Over My Dead Body: A kind of sad-sounding track with a really interesting, subdued drum beat, I like Chantal Kreviazuk’s vocals on the hook, and while Drake’s sing-rapping still sounds like he’s trying to do a Lil Wayne impression, I like his kind of introspective take on his career and his haters in this song. It’s definitely a really enjoyable, kind of emotional track that I feel like I’ll definitely come back to quite a bit.
Shot for Me: On this track, Drake switches between crooning and rapping about his exes over a very overpowering, hi-hat driven 808 beat, and while it might seem a bit cliché, I think there’s some very real enjoyment to this song. Again, it’s very emotional and some interesting things are going on here instrumentally. I actually like it quite a bit.
Headlines: One of the first Drake songs that I really fell in love with, the sing-rapping sound flows really smoothly on his track, the lyrics send a message that Drake is really trying to make something that’s very confident, instead of going with what’s radio-friendly, and even when the song slows to a halt at the end, it remains really smooth and nice on the ears. I like this track a lot, even after so many years.
Crew Love (ft. The Weeknd): A song that transitions perfectly between being loud and booming, and soft and subdued, The Weeknd comes in and really owns this track. His performance on his verse is great, the hook is ridiculously ear-wormy, and Drake’s verse features some pretty clever lyrics. There’s a reason The Weeknd continues to bring this track out at concerts: because it’s one of the best he’s ever been involved in.
Take Care (ft. Rihanna): One of the first Drake tracks I really enjoyed, I loved how the song felt like a banger with an emotional edge to it. I loved Rihanna’s very pretty vocals on the hook, and Drake’s sing-rapping sounded smooth as well. The song as a whole has cooled on me quite a bit, and I think the interlude on the song is kinda boring, but all in all, it’s still a pretty solid track. I don’t love it as much as I did five or so years ago, but I still think it’s not bad.
Marvins Room: Once again, Drake discusses his own loneliness on this track as he croons in a way indicative that he is drunk. And once again, I think Drake manages to take something he talks a lot about and manages to make it interesting by creating a really low-tempo, very sad-sounding track that features Drake mixing his crooning and his sing-rapping really well, and the subdued beat and instrumental melody are nice on the ears and really memorable. The piano melody on the end is especially strong as well. Really great track, I like this one a lot.
Buried Alive Interlude (ft. Kendrick Lamar): A pretty loud, grandiose track, this interlude features Kendrick Lamar discussing his ascension to fame and how he kills his old self as a result of the fame, and somehow, with his sad-sounding rapping blending well with the pretty upbeat instrumentals, this turns into a pretty emotional track that also manages to be a banger! This is a track I’ll definitely come back to quite a bit!
Under Ground Kings: On this track, Drake has a bit of sing-rapping but all in all, focuses largely on just straight rapping, and throughout the track, he goes back to his more “unemotional ways” (while also paying tribute to Pimp C, part of the Underground Kingz duo with Bun B) by talking a lot about his city and his crew. His flow is pretty solid, the occasional moments of sing-rapping are smooth, and while the song does sound a lot like his other stuff, it’s still a pretty enjoyable banger, even if it’s not one of my favorites on the album.
We’ll Be Fine (ft. Birdman): Another track that sees Drake less in his feels, I’m not really all that crazy about Drake’s flow at various points in the song, the hook is definitely not one of Drake’s best, and the instrumental is pretty boring and contrived. Birdman’s outro is also nothing special, and I feel like it was one of those “he’s there to be there” kind of moments. Definitely one of the weaker tracks on the album.
Make Me Proud (ft. Nicki Minaj): While Drake’s more rapid-fire flow on his verse is pretty solid and different, I think some of the lyrics border on the “cringe-territory” I talk about in certain reviews. And while I like Drake’s smooth vocals on the hook, the whole “I’m so I’m so I’m so I’m so” just ruins the hook as a whole for me. Nicki Minaj really runs away with this song on her verse, and her flow and charismatic performances keep this one interesting. I’m not all that crazy about the song, but Nicki’s verse kept it from being one of the worst on the album.
Lord Knows (ft. Rick Ross): A slightly gospel-influenced song, Drake spends this song really trying to prove that he’s not as “soft” as everyone makes him out to be, and he goes really hard over the instrumental on this one. It feels like a really definitive answer to his critics, and Rick Ross shows some pretty solid flow on his, admittedly shorter, verse. Definitely a pretty solid track, I think I’ll come back to this a bit in the future.
