Life Lessons From Drake That Young Rappers Can Learn From

With nearly 15 years in the game, Drake has plenty of experience to pass on to the next generation of rappers on the come up. Even he’s been bestowed with some sage advice from rap greats throughout his career.

On their second collaboration, “Light Up,” in 2010, Jay-Z offered Drake, who had assumed the mantle of rap’s designated Next Up at the time, some words of wisdom about navigating the music industry.

“Drake, here’s how they gon’ come at you/With silly rap feuds, trying to distract you/In disguise, in the form of a favor/The Barzini meeting, watch for the traitors,” Hov raps on the song from Drake’s debut album, Thank Me Later.

More than 10 years into his stint as a rap superstar, Drizzy’s in a position to impart his own wisdom to a new generation of rappers. Depending on how you look at it, he’s been doing so the whole time. He’s unloaded enough Instagram caption-worthy bars to last a lifetime. While time can make anything sound cliché after a while, and some bars hit more than others, there are definitely some meaningful gems to extract from Drizzy’s catalog—especially if you’re a young rapper.

Drizzy’s turned his projects into diaries for the successes and pitfalls of fame. His melodic, introspective lyrics aren’t always in the form of advice, but they can be extrapolated and used as lesson plans for Rap Stardom 101.

On songs like 2014’s “0 to 100/The Catch Up,” Drizzy offers up some jewels about self-reliance. “Since my dad used to tell me/He was comin’ to the house to get m/He ain’t show up/Valuable lesson, man, I had to grow up/That’s why I never ask for help/I’ll do it for you niggas and do it for myself,” Drizzy raps on the track.

Drake’s got many more bars like the ones above, and all of them double as life lessons the 6ix God can share with a younger generation of rappers. Today (ahead of when he decides to share a confirmed release date for his new Certified Lover Boy album), XXL takes a look at life lessons from drake that young rappers can learn from. Peep the wisdom for yourself below.