Surprise album showcases Drake’s impressive lyricism
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Lil Wayne’s mixtape and his beef with former best friend and Cash Money Records figurehead, Bryan “Baby” Williams, aka Birdman. Since then this feud has become a disaster for Birdman, with a $51 million lawsuit against him and more artists standing behind Lil Wayne. Nicki Minaj reportedly refused Birdman’s entrance to her Grammy party last week, and now fellow Cash Money rapper Drake seems to be dissing him as well. With his new album/mixtape (it’s hard to qualify, as I’ll explain later on), If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake comes to Lil Wayne’s aid, hints at trying to leave Cash Money, and gives a tour-de-force in lyrical diversity.
This album originally dropped on the OVO SoundCloud as a mixtape, but was quickly taken down and re-released on iTunes and Spotify as an album, leaving fans to wonder what changed. Many people quickly speculated that Drake was using this as a way of fulfilling a contract with Cash Money, whom he owed one more album, so he could release his planned album, Views From The 6, on his own terms. While this rumor is not confirmed, it does make a lot of sense, and some of Drake’s lyrics on the album, such as in “Star67,” give insight to his relationship with Cash Money.
“Brand new Beretta, can’t wait to let it go/ Walk up in my label like where the check though?”
From here on out we will refer to it as an album, as Drake is making money on the record as if it were one, but there are many differences between an album and a mixtape, and content-wise, this release would traditionally be considered the latter.
If You’re Reading This dropped with no warning, which might seem like a poor business decision on Drake’s part, but this new method of marketing is starting to become a trend after the monumental success of Beyoncé’s self-titled album in 2013. Since the release of that album, which was tweeted about 1.2 million times in the first 12 hours of its release, artists are becoming increasingly interested in the idea of a no-hype release. Lil Wayne had no release date for his newest mixtape, Chance the Rapper let slip that his new album Surf will be released “Beyoncé-style,” and now Drake has dropped this album with no warning. As proof of concept, Spotify recently released statistics stating that If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’s first four days shattered the record for highest streamed album by almost double, with Drake also holding the previously highest streamed album for his 2013 Nothing Was The Same.
The 17 tracks that comprise If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late are all distinctly Drake, with high-quality lyricism, strong trap beats and minimal instrumentation, and though there are no real radio hits on the album, a casual listen all the way through will leave you wanting more. This is the nature of a mixtape, as mentioned earlier. Purely released as a demonstration of skill, mixtapes are usually bare-bones and feature mostly heavy verses rather than catchy choruses so as to show an artist’s skill. It just so happens that Drake is incredibly talented, and every track flows into the next with ease. His verses throughout are both classic Drake and at the same time fresh, breathing new life into old concepts like getting money and being famous. On “10 Bands,” Drake raps not about how good it is to be on top, but how important it is to stay there.
“Drapes closed I don’t know what time it is/ I’m still awake, I gotta shine this year/ I could never ever let the streets down/ Haven’t left the condo in a week now,” raps the OVO frontman, clearly not willing to pass the baton.
His output is admirable, but the frequency with which he releases new material is almost alarming. Drake has been churning out numerous radio hits in songs by Nicki Minaj (“Truffle Butter” and “Only”), Ilovemakonnen (“Tuesday”), and Big Sean (“Blessings”), and is showing no signs of stopping. There are few artists today putting in as much work, especially those who are already successful, but Drake is an artist who is never willing to put down the pen.
If you’re looking for a crash course in how to craft a verse, this album is your handbook. Every verse is well thought out, with a steady flow that weaves around the tempo but ends perfectly on the beat; this creates a feeling that the beats were made to follow the verses, rather than the other way around. One of my favorite lines on the album is from the track “Star67,” which makes subtle reference to Drake’s former days as the wheelchair-bound Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian television show Degrassi.
“I been had these visions of the life I’m living since I was Jimmy/ All I had to do was go and get it.”
Drake is relentless and unashamed of his past, which other rappers and listeners often make fun of. Everything Drake has done helped put him on the map, though, and whatever anybody says about him, he is at the top of the rap game. While we wait for the artist’s next major work, Views From the 6, sit back, relax and enjoy in its entirety If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.
Matt Burke is a sophomore majoring in film production. His column, “Notes on Notes,” runs Wednesdays.