Drake Made Me Realize I Was Old

“So Far Gone” and Hip-Hop’s Continuous Evolution

I can remember the exact moment when I realized that mainstream hip-hop had passed me by.

It was when I heard Drake’s So Far Gone.

Since its inception, hip-hop music has constantly evolved. It moved from its birthplace of the Bronx to other parts of the east coast, all the way to L.A., the south, and everywhere in between, the sound twisting and morphing, incorporating the vibe, slang, and attitude of each different locale.

As a child of the ’80s, I watched this progression play out and was one of the east coast kids that was just as enamored with Death Row as I was with Bad Boy. While I personally did not place Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and the Houston takeover of 2005 at the same level as I did Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep, I could still see the appeal of what they were doing. I understood why it resonated, particularly with fans from different areas of the map. It had always felt like a natural progression. All of it, from No Limit to Nelly, from Bone Thugs to Bonecrusher, still felt like it was part of the same genre of music.

In short, it still felt like rap.

So Far Gone didn’t.

Like most life-changing moments, I still remember exactly where I was when I first…