Take Care Review

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I’m not really sure how I feel about Drake and his music. I’m not one of the haters who refuse to admit anything he puts out as being good simply because he sings a lot or because he raps about his emotions but I’m also not one of those Drake fans who swear that Thank Me Later was amazing (it wasn’t), who quote every single song in their Facebook statuses or Twitter feeds (please stop) or say that Drake is the best rapper out there right now (he’s not). I feel as if this shouldn’t be the case because I’m from Toronto. Being from T.O. and not loving Drake is like being Canadian and not loving hockey or Tim Hortons. It just doesn’t fit. With this being said I was still excited to hear what Drizzy had to offer on his second album Take Care which got released yesterday. I decided to write this review a week after downloading the album which like most every other high-profile rap/hip-hop album in the last few years (except for Watch The Throne), it ended up leaking early (Why does this only happen in this genre of music? Why don’t we ever hear of a Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift or Rihanna leak? Makes no sense) giving people everywhere an early listen to one of the most anticipated albums of 2011. This was to prevent myself from making any rash decisions on the album (I would have given Watch The Throne a 30/10 if I had posted a review right after listening to it for the first time)

If you don’t like Drake’s style of mixing rap and R&B then you won’t like this record. Simple as that. This CD won’t attract any new Drake fans but it certainly won’t make him lose the fans he’s already got.  The album has a definite feel to it with most of the CD featuring fairly downbeat tempos coupled with emotionally charged lyrics. There are some features on the album with the highlights being two song-stealing verses from Kendrick Lamar (the best rapper out that not a lot of people know about) and Andre 3000 (no need for an explanation here) and the lowlights being any Wayne verse. He is not the same as before and seems to have fallen off since coming back from jail. The Carter IV was/is bad but this is understandable. Why did we think he was going to come out with an All Eyez on Me type of album? No other rapper has done what Tupac did so successfully (coming out of jail with a classic album) since then and you know why? Because he’s fucking Tupac and no one else is.

Here’s a track-by-track review of Take Care.

Over My Dead Body

A barely there beat by Noah “40” Shebib perfectly complements the chorus which is sung by Chantal Kreviazuk (had to google that) and two punchline-filled verses from Drake. This nicely sets the tone for the album and gives the listener a good idea of what to expect. Basically everything an intro song should do. I like this one and it has the line “Shout to asian girls, let the lights dim sum” which is sure to be heard around the UofT campus (not racist, just honest).

Shot For Me

The slowest cocky song ever. Drake sings “First I made you who you are, then I made it, And you’re wasted with your ladies, Yeah I’m the reason why you always getting faded” over another minimalistic beat by 40. I feel as if this song was recorded during the same time as Marvin’s Room since they sound familiar and are based around similar topics. Decent song but is in a weird spot especially since the next song is 

Headlines.

Headlines

We’ve all heard this song so not much to say. It’s one of the few songs on the album that doesn’t have Drake sounding as if he’s going through clinical depression (except for the weird poem-like thing he does at the end of the song which doesn’t fit with the song at all). People have been attacking Drake for some of the lyrics on this song where he raps that someone around him or himself personally will catch a body like that if push comes to shove. It’s rap, not his autobiography. If Rick Ross (former parole officer) can rap about dealing coke and doing all sorts of gangster shit then Drake can rap about killing someone. Lay off.

Crew Love ft. The Weeknd

First of two songs featuring fellow Toronto-based artist The Weeknd. The beat to this song is one of the more interesting ones on the album and has Drake rap one verse about his crew with the Weeknd taking the chorus and rapping/singing one other verse. This song is just ok, not one of my favourites on the album. Also I’m a big fan of the Weeknd but is anyone else getting tired of his moaning/yelling thing he does in every song?

Take Care ft. Rihanna

I can see this song getting overplayed by the radio for about a month straight so enjoy it while you can (If I was a rapper who wanted to be on the radio constantly then I would go for Rihanna right away. What’s the last song she made that hasn’t been drilled into your head by each radio station?). The title track has Drake rapping and Rihanna singing about “taking care” of each other despite of rocky romantic pasts. This is especially interesting as Drake has admitted to having his heart broken by Rihanna. One of the other more upbeat beats (Jamie xx and 40) on the album and just a good song.

Marvin’s Room/Buried Alive ft. Kendrick Lamar

The first song of these two has been out for a while now and is one of the more unique rap songs I’ve heard in a while. The entire song is basically a drunk dial. It’s also the song that made me excited for Take Care once I heard it because I feel as if when Drake is experimenting with songs like this then he is at his best. The second part is essentially a Kendrick Lamar song that features K. Dot using an off-flow beat (it somehow works) to rap about his meeting with Drake and the advice he ended up receiving with regards to the celebrity life. Kind of strange to say but this ends up being one of my favourite parts of the album and it 

 doesn’t even involve Drake.

