One of the most skilled artists of the 21st century, Drake, known for his beats and lyrics primarily as a rapper. “Red Button” by Drake off of”For All The Dogs Scary Hours Edition,” is different from his usual striking rap songs. Greeted first with voices of young women harmonizing, and met skillfully with a soft rap, more of a conversation sort of approach to lyrics.
First he sort of compares himself to the other rappers he’s up against, and broadens it to musicians in general. He creates this distance between himself and other people, and goes to comment on how he’s been betrayed but still protects himself, AND those that have wronged him. He offers this inside view of his mind and how he is viewed by others while offering his responses and actions. Drake really calls and highlights the fact that despite the negative relationships, he can still be better than everyone, his success isn’t dependent on others. His ability to take various aspects of life and compare them and illustrate his experiences allows for the song to be just that more relatable. He creates an experience between him and the listener to really feel his feelings, and almost allows the listener to be immersed and feel as though they are on the same level as Drake. He highlights the fact that he himself is human, which a lot of people struggle with especially with celebrities. But those lyrics are just part of it.
The beat on “Red Button” is unmatched, he has nothing like it. And Drake himself is known for having good beats, vocals, and back up singers but this is unseen. Such an amazing collection of voices it has its own spot on Drake discography, as an instrumental. With aspects of old jazz, and blues but still being fresh and new. The shakiness of the harmony sort of allows the reader to feel the pain and suffering felt within Drake’s words. And the sort of pop that he has within the instrumental/song loop, where the harmonizing gets higher pitching and the drums sort of hit, and the subtle glass shatter he has within the song to highlight the breaking point. Which only furthers the words being said by Drake. The idea that he is breaking from this, but the instrumental is on a loop, showing that regardless of the break he comes back and he’s okay despite these betrayals.
Drake somehow was able to match his lyrics within the beat of the song and further the understanding of what the song is about. My favorite line has to be at 2:00 when he says, “I’ll fuckin-, I’ll fuckin-” because there’s a build up of what his words mean, theres a build up of what he’s saying. Like there’s more to be said but he has this control over what he wants to say versus what he needs to say. And I think the restraint adds to the overall idea of him being better than everyone because he’s not gonna let his emotions come over him.
“Red Button” is a beautiful mix of lyrics, personal connection, and a story of Drake. When picking a song to listen to on a late night drive, Red Button is my first choice, and should be a song to give a try.
