It's time for the much awaited analysis of Drake's latest gift to society: "If You're Reading This It's Too Late". I found out about the album about half way through my train ride to work, immediately downloaded that ish and now I've listened to it all the way through some 40 times. And that honestly might not be that hyperbolic of an estimate.
As with Nothing Was The Same, my first listen through, I was interested, but not all in. But by listen 3 or 4, I was hooked with favorites and a vague enough idea of the words to look cool bouncing along to it at some type of party or club. I felt this rendition of drizzy was a little more sing-songy then my favorite type of Aubrey (although Jungle is my jam), but the album still managed to hit me with the work (work) on a few songs.
So without further ado, here is my take on all 17 songs from the newest Aubrey Album.
First off got to give props to wheelchair J for giving us a 17 song album in a world where 10-12 seems to be the comfortable norm. And these 17 songs come on top of 0 to 100, trophies and a few other drake goodies.
The first track is called "Legend" and basically sets the tone for what is to come. Drake has fully embraced his identity of the man and his songs expressing his vague insecurities or troubles seem to be pushed aside for songs about how he has 30 million dollar mortgages and is a borderline god of Toronto. He also gives you a feel for his new ad lib device. There's lots of "oh god", "oh my", "oh my god" type stuff.
Not quite Tuscan leather, but a catchy, solid song.
Song two is called "Energy" and is a bit more rap than "Legend" is. It sets up a few more themes for the day: the weird accents, the gun shots and the references to Facebook. There are a couple timeline references in there which make we wonder if Mark Zuckerburg is feeding Drake 20s to get in some free advertising. Or maybe he's just Canadian. Hard to say but considering Drake did a song with Justin Beiber, if there is a Canadian connection, Drake will help out his fellow countryman.
Next is "10 Bands", one of my favorites on the album. It sounds a decent amount like "Energy" and flows logically back to back, but it's gotta a little more catch to it for me. I think Drizzy's flow is just on better display on this one. Worth noting: Drake says "OMG" in the chorus of the song, yet I'm still a fan. Hence, Legend.
Flip another song and you come across "Know Yourself", which more realistically is the WOEs song. According to rap genius, the whole woes thing is not about Drake walking around the street being sad about women and trust issues, but actually about Drake rolling through the street with his crew. WOEs stands for "Working on Excellence" or something like that and so basically he and his people are working on being the best and so that's there name. It doesn't really make sense grammatically within English the language, but that might just be another classic difference between us and Canada.
Drake hits with "No Tellin'" next, another one of my favorites from the album. When he comes in with "Suitcase ..." At the beginning there, I just get excited. Once again, I'm not really sure exactly what is going on lyrically because I haven't rap geniused this one yet, but Drake says he has to carry around a knife with him from time to time so it's gotta be rockin thematic elements.
This one is peppered with some lovely lyrical work, including an awesome Rick Ross bark (sounds just like you Luke Munyan) and a rare moment where Drake actually refers to himself as Aubrey! Then Drizzy drops one of the best sequences of the album with his, "lions and tigers and bears" lines. He just get the sense when he hits the "oh my" that even he is amazed by how awesome he is. It's kinda like when I make a really clever joke and smugly sit there enjoying it while no one laughs because it's not funny. Except it's Drake so everyone loves it.
After that is "Madonna", a nice song but one I will usually skip when doing my daily listen. I'm just not getting the weird mumbling stuff. I really gotta catch up on my rap genius research.
After that comes "6 God", a song that was released long before the album and so I already had the chance to tenderly love it for a solid stretch and make my girlfriend listen to how awesome it is. It's so short, but it's still great. I love the worst behavior reference, the dude yelling in the background and seriously that beat can't be beat, I'd just play that on repeat. Didn't even mean to rhyme, but it happens in rap posts.
Best part of perhaps the entire album, when the beat cuts in and comes back at the end of this song. That's sick.
Next is Star 67, another song featuring 6. It's gotta a nice build in the first half with the music rising that I think is cool. Then the second half is great. It has my favorite line (peace sign in the air like I'm Nixon) which I know say in situations where it's not even close to applying. Plus it has a jimmy reference. Oh you gotta love it.
Next we get the PND variety hour with "Preach" and "The Wednesday Night Interlude". It's practically one big song like Drake's classic two parters of old and you can barely tell where one ends and the other begins. I was actually kinda feeling Party on this one, his bold move of rhyming titanic with wasabi kinda sorta works. Then drizzy comes on and does work. I'm a big fan of the stretch where he does the "way, way, way" and the Ray Tay stuff. It sounds cool and I need a bit more practice to nail it live. The outro into the interlude is also up my alley. Lastly, the phrase preach itself deserves some love. I like to use it whenever possible and often times whenever impossible.
The interlude is all Next Door and it's not like the interlude on Take Care when Kendrick just flat out murders it (ironically titled buried alive) but it's not a bad song to change the pace before things get hard again.
After that we got "Used To" feature Lil Wayne and "6 Man", AKA my favorite two song stretch of the album. Used To is great, Drake does an awesome job as always with his flow and I'm into the way he says "apparent every year". There's also a cool snare drum/Nick Canon line that I'd like to learn how to do.
Then Wayne comes in, kinda "Believe Me" esque and has a strong verse. There's a Katy Perry reference in there which is not the first time I've heard KP dropped in rap songs to reference the color White. Is she really that pale or does her name just flow really well in these songs?
Thinking ... Yeah she's actually really white now that I think about it.
6 man is favorite song on the whole thing. Any song that starts with 3 Lou Will references in the first 20 seconds is a song for me. Drake pretty much just signed Lou to an extension with the Raptors right there because they can't just let him walk now! Looooouuuuu
When he hits the 1 minute mark of the song it's just over. It's all Drizzy. That 1 minute is my ideal Aubrey. Then it's over. Song is agonizingly short unfortunately. At least the outro is solid unlike some of those brutal ones like Believe Me and Marvin's Room. Good outro work from Drake on this one.
Then it's Now and Forever and Company. Both solid songs although I much prefer Now and Forever. Admittedly Company has an excellent part where Drake says "I Don't Deserve You" and in the background they play a recording of a girl saying, "At least you f-Ing know it". Oh it's gold.
Next on tap is "You and the 6" which is not just another song featuring 6 (hearing a scripture with that many sixes you should be afraid), but a glimpse into the Aubrey and Mother Graham relationship. It's awesome to hear drake say momma like 8 times in a row and give his classic frustrated anxiety grunt like a teenager from Degrassi. Yeah I know.
Then comes the stretch run with "Jungle" and "6 PM in New York". jungle is an awesome song. I'm a huge huge fan. I like some slow jam Drizzy every once in a while in my life and this is one of his best works. For about 30 seconds I was hoping this could be a song I dance to at my wedding and then f bomb very emphatically dropped on those dreams. Oh well.
9 AM in Dallas might be favorite Drake song ever so I was amped for 6PM in New York. It was just ok but I had high expectations. It's got an Iverson reference in there which never hurts and who doesn't love a little rapping beef in a song? That's what Tyga gets of course. Plus he's got some excellent lines with the "scream out my failures and whisper my accomplishments" and the "rumors about my life hit the net like a bad serve".
I think I've talked myself into liking that song work ...
Bottom line is, it's Drake so I gotta love it. Oh I gotta love it.
Apparently. Wait wrong album ...
much awaited. trad use of hyperbolic.
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