We see him getting people cars, mountains of cash, and lots of hugs.
The video is a middle finger to Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and the wealth hoarders. Actually Bernie has repeatedly said that this very video inspired him to go for a second presidency run on 2020. The video is a work of art and will forever be remembered as a symbol of revolution. I can see in a couple of years people using Drake’s Scorpion album art side to side with the image of Che Guevara symbolizing the beginning of the revolution.
However, Drake’s true artistic soul is not shown to its full potential until you take a look at the lyrics. Which are hidden behind an almost angelical and peaceful beat. As we’re about to find, there is darkness behind this beat. In other words, there is no peace for a revolutionary like Drake.
There’s a certain je-ne-sais-quoi about Drake rhyming “with me” and “for me” for the first lines in the song. It really shows how he’s not afraid to think outside of the box and break previously established norms. A true revolutionary. He then proceeds to pay homage to one of his main influences, Ernest Hemingway, by having crisp, polished sentences, that go straight to the point with lines like “Don’t pull up at 6am to cuddle with me.” Crisp, concise, elegant, simply the GOAT.
He pulls another Hemingway almost immediately after that with “I don't wanna die for them to miss me.” With a single catchy line, he embraces mortality. He knows the world loves him, but he wants to transcend past material love and go down in history while he’s still alive. He knows that God has a plan for him, but where can he find God to tell him about this plan? We’ll get back to this in a minute.
Many people don’t think about the themes that Drake carries throughout the song, though. A nuanced critique on religion and free will. With lines like “I feel good sometimes I don’t (ayy don’t).” He truly shows how he surrenders to God’s will, accepting his fate (feeling good and sometimes not (ayy not)), with no fear. He is clearly influenced by Albert Camus’s work The Myth of Sisyphus. Even without any control over one’s fate, we must accept and embrace it. One must imagine Drake happy. This is subtly emphasized by the easily missed ad-lib “ayy don’t” which feels like an afterthought, but it is perfectly crafted such that the listener can dance to their own miserable destiny. Drake almost hypnotizes the listener into a subdued state, in which we are able to find joy in harsh truths.
Drake then drops the metaphysical line throughout the song, notably in the intro “There’s a lot of bad things that they wishing they wishing they wishing they wishing on me.” This comes as a wonderfully crafted foundation on which the next line is built. You see, Drake is a troubled man, a man that time and again, faces incredible challenges, yet he always overcomes. He has built himself to overcome any challenge but it comes at a price, he has lost part of himself. The part which allows him to feel, the human part of him, gone forever. “She says do you love me I tell her only partly I only love my bed and my momma.” Drake has sold his soul to the devil. Once you get a hold of this, you can truly understand the lovecraftian nightmare in which he lives every day. He is only able to find peace outside of the realm of consciousness (bed) and he constantly seeks to go hide back where he came from (momma’s womb) just to escape this cruel world. And he subtly acknowledges all of this in his next heartbreaking line: “I’m sorry.”
Also, addressing the previous unanswered question, notice that drakes only says he loves his bed and his momma. He doesn’t mention the broskis. A lot of philosophers have discussed the implications of this, but I think I have found the right answer. He doesn’t mention the broskis, because he IS the broskis. He said it best himself: “Without 40, Oli, there'd be no me. ‘Magine if I never met the broskis.” His broskis, in this case, represented by 40 and Oli, are what make him Drake. This is without a doubt, the most profound line about gratitude anyone has written in decades.
In the end, God’s plan is the perfect embodiment of what Drake represents, a revolutionary that sold his soul to the devil in a quest for success. A tortured but grateful and self aware genius. He truly sacrificed his life for the sins of hip hop. The one true savior that understands that fame and money come and go, but the broskis stay with you for life. The only place where one can truly find God is in the broskis.
