Drake has always been a magnet for attention. His strange journey took him from teenage fame Degrassi to the blockbuster rap stars. In 2024, his beef with Kendrick Lamar exploded into one of the biggest hip-hop beefs of all time. They went from zero to 100 real quickly, sending deadly insults and accusations back and forth. But he's also pop icon Drake, the certified lover who sings emo ballads like the 2015 classic “Hotline Bling.”
On Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, Drake scored three songs: “Hold On, We're Coming Home” at #129, “Take Care” featuring Rihanna at #269, and “Hotline Bling” at #373. . He goes full-on Quiet Storm mode for “Hotline Bling,” mixing up an ex who's doing just fine without him now that she's wearing less and going out more. It became a Number Two hit, and has never left the radio since.
“Hotline Bling” is Aubrey Graham the soft-spoken R&B singer — but it came out when he was hard at work building his rap cult. In 2015, he surprised everyone with his thoroughbred moves If you're reading this, it's too late, then dusted off Meek Mill in one of the great rap battles of the century. He also teamed up with Future for their quick collaboration, What a time to be alive. When “Hotline Bling” dropped, it felt like a victory lap—after a year of hip-hop flex, he felt confident enough to sing his most vulnerable soul ballad.
Apparently, in 2024, Drake is in a completely different place. Lately he hasn't been in his feelings about his ex's vacation photos. Instead, he's caught in a rap beef of historic proportions. He and Kendrick have been firing diss records at each other since March, from Drake's “Push Ups” to K-Dot's “Euphoria.” Within minutes of Drake dropping “Family Matters,” Kendrick hastily responded “Meet the Grahams.” But Drake couldn't come back from his “Not Like Us” knockout. The battle appears to be over now, but many experts are calling it a devastating L for Aubrey. Drake going up against Kendrick is a world away from the R&B smoothie of “Hotline Bling.” Or is he? The question is: does this beef mark the end of an era for Drake? Or does it mean the end of Drake?
In this week's episode The Rolling Stones 500 best songs, hosts Rob Sheffield and Brittany Spanos discuss Drake's career, “Hotline Bling” and the Kendrick beef. They're joined by fellow luminary Jeff Ihaza to talk about “Hotline Bling” and its place in Drake history. Jeff breaks down the context of Drake's hip-hop status in 2015 and how that affected the way people heard “Hotline Bling.”
in 2004, Rolling rock released his list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Drawn from a massive vote involving artists, industry figures and critics, the list has been a source of discussion, inspiration and controversy for two decades. It is one of the most popular, influential and controversial features the magazine has ever done.
So we set out to make it even bigger, better and fresher. In 2021, we completely overhauled our 500 song listwith a whole new batch of voters from across the musical map. Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs takes a closer look at the entries on our list. Produced in partnership with iHeart, Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs finds Brittany and Rob discussing a new song each week, delving into its history and impact with the help of a special guest — including fellow RS colleagues, producers and the artists themselves. It's our celebration of the best songs we've ever made — and a breakdown of what makes them so great.
Watch the latest episode above, at iHeartor wherever you get your podcasts and look for new episodes every Wednesday.
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