I couldn't put a precise date on it but Ian Macdonald was starting to work to establish Drake's true critical standing as early as the mid 70s when he was still at the NME. It would not surprise me if the release of the Fruit Tree box was mainly down to his proselytising. Macdonald's 90s essay on Drake is one of the best things you'll read anywhere about popular music. It's actually as fine a piece of writing as the songs themselves.
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