Recovered from a dumpster, a teenaged Drake's lyrics will now sell for $20K
Highlights from the young bard's rediscovered journals include an early version of "Come Winter," a track off Drake's debut mixtape Room For Improvement
Being a Certified Love Boy like Aubrey Graham—better known to most of the world as Drake—involves a few central tenets. Save every single engagement ring, play like you’re on the professional team, and, from an early age, write it all out.
A new discovery from the depths of a dumpster behind Drake’s uncle’s furniture factory in Memphis proves that final major principle has always been a part of the rapper’s life. The dumpster ended up containing pages from a young Drake’s journals, according to TMZ, laden with early lyrics, and even the name and phone number of someone named Sylvia (the woman behind one of those “Previous Engagements,” perhaps?)
The Moments In Time auction house plans to sell the pages of handwritten lyrics to any bidder who can meet a $20,000 price point. Throughout the lyrics, some of Drake’s skillful early flows (and sad-boy themes) shine through. “I know I’m just one man/ but so is god/ So I peek over the clouds and hustle when times get hard,” one verse reads.
Later in the same track, Drake muses on some of his early insecurities, including his hair and struggles with poverty. “Plates passed around for collection/ Raising money for cheap cellphones with no reception/ Receiving multiple citations in a zone / A feeling of emptiness like you vacationing alone,” he writes, describing a very different year of his life than 2022, when he saw two albums go No. 1 and was the third most-streamed artist of the year. “Trying to bottle these troubled private school tough nailers/ Custom uniform matches my multi-colored Chuck Taylor’s/ Maryland Terrapin lessons and therapist sessions/ Have me trimming my fro after hair and obsession.”
One of the highlights from the rediscovered pages: “Come Spring,” an early version of the track “Come Winter” off of his debut mixtape, Room For Improvement. The track comes off a bit more player than lover boy, boasting lyrics like: “At the end of that we cut when the cameras rolling/ We had ladies hearts always get damaged or stolen/ But this summer is different it’s a two man operation.” So he wasn’t always yearning for someone’s hand in marriage—call it the duality of Drizzy.