There are a variety of ways this article could begin.
For example, the image of an 8-year-old Andrew Parks mimicking his favorite rap tune by L'il Bow Wow, and how that led him to doggedly pursue a promising career as a rapper. Or there's the more serious approach, namely why is it that with all of Drew Parks' quite notable accomplishments in the rap world, he still hasn't gained much media traction on the local scene? Or how is it that a near-straight-A student (from Troy…?) decides to be a rapper anyway? Is that normal? Shouldn't he be a doctor or a lawyer or something? Or…
This is a story with a lot of front doors. The question, as with so many stories, is how it will end. And for that it is certainly worth staying tuned. But the one image that just won't shake is the one Drew's father cautioned me about, and that I promised (and I will keep that promise) that I would be cautious with because, after all, this is supposed to be a story about the young rapper from Troy,s. Not his dad.
And it is.
A December, 2014 graduate of Oakland University, Drew promotes himself in his bio as "a Greek American rapper, record producer, and songwriter" who has performed live with artists such as J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Gym Class Heroes, and Timeflies. He has also performed at the official Jay-Z/ Justin Timberlake afterparty, the Eminem/ Rihanna Monster Tour afterparty in 2014, the Kevin Hart Superbowl XLIX Afterparty in Phoenix in February 2015, the Sundance Film Festival and the SXSW Music Conference. He has been featured on ESPN First Take, MTV On Demand, Sirius XM Shade45, and Billboard Magazine. BBC 1Xtra selected Drew to represent Greece as one of 32 hip hop artists worldwide to record a "World Cup Freestyle" for each of the 32 national teams in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He has been in Vibe. He was featured as a new artist in XXL.
So yes. The man has been busy. This is not just some wannabe rhyme-spitting white kid from the suburbs playing at the fringes of the rap game, arms folded, working on how to strike a 'hard' pose. He's actually doing the work, eyes set on taking this as far as he can go, whatever he needs to do to make it all happen.
But quite obviously, Drew is hardly the only (very) hardworking, aspiring young artist out there with big dreams of making it even bigger. That's not what sets his story apart by any means. But the image that won't shake is the interaction between father and son as we all sat around a table discussing Drew's life and career a little over a month ago. Because when you think of rappers and hip hop artists these days – or any day - the first image that comes to mind is not usually one of supportive parents who heartily endorse and participate in their child's occupation. And it's definitely not one of a father and his son working together as a solid team, partners in the rap game.
This is unusual, but it's also pretty cool. I mean, how often do you hear a parent say this about his son the rapper:
"I think had he not gone to college – and this is just my own opinion, because this is where me and my ex kinda had some disputes – I felt maybe after his sophomore year he should maybe put college on the back burner and really go for it fulltime, because in 2012 he had some momentum. That year Billboard magazine selected Drew as one of 18 artists in the United States to compete in the 2012 Billboard Music Awards Battle of the Bands competition. So he had some momentum going, but he had school. And it's very hard to balance the two, you know? "
And then there was this very telling exchange between the two of them:
DAD: When he was younger I wasn't quite as accepting, and I might steer him to say 'frickin' instead of 'f----n' and then he got to a certain age and there was no stopping him, he was going to do it his way, and I had to respect that. Like when I first heard (Drake's song)"Best I Ever Had," not the radio version but the mixtape version…
DREW: (reciting the lyrics) You the f----n best, you the f----n best.
DAD: Right! I was like, why does he have to say that s--t? He didn't have to use the profanity in a song that was more like a romantic type of a song. Today I might not have that same reaction.
DREW: The biggest song in the country is (Big Sean's) "I Don't F--- With You."
DAD: I think that some rap overdoes it. My personal opinion. I mean it's cool but…
DREW: Not to interrupt you, but that's just how people talk. I swear in my normal conversation. That's the language of the people. And I think that hip hop has always been like a medium of the people. This isn't corporate meetings, this is hip hop.
DAD: I grew up in a more genteel climate I think. Marvin Gaye was controversial to some extent. The whole culture just didn't go there as much. Things that are on TV now in commercials would never have been allowed back then…But yeah, I've had to become more tolerant, or accepting or whatever. I appreciate the whole genre probably a lot more than most of my peers who are my age.
DREW: I've been very, very blessed to have a parent who has been so supportive. And my mom has been supportive as well, but my dad has been like believing in me since day one. And my dad's personality, I don't know…I've never met anyone like my dad. Maybe I'm keeping him young or something…"
So sure, Dad had to do a bit of adjusting. And no doubt there is still the occasional tension, or that uncomfortable moment backstage when the girls show up and Dad realizes that maybe he should…right. Gotta be somewhere. Because hey, the kid's grown and…right.
"But I hate being a parent and doing this, I'll be honest with you, because I don't want to come across like Britney Spears' mom or something like that. You know what I mean? I feel like sometimes I have to pull back, because I'm not trying to keep him under my tutelage or anything like that. And I know when I need to step away, like after a show and there might be a bunch of girls coming around, it's like 'OK guys, I'm outta here.'"
To be sure, and not surprisingly, not all parents who know what Drew has been up to are quite so approving. Some of them have let their disapproval be known, as if it was any of their business. But father and son know how to handle that.
"One time, I went to church, and there was this gentleman, now deceased. I'm an attorney, he was an attorney. He was a little older than I was, maybe 10 years older. And I went to church one Sunday, and he said to me very sarcastically, because I guess he must have seen something about Drew, and he says, 'Oh you must be very proud to have a son that's a rapper.' But the tone of his voice was very sarcastic. And I said, 'You know what? As a matter of fact I am proud, you know?' And he kind of looked at me kind of shocked. But I've had to deal with that a little bit. Dealing with some people who think that it's beneath him because he's a bright kid. He was an A student in high school, and even in college he maintained like a B+/A-. And, you know, they say 'He could be doing so much more with his life'. Which is true. But he's following his dream."
With Dad along for the ride.
Keith Owens is a Detroit-based writer and the editor of the Michigan Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter @kaoblues.