iT! Reviews: Drake's Nothing Was The Same
I’m no huge hip hop head by any means. But growing up in Detroit, living in Chicago, and a father who bumped Red Man and Method Man regularly...I think I get it. That being said, I haven’t really enjoyed any newer large hip hop leads. For example, Kanye never struck me as real. I mean, one song was humble and about jesus then money comes and he’s all ‘suck my dick, I am god’. What? Then there are “rappers” like Lil Wayne, Ludacris, FloRida, and even 50 cent. All of which have shared tracks with Disney super stars, pop queens, and promote their new feature film blah blah blah.
I say all this then drop the ball big time when it comes to Drake. I like Drake, I do. But this didn’t come easily. First, I thought who is this Degrassi wheel chair kid rapping about “the game”? Then there were his remixes and hits from Thank Me Later. Still, not much there I liked. Finally, Take Care came and for some reason I latched on. Perhaps it was my solemn move to a new city, no friends, and a dreary constant overcast. But Take Care made me feel like I was walking around the streets of Chicago, not Zurich.
Drake dwells over a love lost, relationship’s failed, and ex’s that remain. He strives for more than the struggle and shares memories of being the dope ass dude with the Acura. These relatable and real subjects joined with his sensual and dark melodious tones make the R&B singer a new found (underground) king. Homage is paid to Marvin Gaye, as he recorded tracks in the same studio and even naming a song after him (“Marvin’s Room”); a clear influence on his record. Robust minimalistic beats and a 90’s era feel wave any trepidation that the album could have been over looked by releases of other music giants, such as The XX that same summer. Drake’s Take Care stood strong.
Nothing Was the Same, leaked intentionally as Drake so often does, to the general population weeks early. Everyone was thirsty for what Drake had up his sleeve since his summer’s bash “Started From The Bottom” set records and made nights. And, as the unashamed Drake fan, I couldn’t wait to have a new album to listen to over, and over, and over again. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Number one, “Tuscan Leather”, was a huge initial let down for me. I wrote down in my notes, “weak, sounds the same”. And as the album continued I was sorry to admit, I liked only a handful of songs. Lingering tracks include: “Hold On We’re Going Home”, “Furthest Thing”, “From Time”, and “Come Through”. I had to double check number fifteen, “All Me”, thinking it was the Trinidad James hit: “All Gold Everything” or better yet, Lil Wayne’s “Good Kush & Alcohol”.
Perhaps Drake outdid himself, too many tracks on the list, too many baby mama dramas, and all the same beats (to an untrained ear, let me note). I want to believe your relationship issues, I do, Drake. But how much time do you have on your hands and how many bitches are you juggling?
Written by Dani Kowalczyk