Drake famously called Kanye the 'most influential rapper' to his sound in a 2009 MTV interview.Ĩ08s & Heartbreak has significantly influenced more recent acts too. Otherwise, Kanye's transition into singing can be seen as the catalyst for Drake's crossover style: his album Take Care contains rap bangers like 'Under Ground Kings' and emotional singing performances such as the iconic, drunken heartbreak anthem 'Marvins Room'. Kanye also produced Drake's hit 2010 love song 'Find Your Love'. 'Say What's Real', a track on Drake's breakout mixtape So Far Gone, utilizes the instrumental to 808s' opener 'Say You Will'. Both 808s and Kanye himself can be seen as instrumental in Drake's work, some ways being rather direct. The self-proclaimed 'Certified Lover Boy' is no stranger to showing his softer side on his records and crafting emotional ballads, two of his most recognizable traits as an artist. The Canadian rapper is known for a mix of singing and rapping that has characterized most of his work to date. From the heavy lift of the visuals accompanying Graduation, to The Life of Pablo’s five-minutes-in-photoshop aesthetic, Kanye West album covers, and the collaborations they've inspired, have never ceased to defy expectation.The influence of 808s' heartfelt and melodic nature can be seen in one artist more than any other: Drake. One glance and it feels like such a departure from albums past, but really this is just another example of him embracing unexpected imagery. It's an oxymoronic revelation about his experience with mental health and a declaration that it’s part and parcel of his greatness. Stamped in the very center are the words “I hate being / Bi-Polar / its awesome,” a lime green, handwritten, meme he borrowed. It sends you to that moment descending through the sky where you're silently reminded that our planet is a masterpiece. Crowned by snow-capped Tetons and what appear to be clouds of dawn, it’s the kind of flick you’d snap after waking up alone on a flight that’s landing somewhere more a little more pure than where you were before. The cover of Ye-a twenty-three-minute reflection on inner demons, family, and public life-is a serene shot of the sprawling fields that swim for acres in that as of yet untouched corner of America.

808s and heartbreak cover