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<v Speaker 1>Yo, what's up? Music heads? Welcome back to Crash Course

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<v Speaker 1>Pod and I'm your host ash Tone. After we went

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<v Speaker 1>deep on Stevie Wonder, shout out to you guys for

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<v Speaker 1>making that our most listened to episode ever, I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to pivot. We've been talking about legends and their prime

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<v Speaker 1>Stevie Wonder, Phil Collins, but today I want to go

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<v Speaker 1>back to the beginning of a legacy. How did this

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<v Speaker 1>come about? Well, I actually re listened to this album

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<v Speaker 1>mixtape last summer, like in August, and I wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>do an episode then and I scratched it, and then

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<v Speaker 1>it's been popping up in my head a lot recently.

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<v Speaker 1>So here we are. So we're hitting to six think

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<v Speaker 1>Baggy Jeans, MySpace Top eights and a kid from Toronto

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<v Speaker 1>named Aubrey Graham trying to shed the TV actor skin.

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<v Speaker 1>We're talking about Room for Improvement. Listening to Room for

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<v Speaker 1>Improvement circa summer twoenty twenty five or even now in

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty six, it's super nostalgic, it's raw and honestly

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<v Speaker 1>it's the soul sampling drake that most people missed a lot.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's get into it. Let's talk about the sound.

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<v Speaker 1>If you're a fan of that warm, chopped up soul production,

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<v Speaker 1>this tape is the Holy Grill. Even though he was

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<v Speaker 1>a kid from Cannon, he was obsessed with the North

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<v Speaker 1>Carolina sound. Think Nice Wonder and Little Brother. You hear

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<v Speaker 1>it on tracks like AM two Pm and Thrill Is Gone.

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<v Speaker 1>The beats aren't stadium anthems. They're dusty, soulful and intimate.

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<v Speaker 1>And the flow it's high effort. He's rapping like he's

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<v Speaker 1>got a point to prove. He hasn't found that effortless

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<v Speaker 1>melodic drawl yet. But he's hitting every syllable using heavy punchlines.

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<v Speaker 1>And you can hear the Loop a Fiasco influence all

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<v Speaker 1>over the cadences. It's the sound of a student studying

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<v Speaker 1>the masters, and it's not just Loop a Fiasco. If

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<v Speaker 1>I had to describe the sound of this tape to

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<v Speaker 1>someone who's never heard it, I tell them to imagine

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<v Speaker 1>a melting pot of the grates. It's got that diggable

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<v Speaker 1>planet's jazz cool and that late nineties Brooklyn grit. It

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<v Speaker 1>sounds like Loopa and Bob had a baby in Toronto.

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<v Speaker 1>There's even a bit of that early Mac Miller easy

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<v Speaker 1>Mac energy. Just a kid and his friends making music

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<v Speaker 1>in a bedroom, not realizing they're about to shift the culture.

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<v Speaker 1>It's conscious, its backpack and incredibly nostalgic. Okay, so now

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<v Speaker 1>for the music nerds, did you know that Room Improvement?

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<v Speaker 1>Room for Improvement almost didn't happen. Drake actually had an

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<v Speaker 1>entire other debut project recorded before this, but in a

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<v Speaker 1>total two thousand and five nightmare, the computer it was

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<v Speaker 1>on got a virus and crashed. I wonder if they

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<v Speaker 1>were downloading from frost wire or LimeWire. Anyways, it crashed

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<v Speaker 1>and everything was gone. Room for Improvement was actually the

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<v Speaker 1>plan B. He linked up with DJ Small, the Southern

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<v Speaker 1>smoke legend, to host it. So if you're new here

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<v Speaker 1>back in the day, it was like a huge credibility

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<v Speaker 1>if a DJ hosted your mixtape. So think about it.

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<v Speaker 1>A kid from Toronto getting a major Florida DJ to

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<v Speaker 1>co sign his tape. It was a genius move to

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<v Speaker 1>get us ears on the project. They sold it as

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<v Speaker 1>a retail mixtape and get this, Drake's first ever rap

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<v Speaker 1>paycheck from this tape was about three hundred dollars maybe

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<v Speaker 1>three hundred and four dollars from six thousand copies sold

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<v Speaker 1>out of a trunk to millions today, literally from my

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<v Speaker 1>trunk too, I don't know. To the millions, I don't know,

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<v Speaker 1>But that's actually humble beginnings at its finest. That's the energy.

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<v Speaker 1>While he did sell those six thousand copies, it's worth

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<v Speaker 1>noting he was selling them for ten dollars each at

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<v Speaker 1>the time, or so I heard, and the three hundred

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<v Speaker 1>figure is actually what he had left over in his

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<v Speaker 1>pocket after paying back the production costs and the DJ's

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<v Speaker 1>smallest feme. It's a great humble beginning detail, if I

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<v Speaker 1>do say so myself. So how did the world take

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<v Speaker 1>it in two thousand and six? The reception was complicated.

