Check out an excerpt from Questlove of The Roots for his Vibe Cover story article where he talks about they hype surrounding newcomer Drake.

As a hip-hop fan what is your take on the hype surrounding Drake?
I’m excited about anybody really just keeping the flame of hip-hop alive. It’s really weird because Drake tells me, “Yo, when I was 12-years-old I snuck into the Opera House to see y’all.” And I remember the exact show he was talking about when Rahzel first started doing his solos. I was like Wow. Who would know that 20 years ago hip-hop’s future was in the audience watching a show that he snuck into see without paying [laughs]. And that show would have some sort of affect on his life? And I know jokingly brothers are like Drake represents the light-skin revenge movement that Al B. Sure fans have been waiting for. But I’m really excited about the kid. One, he has range. He sings and he rhymes and no one questions his lyrical dexterity.

But of course there are folks who say that Drake singing isn’t true hip-hop.
But his singing doesn’t come off as corny. It’s actually welcomed. Singers are an endangered species. But what Drake is doing is something entirely new. I just hope he’s able to focus and get past the pressure of having that weight on his shoulders. Because there have been a lot of MC’s that have had that Ah, this is the future of hip-hop. A lot of the mavericks of hip-hop have gotten there without that hype. It wasn’t like when Reasonable Doubt came out we knew this guy Jay-Z was going to be God MC. Even Biggie’s beginnings were humble. He wasn’t pegged as a savior.

Tagged as: Cover Story, Drake, Drummer, How I Got Over, Questlove, Thank Me Later, The Roots, VIBE