Many reasons have been given by hip-hop elitists and those with esoteric taste as to why Drake and the October’s Very Own collective are worthy of disdain: “They’re too soft.” “Drake is so sensitive; he’s always in his feelings.” “There’s too much posturing.” “They’re simply not that good.”
Maybe, at the end of the day, you don’t think Drake and the OVO crew are creative enough to have a seat at hip-hop’s big boy table. With the last jab, you’d probably be referring to Drake’s bars or summer 2015’s treacherous ghost-writing controversy. The last point of contention on your mind would be typefaces.
This past Friday, Drake dropped his “Scary Hours” EP.
For the most part, “Scary Hours” has been a joyous fan experience. Aubrey Graham’s one-liners are shaping up to make delicious Instagram posts — quite literally.
Baker and Drake aficionada @DrakeOnCake / Joy the Baker already whipped up a dessert to mark Drake’s return, quoting “God’s Plan.”
But not everyone was celebrating.
Causing quite the stir on Tuesday, producer Rabit [sic] called out the OVO team out for ripping off one of his old tour posters, designed by Collin Fletcher.
The similarity is cringe-inducing. Both pieces of art share vertical, off-white, sans serif fonts on a fuzzy black background, overlaid with an Old English typeface boasting a pop of color.
When reached for comment, Fletcher said in a statement to Pitchfork, “This is a story that too many artists, musicians, and designers identify with. Hopefully this results in a larger conversation about popular culture’s relationship to underground artists.”
According to Pitchfork, a source close to Drake claims OVO did not commission this design — they were just offered the final “Scary Hours” cover among some other designs to choose from.
What do you think? Is Drake biting Rabit’s style or did he simply breathe new life into an eye-catching design?