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<v Speaker 1>I was there. I know I personally loved it because

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<v Speaker 1>I liked that Lupe Fiasco, Bob Digable Planets, jazzy hip

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<v Speaker 1>hop sound, late nineties Brooklyn rap scene. I liked that

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<v Speaker 1>type of vibe. So I loved it, and most everybody

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<v Speaker 1>in my circle would clown me for it. But a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of the music heads liked it too, So if

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<v Speaker 1>the mainstream people kind of turned their noses up, but

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of the underground people loved it. But anyways,

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<v Speaker 1>outside of my own personal experiences, how did everyone else

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<v Speaker 1>take it well. In Toronto, rumor has it that people

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<v Speaker 1>were skeptical they saw quote unquote Jimmy Brooks from Degrassi,

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<v Speaker 1>they didn't see a rapper. But on the underground forums

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<v Speaker 1>people were losing it. See see I know my stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I know my stuff. He was the first guy to

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<v Speaker 1>really bridge that sensitive soul vibe with real bars. It

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't an overnight hit, but it set the stage. It

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<v Speaker 1>gave him the confidence to know that he didn't need

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<v Speaker 1>the TV show anymore. He just needed the booth. It

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<v Speaker 1>was a great looking back on it, it's a great

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<v Speaker 1>introduction into the music scene in my opinion. So for

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<v Speaker 1>those of you that know nothing about it, I get

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<v Speaker 1>your pants, get your papers, because we are going to

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<v Speaker 1>list some of the songs you should listen to. So

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<v Speaker 1>you need to listen to the intro. It sets that dusty,

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<v Speaker 1>classic hip hop tone right out of the gate. My

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<v Speaker 1>favorite beat selection track is City is Mine. It's a

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<v Speaker 1>sample of a sample. And he was paying homage to

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<v Speaker 1>jay Z, who was paying homage to the Miami vice aesthetic,

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<v Speaker 1>all while trying to claim Toronto. So jay Z was

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<v Speaker 1>claiming New York and Drake was claiming Toronto quick note.

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<v Speaker 1>The City Is Mine track is essentially the birth of

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<v Speaker 1>the Drake and boy Wonda partnership. It's a duo that

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<v Speaker 1>eventually went on to run the charts for over a decade.

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<v Speaker 1>So boy Wanda didn't just stumble onto this sound. It

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<v Speaker 1>was a calculated move to flip the Glenn Frey you

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<v Speaker 1>Belong to the City sample, and so by doing this

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<v Speaker 1>he directly referenced Jay Z's The City His Mind from

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<v Speaker 1>ninety seven. It was boy Wanda's way of giving Drake

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<v Speaker 1>a New York legend foundation while they were sitting in

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<v Speaker 1>the bedroom of Toronto. So most of the room for

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<v Speaker 1>improvement has that Dusty knighte Wonder inspired Boo Bap feel.

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<v Speaker 1>City Is Mind feels different, It's cleaner. It has that

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<v Speaker 1>mid tempo eighties inspired synth sene that eventually became the

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<v Speaker 1>blueprint for the Toronto sound. Boy Wanda has mentioned in

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<v Speaker 1>interviews that while others were giving Drake conscious slow beats,

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<v Speaker 1>he wanted to bring the tempo up. He wanted something

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<v Speaker 1>that could play in a club or a car, or

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<v Speaker 1>even if it was just at a local Toronto spot.

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<v Speaker 1>And you got to mention that boy Wanda was about

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen or nineteen at the time, working primarily on fl

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<v Speaker 1>studio fruity loops. According to what I heard, so the

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<v Speaker 1>beat wasn't made in a million dollar studio. It was

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<v Speaker 1>made with stock sounds and clever sampling in a home setup.

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<v Speaker 1>But anyways, they met and as soon as he heard

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<v Speaker 1>Drake rap over his beats, he knew that Drake was

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<v Speaker 1>the best local guy he'd ever heard in their rest

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<v Speaker 1>is history. So they both actually went on to do

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<v Speaker 1>big things in life. So that's a good song. I

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<v Speaker 1>love the beat of that song, perfect beat selection and

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<v Speaker 1>basically Aubrey's claim in the sixth before the world even

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<v Speaker 1>knew his name. Then you have am to PM A

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people like that one. Next thrill is Gone.

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<v Speaker 1>You need to check that one out, bad meaning good.

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<v Speaker 1>Check that one out. It shows his early connection to

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<v Speaker 1>Southern rap culture despite his Toronto roots. The next one

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<v Speaker 1>I like is a Scorpio's Mind. I think the song

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<v Speaker 1>samples Don't Stop Loving Me Now by LTD featuring Jeffrey Osborne.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a classic nineteen seventy seven soul track. If I'm wrong,

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<v Speaker 1>correct me, but I think that's what it samples. The

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<v Speaker 1>first real look into His emotional psyche is on this song.

