Review Summary: Some repetitive beats but classic Drake style and delivery.
So Drake released his much anticipated debut CD Thank Me Later. Hallelujah! After being pushed back 3 weeks and being leaked Drake can finally get a load off of his chest.
So lets jump into the review cause someone like Drake doesn’t really need much of an introduction: canada, degrassi, lil’ wayne, young money, jewish, secret love for nicki minaj, the guy your girlfriend is constantly fantasizing about when she isn’t fantasizing about trey songz. There you go.
Thank Me Later isn’t much of a hip-hop CD, it is more of an rnb CD with some raps sprinkled on. Regardless of the style of music, Drake’s delivery is one of the best I’ve ever heard. His lyrics are smart and precise, matching the beats he chooses very well. “Money just changed everything, I wonder how life without it would go, From the concrete who knew that a flower would grow, lookin’ down from the top and its crowded below, My fifteen minutes started an hour ago” -Fireworks (Feat. Alicia Keys). There are plenty of good lines on this CD and that is literally the first 5.
OK lets move onto the beats. In my opinion the beats are 1/2 of a good rap CD. Thank Me Later has some of the freshest sounding beats I’ve ever heard Drake spit over but sadly I feel like I heard them all on So Far Gone. Drake said that Thank Me Later would be different than anything he’s ever done but listening to this CD i get a lot of flashbacks of listening to So Far Gone. His delivery is very similar, the beats are very similar, and the subject material is very similar. Pretty much 80% of the beats on this CD sound the same as So Far Gone which means a lot of the beats on Thank Me Later sound alike. This is probably due to the fact that 10/14 tracks on this CD are either produced by Boi-1da, 40, or both. Thankfully Kanye and Timbaland add something extra to this CD with the help of some lesser known producers BUT! They’re all co-produced by 40 or Boi-1da. I feel like I could make most of the beats on a bootlegged Fruity Loops in my basement.
Lets move onto what Drake raps about. This CD should be renamed Thank Me Later: Listen To Me Rap About Girls and Failed Relationships/A Slightly Better 808s and Heartbreak. And that last sentence pretty much explains the lyrical content on Thank Me Later. He raps about living a life of partying and having money but the negatives of it all, but it seems like Drake is pretty happy with his life unless he’s really depressed and can hide it really well in interviews.
The hooks on his sad relationship songs sound pretty corny and are just Drake singing a few words but holding them out for a long time making listeners think to themselves, “oh he’s sooooooooo sensitiveeee”. Now there are some pretty good catchy hooks on this CD like Fancy (Feat. Swizz Beats and T.I.). But a lot of them could do without the hooks.
Guest appearances! Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj (not surprising), T.I., Swizz Beats, The Dream, Young Jeezy, Jay-Z (not surprising), and dun dun dun! Lil’ Wayne (not surprising). So the thing I like about Thank Me Later is there isn’t heavy guest spots. A lot of good debut’s are ruined by featured artists which can take away from people listening to the actual artists because they get excited and can’t wait to hear their favorite rappers part. Thankfully everyone shows up with their A-game except The Dream who sounds like a baby on some parts.
Drake I’m going to thank you now (du-dum-tiss!) for not getting heavy on the autotune! The vocal effects he uses sound great and are not saturated at all.
So I know I touch on a lot of the negative in Thank Me Later but don’t get me wrong if you’re a Drake fan pick this CD up. If you’re a hip-hop fan give it a listen and see what you think. If you’re an rnb fan then get this CD! It’s different and it’s good. Personally I couldn’t wait for this CD to come out. After hearing some of the leaks my anticipation lowered because they weren’t the best. BUT It’s a CD that will grow on you and something you can bop your head to. Even if the snare hits are the same rhythm on most of the beats.
