Album Review: Drake, Thank Me Later
You know, I feel bad for Drake. Because there is no way that Thank Me Later can live up to its hype.
How can it? Ever since my first post on Drake a little over a year ago, with him looking like an extra from JC Penney’s fall fashion catalogue, the guy has been placed on a platinum pedestal by both his industry peers and rabid fan base. His mixtape, So Far Gone, garnered rave reviews, the entire music industry threw wads of cash at him in a bid for his services, and he was featured on tracks from music’s elite, including Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Lil Wayne. With so much support behind him, coupled with his undeniable talent, Thank Me Later has to be a classic album, right?
Right?
The moody, somber production of its predecessor, along with themes exploring the gift and the curse of fame, return here. Drake’s at his best when yearning for lost loves on “Karaoke” and “Find Your Love” – both of which sound like offspring of mentor Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak album. Except, unlike Kanye’s mess, these songs are good.
His choice of featured artists are a mixed bag too. Jay-Z drops a pretty strong verse in “Light Up” and Mary J. Blige shows up for a fun and unexpected cameo in “Fancy.” But others actually hinder a few tracks. Nicki Minaj adds NOTHING to “Up All Night,” spitting her usual gibberish: “F*** I look like, ho/I look like yes, you look like no” What does that even MEAN? Young Jeezy also drops a throwaway verse in ironically titled “Unforgettable,” which also features a random, tacked-on Aaliyah sample for some reason.
Here’s the bottom line – if you’re a Drake fan and loved So Far Gone, you’ll love Thank Me Later. If you were never impressed by Drake, or even if you were on the fence, this album won’t change your mind.
Don’t get me wrong, Thank Me Later is a solid debut. But it never had a chance of reaching its lofty expectation. Oh sure, I know it’ll sell about 10 jillion copies, but for me at least, sales and hype don’t make a classic album.
Best tracks: “Fireworks,” “Karaoke,” “Find Your Love”
I just can’t jump on the Drake bandwagon. And especially not after he made that foolish comment about Niki Minaj being the best female rapper in the game now or ever. Umm, he needs to stop drinking the Lil Wayne kool-aid w/that one.
Yeah, especially since Wayne’s Kool-Aid is full of drugs and cough syrup.
I’m rather fond of Drake and I’m really enjoying his debut release. I tend not to like radio rap, but his music has an R&B flavor that helps the rap go down easy. The main thing that I appreciate about Thank Me Later is that it actually feels like an album thanks to a strong theme and uniform production. That is very rare these days.