A Drake Lexicon Of Important Fan Terms

Aubrey "Drake" Graham might know himself, but, sometimes, it is really difficult to know what Drake is saying. Or rather, what he MEANS by what he's saying. Though many of Drake lyrics are universal sentiments, or paint a clear narrative that's easy to follow, like all great rappers, Drake has a lexicon of his own, and, though you might think you know what he means when he says he's running through the six with his woes, you might also have no idea what the heck he's on about.

Sure, we can get into the question of artistic intent, and, yes, Drake is a very relatable Rapper of the People — he knows that, even though he started from the bottom, it's also lonely at the top. And, as with all great art, you can interpret Drake lyrics however you want to. But to accurately interpret the texts and contextualize them through your own critical lens, I would argue that you have to know what the original meanings of the words are. Besides, Drake is a storyteller, and don't you want to know exactly what he means when he says that he's running through the six with his woes?

In light of that, I present you with a dictionary of Drake terms, so you can brush up before Views From The 6 drops (someday).

On One

In DJ Khaled's appropriately-titled "On One," Drake sings the fire hook "all I care about is money and the city that I'm from," and then goes on to talk about all the substances he partakes in. "On one" is a pretty obvious term; the "one" Drake refers to is whatever vice he chooses. It varies and, as he says later in his verse, it could be purple, or it could be pink.

Woes

You'd think that the connection is simple: Drake is a very Sad Boy. In case you've been asleep for like five years, that's his brand. So "woes" seems like Drake is just talking about all his trials and tribulation of dealing with fakes and girls that just don't get him and disappointing his mama. And these are all true, but this one does double duty. Devonteé, a rapper from Toronto that is associated with OVO, Drake's label, told Noisey that woe stood for "working on excellence." Drake is always trying to up his game, and it would make sense that, even in the middle of the night when all the world's asleep, he's busy trying to write another banger, trying to live up to the legend that he is. That's a woe fo sho.

The 6

Drake is the 6 G-O-D, and that doesn't mean he's the devil. The 6 refers to Toronto, where Drake was raised, and where he ran through with his aforementioned woes and probably still does. It's an homage to the city's two area codes, 416 and 647.

OVO

Drake's very own label! OVO Sound was formed by Drake and Noah "40" Shebib in 2012, in Toronto, of course. The label released Drake's Nothing Was The Same, and also ILoveMakonnen's EP, among others. We can thank OVO Sound for the incredible remix of "Tuesday."

Jimmy

Well, if you have had your head under a rock for about the last decade or so, you might not know that, before he was Drake, Aubrey Graham played the iconic and tragic Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen soap opera Degrassi: The Next Generation. The show is about a group of students attending Degrassi High. Whatever it takes, Drake knows he can make it through. He gives shout outs to Jimmy all the damn time; on If You're Reading This It's Too Late, he reminds us that he used to pay his mama's mortgage with his television earnings, but he had visions of his rapper life since he was playing Jimmy Brooks.

YOLO

If you have to ask, you'll never know. JK, who doesn't know that YOLO means you only live once? It's become so played out, that Drake apologized for the term. He's honest, he makes mistakes, he'll be the second to admit it, and that's why he's so lovable. And, now that you're up to speed on your Drake lingo, you can truly call yourself a superfan.

Images: Giphy (6)