Drake's 'Started From the Bottom' Filled With Fire And Frustration

If you think Drake had an easy come-up, think again. Most caught on to Drizzy's ascent after he already hooked up with Lil Wayne on 2009's So Far Gone mixtape, but on his new single "Started From the Bottom" Drake lets everyone know that it wasn't all peaches and cream.

The track, which the Take Care spitter was set to drop on Grammy night, came about two weeks early on Friday (February 1) on Drake's OVO blog. He also shared a heartfelt letter with his diehards.

"I feel sometimes that people don't have enough information about my beginnings and therefore they make up a life story for me that isn't consistent with actual events," he wrote. "I did not buy my way into this spot and it was the furthest thing from easy to achieve. I am proud of every part of my past and I'm excited for this song to find a place in your life as well."

The Mike Zombie-produced single (the first from Drake's upcoming LP) begins with a dreary piano loop before the rapper begins his chant, which is backed by steady war drums. "Started from the bottom now we here/ Started from the bottom now the whole team here," he bellows in a deeper more menacing tone than we are used to hearing from the usually smooth rapper.

With the track's first verse Drake rhymes about the conflicts he had with his mother while he was still mapping out his then-uncertain future in music. "I done kept it real from the jump/ Livin' at my mama's house, we'd argue every month," he spit telling another piece of the story that he began to lay out on 2009's "Successful."

It's true Drake's journey isn't thought to be the typical rags-to-riches rap story, like for example DMX, who was raised in a group home. Still the hardships are all relative. On "Started" Drizzy isn't only determined to tell his story, there's an underlying frustration with how he is portrayed by others. "Boys tell stories 'bout the man/ Say I never struggled, wasn't hungry, yeah I doubt it n---a," he spits.

Sonically the sinister-sounding song is a departure from previous Drizzy singles like "Headlines," "Take Care" or "The Motto," but that doesn't make it any less potent. With his third major label LP on the way, Drake seems ready to take things up another level. The bottom never looked so far away.

What do you think of Drake's new single? Let us know in the comments!