Review Summary: take my crown to the grave
Drake’s career has been maligned by accusations of being ‘too soft’ (his frequent appearances on that Ghostface Killah list that pops up every year being a perfect example of how many have cast him out for his approach to lyricism and his gigantic R&B influence) but nonetheless his career has been skyrocketing since he was signed to Cash Money records, culminating in his third studio album, Nothing Was The Same.
This is definitely the least Drake-sounding Drake album to date. As a whole, this sounds nothing like the Toronto rapper’s previous output, with airy production becoming the foremost element of the music here as opposed to the very piano centric, grandiose Take Care. The feelings of romantic redundancy and a feeling of misplacement in a world of obscene wealth and power haven’t changed a bit, but they’re presented completely differently, particularly vocally. Drake’s rapping has always been good (he sounded a bit sloppy at times on Take Care but never lazy) especially on his older mixtapes, but he’s never bust out as hard a performance as the epic Tuscan Leather, nor has he ever been as pitch perfect in his singing as on the gorgeous Hold On We’re Going Home (aided by Majid Jordan’s fantastic backing vocals).
Of course, Drake’s biggest asset has been his ability to relate to his audience. Not necessarily to me of course, but to anyone who has ever experienced a lack of belonging, and of achieving what everyone said you couldn’t. Worst Behaviour could be considered an attempt to adhere to the exact stereotypes he’s been avoiding, but on the other hand it proves he can handle a more traditional hip-hop track as easily as From Time, a song that sticks true to his ‘Drake the type of nigga to’ shtick and does so without sounding like a self-parody. The guest vocals here from Jhene Aiko are the thing his music has needed for a while now, a realistic female perspective. Rihanna aside, no female artist has had as much chemistry with Drake as Aiko, as their morose lamentations bounce of each other and create one of the best ***ed-up love stories of the generation.
This album is definitely the most focused in Drake’s discography. The hooks are poppier and catchier, focusing more on the infectious side of Take Care’s R&B-flavoured warmth in songs like Connect, the most multi-faceted track of the rapper’s repertoire thus far. His lyrics here are some of his best, reflecting a relationship turned sour, yet impossible to relinquish; while the beat’s rising intensity and constantly shifting form lends it a uniqueness amongst floaty, rigidly structured songs like Own It (a more traditional Drake joint) and Pound Cake (featuring the least useless Jay-Z verse I’ve heard in a while).
It’s not a perfect record. Started from the Bottom is unforgivably uninteresting, and seems awkward sandwiched in-between the keyboard-laden Furthest Thing and the sultry Wu-Tang Forever with its generic trap beat and offensively repetitive hook. Similarly, Too Much is a bit of a bore especially after the dynamic slap of The Language and the Lil Wayne-esque antics of 305 To My City, largely down to Sampha’s buttery voice being severely under-utilised as a part of the dreadfully uninspired beat. But ultimately, this is Drake’s best record and definitely an improvement over one of the best hip-hop albums in recent memory.
