Forget the beef. Can someone explain the appeal of Drake to me?

Not asking for hate or anything. Just an honest question. In the beef I am team Kendrick but I will admit I’ve never willingly, purposefully even listened to Drake. So while I love Dot, I admit 100% that my opinion on this beef is biased.

As far as my experience with Drake so far: I remember when “Hotline Bling” was popular and I thought it was a boring song. Any time I hear Drake, his voice sounds sleepy, the flows are nothing crazy, the lyrics don’t really hit me. He has just never been my thing, I’ve never understood his popularity.

But he’s obviously been very successful. So, can any genuine Drake fans please recommend me the songs or albums that prove Drake’s quality, or just explain what it is you like about his music.

To help you out: I do admit he’s got some skill, his verse on “Forever” is solid, even if I mainly listen to that song for Em and Wayne’s verses. But I think Drake’s verse is good. It still didn’t make me want to hear more.

As far as other rap and hip hop goes, I like Wayne, Kanye (esp. first five albums), Em, Kendrick, Jay-Z, of course Pac and Biggie, Nas—basically I enjoy and appreciate the work of most big names in the genre, but nothing about Drake has ever appealed to me. And I listen to a lot of music, from rap to folk to classic rock to T-Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. I am a musician myself and I appreciate all forms of music. Drake just simply does not hit for me, nothing I’ve heard has ever made me want to listen to him.

This is not a troll post. I’m being serious. He’s one of the top-charting artists for a reason, so give me that reason people. What track do I need to hear to understand why Drake is as big as he is?

Can’t promise y’all my mind will change but I do promise to listen to your suggestions and try to keep my mind open. As a music fan I want to appreciate one of the most successful artists of this era, so please give me genuine recommendations and no hate. I’m just trying to get perspective on an artist I simply have not connected with. I will give the music an honest chance and see if my feeling changes.