Word from Ruby Hornet is that Degrassi High alumnus Drake plans to keep his friends close and Canadians closer. His newest joint, “The Search,” will reportedly feature underground vet Saukrates (pronounced like the philosopher Socrates), which would have come completely out of left field if they weren’t both Toronto natives. I actually thought Drake’s verse on Jamie Foxx’s “Digital Girl” was pretty dope, but if you wanted to read about how he’s the next best thing since Garcia Vegas, you wouldn’t be here.
To me, the real story is Saukrates’ perseverance. For the last decade, he’s been jumping from lily pad to lily pad, enjoying the residual spotlight from artist who have taken him under their wing. After struggling through the label troubles that it seems every ’90s Hip Hop artist went through, he dropped the classic The Underground Tapes in ’99, got down with Redman, and parlayed this into a deal with Def Jam. As his major label buzz began to dissipate, he jumped in with fellow Canadian and Toronto resident Nelly Furtado, apparently giving some Hip Hop cred to the “Promiscuous” girl. And now, with his third studio album in the works, he received a fortuitously timed olive branch from the major’s newest golden boy. Wikipedia fails to enlighten us just how he’s managed to stay afloat for the last decade, however, the answer may lie with Alana Wyatt-Smith (below), one-time stripper and Mos Def’s former wife, with whom Saukrates had a kid. Yup, that’s it. Zebra is Food Exclusive.
