I know most of y'all are obsessed with Drake so I wanted to figure out what the fuss is all about by revisiting his magnum opus. It's been a long time so today I could finally approach it with fresh ears and give some thoughts. Let me tell you this (long rant otw).

Drake attacks the older generation of hip hop on this album (fans and artists alike) and claims the throne. As a rapper and lyricist I think he wasn't all the way there yet, but his knack for melody makes up for it. He hooks you with earworms on every verse, which also sets him apart from the competition. TC marks a shift towards melodic, half-sung style of rapping that'll impact music for the rest of the decade, and make hip hop more appealing to the opposite gender tbh.

There's a lot of s***-talking. He claims that old heads who s*** on him are just bitter bc they get no p**** and that his s*** is so infectious that even those haters lowkey vibe with it. Then he goes on to describe his hedonistic, luxurious lifestyle. Even duets with Rihanna and gets Birdman on a rant to let you know it's real.

However the highs don't come without the lows. The album is really well-rounded. Along with Drake's success we get to see his flaws - a paranoid guy who goes through his girl's purse and checks her phone when she doesn't pay attention. Drunk calls his ex at night and tries to convince her to leave her ex whom he's aware she's perfectly happy with. Comes across as a petty, narcissistic douche tbh but that's some real life s***.

"Marvins Room" is amazing and the first song that legit gave me chills, it's uncomfortable to listen to in the best way possible, the reason why I live for this rap s***. Has a lot of memorable lines that perfectly capture our generation, and just some visceral s*** that you normally don't hear on rap songs.

Then you have "Cameras" and "Doing It Wrong", which address how our generation's romantic relationships (among the rich and famous, but everybody can relate) are basically a facade. People are insecure and live to impress. We move fast from one person to the next, we have so many options that there's no real attachment anymore.

On "Look What You've Done" and "The Ride" he reminisces about his pre-fame days and elaborates on his grindin', gives us some insight into how he has achieved The American Dream. Those tracks add some depth to the album and make it feel cinematic, perhaps some listeners can find inspiration in them.

40 is amazing on the boards. Gives the album a sexy late night atmosphere and compliments Drake's style perfectly in that regard. Most songs are really detailed and have dope bridges and outros to them.

It's a classic album but def not a perfect one. I get a sense that Drake was rushing a release to make up for TML as the sequencing and song selection are a bit odd, and tbh towards the end of the album I was lowkey waiting for that s*** to be over.

"Make Me Proud" is too bubblegum and has the weakest hook on the album, clearly a track that's intended for radio play and nothing more. "HYFR" is your run-of-the-mill annual Young Money banger. Nicki and Wayne elevate those tracks, but they still remain bottom tier as far as the album goes. "Practice" s*** is just not for me, feel like it's a track for the girls to dance to.

Yet I have to put things into perspective. Drake was a young dude still making a name for himself, relying on Young Money not only for clout but also out of respect and obligation, reppin the south bc he loves it but also to improve his image among the naysayers (too many times he's reminded me that he's an "underground king" on this album).

Overall this album does have an artistic merit that arguably got lost on Drake's later works, musically even more so as most of that s*** is really nice on the ears.

Fav tracks: Shot for Me, Marvins Room, Under Ground Kings, Lord Knows, Cameras / Good Ones Go Interlude.

Least fav: Make Me Proud, HYFR, Practice.

classic album

10/10 album

Aged poorly imo

Nwts on the other hand >>>

can't believe that was his peak. aged like milk imo.

thoughts on over my dead body goo? really amazing intro imo

Classic but not perfect describes it pretty well
Good write up Goo

Also for the part about him putting so much out on Take Care:

Take Care is it's own mission," Drake told host Elliott Wilson. "I'm really going back to the So Far Gone where, first of all, as much as the label and people are fighting me, I'm not doing 14 songs, 'cause it doesn't give me enough. I want to do interludes, transitions and different moments. I have an overabundance. I've never had this many raps."

Nwts and take care both amazing it just depends on what i most recently heard to decide whats better

Take care hasnt aged bad at all besides a couple tracks but you can say that about nwts too

Yh people need to understand classic and flawless arent the same thing

Iconic album, however not classic pretty much. The highest highs of his discography though.

Now if the Care Package loosies replaced a few of the tracks we'd have a different story

Do you love this s***?

Half of the lyrics on this album could be stitched on a throw pillow.

Imagine if we got beats like cameras still

Classic album. Over my dead body set the level drake intros gotta be at.

If I saw u on the street I'd jaw u and piss on u

No you wouldn't

"TC marks a shift towards melodic, half-sung style of rapping that'll impact music for the rest of the decade, and make hip hop more appealing to the opposite gender tbh."

Kid Cudi says hi

That goddamn character limit prevented me from addressing every song

Well tbh 40 is brilliant for manipulating Chantal Kreviazuk's voice to sound so surreal. It is clear that Drake's intent was to talk his s*** on the intro, yet he manages to do it in a conversational, self-reflective manner that matches the intimate set-up that leads up to his parts. In a way, I feel like Drake invites the listener to self-reflect on his/her own doings along with him. Amazing intro indeed.

My favorites would be
Over my dead body
Underground kings
Crew love
Shot for me
Look what you’ve done
The ride
The motto
Headlines
Lord knows

damn since when everybody don’t f*** with Practice?

You should do this for more albums because that was a great read.

Yeah but ppl were still giving Drake s*** before this album. They both sing-rap but their styles are pretty different, and Drake's music catered to women more imo.

imagine writing all this for a mid album

Nobody forced you to read it