Although many people have played a pivotal role in several aspects of my life, Drake and his music have impacted me the most and have made me who I am today. Aubrey Drake Graham, better known as Drake, is a renowned hip hop artist who has gained popularity through his heartfelt lyrics that address the adversities he faces in life, love, and family. Even though he struggles with issues faced by people of our society every day, it is his understanding and sanguine attitude that has made him the person whom I most admire.

But Drake has not always been a part of my life. When I was a young boy in middle school, I had never even heard of Drake. I attended a Catholic private school for fifteen years and was never once exposed to hip hop music. In private school, I would only listen to classical music. With classical music, I was able to escape from all the worries and problems of my world into a serene atmosphere that I called my “happy place.” For as long as I can remember, music has always been an integral part of my life. Music helped relieve my stress and listening to it created an outlet for me. However, as I grew older, my life drastically changed. I began to attend a public high school. This transition left me struggling to assimilate into an environment that I was not used to. As a Freshman, I was a naïve boy that was too shy to communicate with strangers, so there was no one that I could rely on or talk to. Through those weeks that I was trying to get use to this new atmosphere, I realized that classical music no longer had the same effect on me as it had in my middle school days. In middle school, with the support of my friends, I believed that I had the answers to everything. But, in high school, I had so many questions that could not be solved by classical music. And after a couple of months in high school, I frantically tried to find a type of music that could help me cope with my issues. I knew that I needed songs that not only contained music but had soulful lyrics that could help answer my questions. At first, I tried listening to hip hop songs, but I found it to be too provocative and boisterous for my liking. I had almost given up my search for a type of music that could inspire and offer me advices. It was not until I began to listen to Drake that I gradually learned to appreciate the culture of hip hop. The difference between Drake’s music from the other hip hop artists was that Drake’s lyrics were full of witty word play. His compositions contain metaphors that reach deep within the mind and soul to provoke one to think deeper, and the empathy evoked from the daily struggles depicted through Drake’s words is simply so touching and powerful that the general public can relate to him with the similar issues in their lives. Despite his wealth and fame, his lyrics portray him as an average person with the same problems that people in society endure on a daily basis. To others, his songs may appear redundant and his lyrics meaningless, but to me, his lyrics make me believe that “I could do better than good enough.” People may listen to his songs, but not many truly understand them. When I listen to his songs, I can relate to his problems, and I can feel his emotions being conveyed through his lyrics. Although I have never actually met Drake, I sometimes feel as if he were my alter-ego. Drake has taught me that when life gets difficult, there is always a way if there is a will. Furthermore, he taught me to “live without pretending” because who you are is what makes you unique. He is the reason that I am no longer the shy boy I once was, but I’m now, as Drake says, “the type to say a prayer and then go get what I just prayed for.”