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<v Speaker 1>If you listen to Sorry for the interruption, but anyways,

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<v Speaker 1>if you listen to a Scorpio's Mind, you'll notice it

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<v Speaker 1>almost feels like a lost tahalib Queeli chat. In my opinion,

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<v Speaker 1>it's got that raucous record's backpack energy. Drake is really

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<v Speaker 1>focused on the craft here, trying to prove he belongs

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<v Speaker 1>in the conversation with the other conscious greats. The next

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<v Speaker 1>one is str e ss stress. I forgot what it

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<v Speaker 1>stands for. Maybe I'll look it up. But anyways, if

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<v Speaker 1>you want to hear the moment Drake stopped being Jimmie Brooks,

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<v Speaker 1>listen to Stress. I'm gonna just say it like that.

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<v Speaker 1>He's doing something here he rarely does. Today. He's talking

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<v Speaker 1>about race and class head on. He's got that line

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<v Speaker 1>about how rich families use Filipino and black nannies to

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<v Speaker 1>raise their kids while they chase checks. It's sharp, it's observant,

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<v Speaker 1>and it shows that he was paying attention to the

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<v Speaker 1>world around him. He also drops this black and Jewish line,

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<v Speaker 1>which became a signature part of his identity, even with

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<v Speaker 1>his mentor or I'll say mentor, but co conspirator on

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<v Speaker 1>the album or mixtape Nicholas F. On the track, Drake

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<v Speaker 1>is the one who really commands the energy here. He's stressed,

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<v Speaker 1>he's hungry, and he's ready to blow. In fact, Nicholas

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<v Speaker 1>F is the most frequent collaborator on this tape. He's

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<v Speaker 1>basically Drake's lyrical mentor during the mid two thousands. So

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<v Speaker 1>he appears on money remix, am to PM Escorpio's Mind

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<v Speaker 1>and Stress. So he's like just a little history. He

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<v Speaker 1>was a Virginia Battle rap legend and Drake actually, according

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<v Speaker 1>to my sources, I don't know if this for sure,

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<v Speaker 1>but used to fly him out to Toronto just to

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<v Speaker 1>soak up his pen game and so yeah, the rest

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<v Speaker 1>is history. Of course, we can't talk about this tape

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<v Speaker 1>without mentioning Caick Push. Drake didn't just cover the song.

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<v Speaker 1>He got loup A Fiasco on the remix. Think about

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<v Speaker 1>the flex. Though, you're an unsigned kid from Toronto and

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<v Speaker 1>you're sharing a track with the leader of the new

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<v Speaker 1>school of conscious rap. It fits that Scorpio's mind energy perfectly.

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<v Speaker 1>It's smooth, it's melodic, and it shows that Drake wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>just chasing radio hits. He wanted to be respected as

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<v Speaker 1>a lyricist by lyricists. So if you want a snapshot

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<v Speaker 1>of what two thousand and six felt like, this is it.

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<v Speaker 1>This remix. Over all, the jazzy feel of Room for

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<v Speaker 1>Improvement was actually, in my opinion, a rebellious movie at

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<v Speaker 1>the time. Why do I say that because in two

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<v Speaker 1>thousand and six the radio was dominated by snap music

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<v Speaker 1>and krunk. So if you weren't around during that time,

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<v Speaker 1>think Lo John, think Dem Franchise Boys, think Soldier Boy.

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<v Speaker 1>So by choosing these vibes, the Tali Kueely, Digaboo Planets,

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<v Speaker 1>Nineties Brooklyn jazzy flow meets hip hop vibes, Drake and

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<v Speaker 1>Boy Wanda and Loupe Fiasco even were Oh and Nicholas

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<v Speaker 1>f were actually in a way rebelling from the mainstream.

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<v Speaker 1>That's kind of what I believe. They were basically saying,

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<v Speaker 1>we don't care what's on the radio. We're doing this

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<v Speaker 1>for the music heads. And that's the beauty of Room

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<v Speaker 1>for Improvement. It's not perfect, but the hunger is unmatched.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a time capsule of a version of Drake that

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<v Speaker 1>was just happy to be in the conversation and that

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<v Speaker 1>rapped like he had a point to prove. If you

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<v Speaker 1>haven't gone back and listened to a Scorpio's Mind or

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<v Speaker 1>City Is Mind lately, do yourself a favor and hit

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<v Speaker 1>that play button. It's pure nostalgia. Also, you need to

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<v Speaker 1>listen to a M. Two pm and stress, So that's

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<v Speaker 1>gonna do it for this episode of Room for Improvement.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a real nostalgic listen. It defines what two thousand

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<v Speaker 1>and six is about for me. Despite the snap rop,

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<v Speaker 1>it was the ushering end of the newer sounds, the

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<v Speaker 1>newer hip hop youngins of that scene. So thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>tuning in. All the details for more entertainment is down below. Bye.