Cameras / Good Ones Go Interlude: The first part of this track, “Cameras,” sees Drake kind of emotionlessly rapping over a very typical 808 drum beat that, at one point, samples “Calling on You” by Jon B, and while there are a few slightly clever lyrics on the first part, the track itself just doesn’t do much to generate any real excitement. The second part of the song, “Good Ones Go Interlude,” takes things down several notches and features Drake crooning a bit about a girl (what else?). His voice is once again quite smooth, and The Weeknd provides some sneak vocals throughout, which add to the emotional feel of the song. It’s honestly a shame it’s attached to “Cameras,” because if it was its own track, it would be one of my favorites on the album, but unfortunately, it’s paired with one of my least favorites on the record. All in all, half good, half bad here.
Doing It Wrong: A really soft, low-tempo ballad about a breakup (because, of course), Drake nonetheless keeps this one extremely interesting by creating a track with some really smooth, pretty-sounding crooning, a really catchy hook, and some really subdued yet interesting production. This is a track I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did, but it’s definitely one of my favorites on the album.
The Real Her (ft. Lil Wayne and André 3000): I shouldn’t really need to say again that this is about a breakup, but I like the references to “Houstatlantavegas” on this track, and as always, Drake’s vocals, even if they are overly-autotuned, are smooth and sound very nice. His sing-rapping also sounds sharp, and the snare drum-driven beat blends well with the piano-driven melody. The song also features guest appearances from Lil Wayne and André 3000, both of whom provide some pretty solid verses. Good track overall.
Look What You’ve Done: This more somber track is actually a tribute to Drake’s family members, and his pretty sad-sounding rapping fits well with the more downbeat, piano-driven melody on this one. Drake’s flow also sounds really solid, and I definitely think this is a huge standout on the album. I’m a sucker for these kinds of really personal tracks, and this one is definitely rock-solid. It goes in some directions Drake doesn’t often go in, and it also happens to sound very nice.
HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right) (ft. Lil Wayne): We then move into this really upbeat, grand, louder song that kind of feels at odds following up on a really light, personal track, but here Drake shows some really strong flow on his verse where, even if he talks about things he’s spoken about before, he still manages to keep it pretty interesting with some rapid-fire delivery. I’m not all that crazy about Lil Wayne’s hook on this one (given that Drake sings the hook at one point, I wish he just handled it throughout the entire song), but he shows some pretty solid flow on his verse here. Don’t think I’ll be coming back to this one much, but it’s a decent track overall.
Practice: A tribute of sorts to an old Cash Money song “Back That Azz Up,” Drake keeps thing really interesting here with his smooth, pretty vocals, a good mix of sing-rapping, and a really catchy hook (that was apparently written by The Weeknd, which doesn’t shock me since he has a pretty solid ear for catchy hooks). The production is typical Drake stuff, but it’s still head-nodding fun stuff. Definitely feel like I’ll want to come back to this one in the future.
The Ride: Drake finishes things off with an autobiographical song, and he also enlists The Weeknd to provide some vocals on the hook. His vocals are top-notch as always, even if the hook is kind of hard to follow and a little unorganized. I like Drake’s flow on his verse, and I like that he talks less about the women in his life, and more about the general ups and downs he has faced. It’s not one of my favorite tracks on the album, but it’s a fitting (and pretty good) ending to the album.
Sure, I can see why some people would not be crazy about this kind of thing, because Drake does speak a lot about the same things (mostly breakups and love), and he does prove to be much softer and in tune with his emotions than a lot of rappers, but that doesn’t make the music any less enjoyable for me. I still think he showcases some solid flow on this, an ear for good production, and some especially smooth, nice vocals throughout. He also manages to pick some pretty solid features throughout, which helps further strengthen the project, given that his support team only adds to the excitement. Again, it’s not for everyone, and some hardcore rap fans might find more faults in it than I did, but I definitely think Drake is putting out some really great tracks on this record, and I definitely think I’ll be coming back to it quite a bit.
Up next, “Nothing Was The Same.” Not sure what to expect out of that one. We’ll see, I guess.
Favorite tracks: Over My Dead Body, Shot for Me, Headlines, Crew Love, Marvins Room, Buried Alive Interlude, Lord Knows, Doing It Wrong, The Real Her, Look What You’ve Done, Practice
Least favorite tracks: We’ll Be Fine
Rating: Excellent
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