After the recent debut of his poetry book, “Titles Ruin Everything: A Stream of Consciousness,” Drake took to Instagram on Thursday (June 29) to address the criticism he’s received from some poets. The Toronto musician expressed his nonchalance toward the backlash with a cryptic message and an image of the late Canadian sex educator Sue Johanson.
The Instagram Story captioned, “Randomly angry poets: blahagaggagegsvachjsksyavsvvehevehebwgabvqvqqvwvwv.”
Co-authored with Kenza Samir, the unusual literary endeavor sparked debate within the literary world. Notably, award-winning writer Hanif Abdurraqib discussed his first impressions with Complex while offering a less-than-favorable review.
“I’m not keen on gatekeeping what is or isn’t ‘poetry,’” Abdurraqib said. “However, none of these [poems] strike me as poems, as they’re not pushing against the unknown to offer something revealing or beautiful.” He suggested that some of Drizzy’s work edges toward absurdist humor, albeit unintentionally.
While the artist may have been hoping for a more encouraging response, Abdurraqib wasn’t alone in his critique. Houston writer Aria Kian added to the critique by characterizing the book as “a goldmine of mediocre mic drops.”
Luckily, not everyone shared this perspective. Long-time collaborator DJ Khaled showed his support for Drake’s new venture by exclaiming, “The boy different. The minute you think you figured out the boy, the man writes a book.”
In the wake of this literary controversy, Drake hinted that his next musical project will be an album provisionally titled For All the Dogs. According to the official website for his book, he wrote the LP to accompany the book, which further fueled speculation about the crossover between his literature and music.
The book follows Drake’s 2022 solo effort Honestly, Nevermind as well as his collaborative project with 21 Savage titled Her Loss. The two rappers are currently on the road for their “It’s All A Blur Tour” with stops in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and several others.
Although some see it as a marketing ploy for his upcoming album, others argue it’s an earnest endeavor to explore poetry.
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