I’ve been a fan of Aubrey Drake
Graham for a long time. Even as far back as when he used to play a character
named Jimmy on a show called, Degrassi: The
Next Generation. This was way
before he was rapping. I always thought he was cute and had the biggest crush
on him. The first time I heard, Best I
Ever Had, I was hooked. I couldn’t believe he was rapping, and to see how
much his career has grown has been incredible. I even got to see him in concert
once, when his Take Care album came
out. And it was a night I’ll never forget. It’s wild when I meet people who
diss him and his work, and say things like, he’s
overrated and corny, but I don’t
think so. I think he’s cool. One of the things I love about his music is that
he sings and raps, and that’s something special. I also used to have a bunch of
his posters hanging up in my bedroom, but took them down years ago – they seem
like they’ll be more fitted for a home office space in my bachelorette pad. His earliest album,
Thank Me Later, really showed his
range and all the following work he’s done, proves his staying
power. He produces great material, and I can’t wait to see what he drops next.
About a year ago, I had a dream my dad wanted to talk to our family about something serious. I wasn’t sure what he wanted to discuss, but I knew it was something I needed to prepare myself for. Around the time after I had this dream, I remember stopping by my parents place and sensing something was going on that they weren’t telling me. I tried to dismiss what I’d been feeling, but I couldn’t shake it. Something serious was happening. As I returned to my home after visiting them one day, I was in my kitchen washing dishes when a heaviness hit my heart like nothing I’d ever felt before. Something’s wrong with dad. That’s what that dream was about. God, what’s going on? As I continued washing dishes, I started crying and praying. Then in mid-spring, my dad held an unexpected family meeting that would change all our lives forever. He hesitated at first, and as his voice started cracking and he started crying, he said, “Well, I wanted to talk to ya’ll to tell you that I have kidney disea...