In the South (and presumably everywhere), fifth grade science is characterized by two major themes: 1) sexual education and 2) how to drop an egg from a relative height and have it not break. Curiously enough, both areas of study have been integral in my understanding of Drake’s 2015 mixtape, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”

Drake is soft. That’s undeniable. Understanding his style of rap depends upon that given. For Drake to be successful in modern rap culture, he must be seen as the egg swaddled in various cotton balls and fluff. Yeah, he raps hard and acts hard and thinks hard, but he doesn’t live hard. If Drake’s life were to be dropped from a relative height, he would break.

Prior to “If You’re Reading This,” Drake’s insecurities were self-deprecating, laugh-inducing and mostly cringeworthy. He was a walking meme with a penchant for creative lines (“Look, just understand that I’m on a roll like Cottonelle/I was made for all of this s—” from 2013’s “All Me”) and an ear for strong beats. Complex named him best rapper alive in 2011, saying, “Drake is like the LeBron [James] of rap…when [he] emerged on the scene in 2009 he was more than just a rapper with crossover potential…he was a rapper with superstar potential.”

All of this said, Drake had endless potential energy. He was perched on top of the world, telling anyone who would listen how big of an impact he would make when he fell. But Drake never fell. He gave his friends bars (Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, 2 Chainz, etc.), letting them ascend up to his heights for a minute, but never deigning to confront the mirror of the self.

On “If You’re Reading This,” Drake’s balls dropped.

Boasting, “If I die, I’m a legend” from the outset, Drake finally channels the cred he’s built to seize the throne. To continue the LeBron analogy, “If You’re Reading This” was Drake’s move to Miami, calling for championship after championship. Yet, Drake never feels cocky, unlike other contemporary rap luminaries. He calls himself 6 God, but never features God himself (as Kanye West did on 2013’s “I Am a God”). He drops outside of the standard release schedule, but never does it to make up for a lesser body of work.

In the moment, nothing about the record seemed to be Drake’s turning point. He was confident, sure; he made consistent bangers, yeah, but it was just another release in a string of Drake successes. Since Feb. 17, 2015, Drake has strutted onto the rap game in the same way Jay Z did at the turn of the millennium.

From his collaboration with Future—“What a Time to be Alive”—to his dismantling of Meek Mill—“Back to Back”—Drake has gone on the offensive to break his mask of insecurity. “What a Time to be Alive” was all bravado, no longer a gifting of guest bars but a daylight heist of another rapper’s skills. Drake saw what Future had to offer him and elevated it past either’s previous high. Imagine Joe Biden telling Barack Obama in 2006 that he wanted to run for president, and Obama replying that the presidency sounds pretty nice right now—that’s what Drake did to Future.

With “Back to Back,” Drake took all of Meek’s insecurities—the same shortcomings and interior dwellings Drake had previously rapped on—and bullied Meek’s career into the dirt. At the end of the year, all the potential Meek might have had dissipated into public ridicule and a jail stint; the top rap track of the year started as a diss track.

Drake’s rap awakening centers on his blooming confidence in reference to other rappers around him, but nonetheless includes Drake’s own newfound self-comfort. If his balls dropped on “If You’re Reading This,” Drake’s sexual prowess came about with the “Hotline Bling” video. His inadequacies were on full display, but Drake has never felt himself more. The Toronto rapper finally manifested what first showed on “If You’re Reading This,” channeling his potential energy and going fully kinetic.

Drake had wrapped himself and protected himself so well with his first three albums that dropping into his new confident persona was without consequence. 2015 showed Drake taking both lessons from fifth grade science and emerging as the Stephen Curry of the rap world. He’s pretty good at everything, but perfect at what he does best. All he needed was the assurance to launch that 35-foot bomb.

“If You’re Reading This” catalyzed Drake to become the cocky SOB that Complex named best rapper alive in 2015. He’s still insecure, still fighting his demons, still talking openly and honestly, but he knows it makes him the best.

Editor’s note: This article has been edited for style.