Drake "So Far Gone" EP Review

We’ve got a new artist marathon! Remember when I reviewed all of The Weeknd’s mixtapes and albums in rapid-fire style? Well, we’re gonna be doing that again, this time with Drake! I do want to note, however, that I’ll only be looking at his legitimate, commercial projects, so the three self-released mixtapes that came before this one will not be reviewed. Maybe one day if there’s ultra-heavy demand, but for now, let’s just focus on his commercially released projects, starting with his 2009 debut EP “So Far Gone.” It’s a breezy 7 tracks at just under 34 minutes, so let’s get this one out, because trust me, the lengths of these albums are gonna get more and more ridiculous later on. Anyway, let’s see what Drake’s first commercial project has to offer:

Houstatlantavegas: A slow, kind of ethereal track about a stripper who wants to get out of her job, I like Drake’s very nice, pretty vocals and the lighter, more spacey beat on this one. It’s kind of funny hearing how much Drake’s voice has developed as he’s gotten older, but regardless, it still sounds very smooth and lovely, and I definitely think I’ll be coming back to this one in the future.

Successful (ft. Lil Wayne): A song where Drake and his featured artists Trey Songz and Lil Wayne talk about wanting fame despite the consequences, I love Trey’s vocals on the hook, and Drake does have a few clever bars on the verses of this track, though I feel like his verses, and the song as a whole, do go on a bit too long overall. Lil Wayne’s verse is not bad, but it’s not the most memorable thing in the world and, all in all, the track as a whole is decent if a bit too long for its own good.

Best I Ever Had: One of Drake’s first big singles (and one of his many love songs), I love the hook on this one, and I like the way Drake so smoothly transitions between his falsetto and his chest voice. I also like the simple, but pretty pounding drum beat and Drake’s flow is rock-solid on his verses. This was one of his biggest hits for the longest time, and it’s still a pretty enjoyable track so many years later.

Uptown (ft. Bun B and Lil Wayne): A more trap-inspired track than some of the earlier ones, I love Drake’s vocals on the hook of this one, even if they are pretty autotuned, and I feel like the hook will quickly turn ear-wormy for me, but I think his performance is a bit cheesy on his verses. The song really kicks in when Bun B comes in, and he definitely provides a really fun, strong performance on his verse, and Lil Wayne’s verse is relatively fun, even if his performance is nothing special overall. Overall, not a terrible track, but not one of the best I’ve heard from Drake so far.

I’m Goin In (ft. Lil Wayne and Jeezy): The instrumental on this just screams 2009, but it’s still pretty vibrant, upbeat, and catchy overall. Lil Wayne’s performance on this track is extremely exciting and fun, and his hook has the potential to become an ear-worm. I also love Drake’s passionate performance and rock-solid flow on his verse, and other featured artist Jeezy provides a very different performance on his verse, but one that is nonetheless extremely energetic. It does feel like Wayne owns this song a bit more than Drake, considering he’s more prominent on it, but nonetheless, it’s a vibrant and enjoyable track that’s still plenty of fun years later.

The Calm: A song that feels more dark, mysterious, and dramatic for Drake as he’s discussing his own insecurities and alienations, I like the very emotional feel of Drake’s performance on his verses and his lyrical explorations of himself in this song. I also find it interesting that the beat is kind of faded on this one as if it takes a bit of a backseat in comparison to Drake’s performance and makes the song feel more personal and honest for Drake. Definitely a pretty good song.

Fear: Ending things off with another song that explores the transition from young mixtape producer to highly successful singer and rapper, I like the kind of synth-driven intro on this song, and again, Drake’s vocals sound really nice on the hook, a hook that could easily become ear-wormy as well. I like Drake’s lyrics on this track, as they feel like an exploration of his own personal life and the changes that came from the fame. I wasn't initially as enthralled by the beat or Drake’s flow on this one, but coming back to the song after a while, it really grew on me. Definitely a strong end to the EP.

Overall, Drake’s first commercial project sees him making good on quite a bit of the potential he has as an artist. While it obviously sounds a bit raw, seeing as how it was from before his huge days of fame, Drake has a solid ear for creating catchy hooks on this EP, he reminds us that he’s got a nice singing voice and some solid rap flow, and some of the emotional detours make this project a bit more interesting for me. It’s definitely aged a little bit, and as a musician, Drake obviously won’t sound as mature as he does on some of his current records, but quite a few interesting things are going on here to make this project work. It obviously won’t stack up as one of his stronger releases, and even some of my favorite tracks on this record probably won’t be immortalized in Drake’s overall legacy, but for what it’s trying to accomplish, this is a fine first project.

“Thank Me Later” is up next. Pretty excited about that, even though it’s an hour long.

Favorite tracks: Houstatlantavegas, Best I Ever Had, I’m Goin In, The Calm, Fear*

Least favorite tracks: Uptown

Rating: Good

(*An asterisk next to a “favorite track” indicates that the track wasn’t initially one of my “favorite tracks” when I first wrote the review. If a track has an asterisk next to it, it means the song wasn’t initially a favorite of mine, but it grew on me, and the text for the song may have been edited to more properly reflect that.)