Drake, 'Nothing Was The Same' Tour Rapper, Dishes on Music & Being Labeled Emotional: 'It Bothers Me So Much' [VIDEO]
Drake wants criticism to stop regarding his use of emotional lyrics and tendency to vent in music about a failed relationship while expressing his desire for a new one.
During a video interview in his hometown of Toronto, which was posted online on Oct. 17, the Young Money artist opened up about being labeled an emotional rapper by his peers and fans.
"I'm 26 working as hard as I possibly can with my friend who I grew up with, making my family happy. I'm so sick of people saying I'm lonely and emotional and associating me with this longing for a woman. I hate that," the Started From the Bottom singer confessed. "It bothers me so much because...I do make music that makes you feel something [but] I'm actually not that guy in real life. I'm very happy.
"I'm not content by any means, I want to keep working, but I'm a happy person," the rapper added. "I'm very excited. My life is constantly exciting. It's not some sad, depressing story."
Listeners shouldn't mistake his honesty and transparency for weakness but rather see it as a form of "supreme confidence" that he's comfortable enough to talk about his personal experiences, according to the 26-year-old. He explained with frankness, "I'm just a human being willing to show you that I'm human."
"I don't know if it's a paradox or rare character trait, it's just that a lot of people will only show you the confident side, especially in music because the vulnerable side is like, 'I don't want to go there.' [But] I'm okay to go there," he said. "That to me is supreme confidence -- he fact that I can express the issues that I'm having with family, with women, or with self. The fact that I can express that to me is the ultimate confidence."
The type of confidence he talked about can have its downside in his opinion because it stops people from taking him seriously in some situations. Drake sometimes feels like he does not get "enough credit" or that he isn't "making a big enough impact because I'm not enough of a loose cannon in situations."
"People just want me to go off more and lose my composure and then that way I guess I would make more headlines or be more iconic. That's not me," he elaborated. "I'm a naturally poised individual. I don't just want to come out making mistakes."
Listen to the full interview below: