IT’S TOUGH not to scope Drake and think “Pat Boone”; when he makes rhymes like “I avoided the coke game and went with Sprite instead,” que voulez-vous? DeGrassi: TNG alumnus Aubrey Drake Graham, dba “Drake,” has recorded his cashmere rap with the highest echelon of hip-hop, such as Li’l Wayne and Jay-Z. His debut Thank Me Later went platinum this spring. Drake celebrated a terrifically orchestrated roll-out, from self-published to semilegal to debut album that goes platinum. And cute? Well, yes. One snarky Internet denizen dubbed it “the first major label release of rap’s Justin Bieber.” Opening is pouble platinumist Chris Brown. Rihanna forgives him, do you?
HP Pavilion, San Jose
Thursday, 7:30pm
$20–$150
