At times, he seemed out-of-breath as he explored his psyche, and without the smart stylings that come with age, he delved into cringeworthy territory with his confessionals. His lyricism was on the head, with violence and drug-dealing off the table, so the only thing that he had to rap about, besides the conquest of love, was himself. Perhaps its worst aspect was that Drake’s shine-the-mirror-on-himself rap style was raw to the point that it was borderline corny. (When was the last time you’ve heard JAY-Z or Young Jeezy on a Drizzy record?) A laundry list of rappers with prestige comprised the album’s feature list, further bolstering its appeal. “Best I Ever Had” and “Shut It Down” mixed the two Drakes, bringing about club melodies and sensual jams for the bedroom at the same time. Swift, ambient production that focused on creating an atmosphere first on every song, empowered Drake to either beat down the listener’s head with overblown punchlines or to use his soft singer’s touch to showcase his, at the time, impressive artistic range. Many wouldn’t continuously place their credibility on the line by venturing out into the world with other cultural mainstays, but that’s what makes him, well, Drake.ĭrake’s swaggering debut may show its age due to Father Time, but when it came out, it was a bold statement and foot in the door for Lil Wayne’s protégé. Still, you’ve got to hand it to him, he’s one of the more adventurous artists in the game. Even when he decided to return to the dancehall for “Madiba Riddim,” the lackluster, indolent attempt couldn’t hold a candle to standouts like “Portland” (mainly because of Travis Scott’s chameleon-like superpowers when he’s the featured artist) and “Gyalchester,” because of its ominous air of finality. Much of the grime work on the album sounded out of sorts, passable at best. More Life was a 22-track celebration without purpose, just because.īut then again-and this becomes a common thread in the path of Drake releases-the Toronto crooner’s ability to trim bloat from projects practically doesn’t exist. Young Thug, Quavo, Travis Scott, 2 Chainz and PartyNextDoor offered their voices as well. Frank Dukes, Boi1-da, Murda Beatz, Kanye West, T-Minus and countless more producers paraded through the door and dropped off beats outside of Drake’s typical palette. Freeing the album from any narrative guise afforded Drizzy the opportunity to throw stuff at the wall ‘til it stuck. This was Drake at his lowest point, appropriating the world’s musical wonders without fully committing to any of them.īilled as a “playlist,” More Life was boilerplate Drake - surface-level introspective, just enough-type raps and strategic feature placements from the hottest artists that could support the notion that he’s everywhere listening and soaking in game at all times. It may have become Drizzy’s sixth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200, but critical reception for it was lukewarm at best. Four albums in, frequent consigliere 40’s icy, spaced-out productions felt a smidge thinner, more rushed to capitalize on sounds of the moment. Of Views’ 20 tracks, only a handful were thick, substance-y cuts that warranted more than a curious listen or two (“Redemption” did, for sure). “One Dance” and “Controlla” were so flat that they were borderline parody. What hurt it was the fact that each attempt lacked substance and grit, being nothing more than pale pop imitations in the process. But Views was Drake’s spin of the globe, covering his eyes, and landing on Jamaica, thus meaning that Jamaican dancehall would be the project’s primary influence. Of course, nothing’s wrong with that after all, some of the most memorable music period mixes genres and goes around your expectations. Drake’s 2016 release, Views, saw him spin the furthest he’s ever spun from being ensnared in rap’s clutches at the tail-end of the 2000s.
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