A Chat with Dionne Osborne, the Vocal Coach Who Changed Drake's Style
November 20, 2014 5:04 AM   Subscribe

What I found in those recordings was that he has the most comfortable voice. It wasn't showy, and it had a very nice tone: it sounded so conversational. He wasn't singing at you, but singing to you. A lot of singers overdo it, try to bombast you, but Drake doesn't. And the average person can sing Drake's songs, and that's part of what they love.
posted by ellieBOA (16 comments total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've never been much interested in Drake, but this interview turned the tide; there's a lot of sweetness in those anecdotes.
posted by redsparkler at 6:52 AM on November 20, 2014


This is a really great interview.
posted by josher71 at 6:57 AM on November 20, 2014


She sounds like a sweet lady and she seems to know her stuff but,"He understands the female psyche too, like no other rapper."? That sounds like fawning PR-speak.

There are a couple of Drake songs that I like but yeesh, the guy is such a poser. I'm not sure this Jezebel piece is going to do his so-called street cred any favors. Maybe he's trying to dial back from his attempts to act all Chris Brown hard and move more solidly into the R&B genre where he probably best belongs.

Comedian Chris D'Elia does a standup bit on Drake. Parts 1 and 2. (nsfw)
posted by fuse theorem at 7:20 AM on November 20, 2014


his so-called street cred

Are we talking about the same Drake? Reducing his schtick to attempted "street cred" shows a stunning lack of understanding of Drake and his music. That's like, one percent of what Drake is about.
posted by acidic at 8:08 AM on November 20, 2014 [5 favorites]


i've only recently come around on drake - but damn do i love his corny ass.
posted by nadawi at 8:14 AM on November 20, 2014


Are we talking about the same Drake? Reducing his schtick to attempted "street cred" shows a stunning lack of understanding of Drake and his music. That's like, one percent of what Drake is about.

A "stunning lack"? Geez, this is a wannabe rapper and singer we're talking about, not world hunger.

Whatever, I initially had put "street cred" in quotes but then I wondered if someone would take offense at that so I took them out before posting. Can't win either way, I guess.

Drake needs more cowbells
posted by fuse theorem at 8:22 AM on November 20, 2014


I'm still surprised that he doesn't still sound like this. Jimmy 4eva!! <3
posted by amarynth at 8:22 AM on November 20, 2014


> "But then again, if you don't know what you're doing, you do need three other dudes to do it along with you."
posted by benito.strauss at 8:23 AM on November 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


man, if that's the kind of money a wannabe rapper pulls in, sign me up!
posted by nadawi at 8:45 AM on November 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm not crazy about Drake's music, but after his Bar Mitzvah-related opening sketch on Saturday Night Live, he can do no wrong.

And, speaking as a former opera singer, I reiterate what I've said on previous threads - every kind of singer can benefit from proper vocal technique.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 9:32 AM on November 20, 2014 [2 favorites]


That sounds like fawning PR-speak.

Ehh, I think it's more that there's a subset of people in arts/entertainment who are just relentlessly positive and gush a lot about people they've worked with. I've known people like that, and sure, you definitely need to pour on the salt, but I think it's often sincere (and can be charming, in moderation anyway).
posted by en forme de poire at 10:51 AM on November 20, 2014


Great interview, very very accurate about how terrible most rappers are live. Say what you want about Drake--he's a solid performer and a pro.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:44 PM on November 20, 2014


fuse theorem: "A "stunning lack"? Geez, this is a wannabe rapper and singer we're talking about, not world hunger. "

If someone said "Star Wars, what's that? Never heard of it.", I would be stunned, but that doesn't mean that I think Star Wars is on par with world hunger or even what I'm going to eat for dinner today. It's just a word which is colloquially used to mean "really, really surprising".
posted by Bugbread at 4:19 PM on November 20, 2014


I can't sing for shit so this isn't a factor in my life, but I find it intimidating all of the things one is supposed to be doing to coddle their voice, even if you're a "rapper" (or not). I'm not exactly a coddler, so maybe my lack of singing voice is all for the best?
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:02 PM on November 20, 2014


Don't criticize Drake on Metafilter. Okay, got it.
posted by fuse theorem at 1:06 AM on November 26, 2014


Lol. Yeah, watch out, someone might disagree with you.
posted by en forme de poire at 6:55 PM on November 27, 2014 [3 favorites]


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