Underground Kings

This is where the album in my opinion takes a breather as the next two songs are nothing to write about. Both are produced by T-Minus and sound somewhat similar so I’m not sure why they would put them side by side on an album. I like Underground Kings more than We’ll Be Fine but both are fairly forgettable and I found myself listening to them less and less in comparison to all the other songs.

We’ll Be Fine

See above.

Make Me Proud ft. Nicki Minaj

Third straight song produced by T-Minus. Luckily it doesn’t end up sounding like the two before it but this track for me feels like a lazy attempt to get some radio play. Can’t you see DJ’s at radio stations seeing this song and having this convo; DJ 1:“oh man Drake AND Nicki on a song? That’s definitely going to get people listening” DJ 2: “yeah definitely, have you listened to the song?” DJ 1: “no but who cares it’s Drake AND Nicki” DJ 2: “yeah you’re right. Play it on a loop”. Both Drake and Nicki Minaj can do better than this. Not really feeling this one.

Lord Knows ft. Rick Ross

The album finally wakes up from its slumber with this Just Blaze banger (the beat is great). Drake blacks out (light skins out?) on this song and gets at all the haters with a verse that all rap fans have been waiting for him to spit for a while. After hearing this song I kind of wish Drake releases an album one day where he is solely rapping but then again if this happened it wouldn’t really be a Drake album. It also has a standard Rick Ross feature. This includes him rapping about the money he gets and what he does with it. Rozay is no Talib Kweli with his lyrics but every time I listen to him I end up in a good mood so I can’t hate on the guy. Also, he made the fat guy grunt (huh!) his trademark and he hasn’t been ridiculed for it. Major respect there. Great song, one of my favourites on the album.

Cameras/Good Ones Go

More standard Drake fare but kind of a letdown after Lord Knows. Cameras has Drake rapping in some sort of weird monotone nasally voice while Good Ones Go is basically an R&B track. I like Cameras more but both of these are nothing that amazing.

Doing It Wrong ft. Stevie Wonder

When I saw “ft. Stevie Wonder” I immediately became excited because who doesn’t like Stevie? After listening to it I was very disappointed to realize that the “feature” was just a harmonica solo at the end of the song. This is like putting Brad Pitt on your movie poster and then having him make a 10 second cameo. Kind of a tease. Despite the fact that we don’t get a vocal from Stevie Wonder, this song works and ends up being one of my favourites. It is just easy-listening and how a good slow-moving Drake song is supposed to sound.

The Real Her ft. Lil Wayne & Andre 3000

This song got leaked around a month ago but at the time it only featured Lil Wayne. This is definitely the better version as Andre 3000 steals the spotlight with his verse. Drake does a fine job on the chorus but every time I listen to this song I end up fast forwarding to 3 K’s verse. ” niggas that are married don’t wanna go home but, We look up to them, they wish they were us, they want some new trim, we lust for some trust Now that both of us, are colorblind, ’cause the other side looks greener
Which leaves your turf in a Boise State” Great verse from a great rapper. Now when are we getting that new Outkast album?

Look What You’ve Done

This is probably the most emotional song on the album and that’s saying something since the rest of the album is also extremely emotionally filled. In it Drake raps two verses, the first about his mother and the second about his aunt. Both of them serve as thank yous to the women who made the life he’s living possible. The piano melody in the background fits perfectly with the theme and lyrics of the song. Terrific song. I would have ended the album with this one.

HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right) ft. Lil Wayne

A strange follow-up to Look What You’ve Done with the two songs not even remotely related. Over outer-wordly sounding production by T-Minus, Drake rhymes about relationship issues (his go-to topic) Lil Wayne sings (if you can call it that) the chorus and has a lazy sounding verse to close the song. Weezy hurts this song. Nothing special but not terrible either.

Practice

One of the more unique songs on the album as it has Drake covering Juvenile’s 1999 hit Back That Ass Up and turning it into a slow and soulful R&B song. You have to listen to this song to understand how it ends up working out. I enjoyed this one.

The Ride

The album ends with Drake and The Weeknd (not credited but his high pitched moaning is heard throughout the song and he is the one singing the chorus) taking the listeners on a ride (no pun intended, was just too lazy to write this a different way) on the celebrity path and telling them what it’s like being one of the top rappers in the game. One of the better songs on the album and a great way to close out the CD.

Overall I ended up enjoying Drake’s sophomore effort better than his first because to me it was more defined and had a clear focus unlike Thank Me Later which was all over the place. This was a good and bad thing because while it gave the album a cohesive feel, it also made it sound repetitive at points (this could also be because T-Minus and 40 basically produced the whole thing). The album had some great highs (Look What You’ve Done, Lord Knows) few lows (Make Me Proud, We’ll Be Fine) with the rest being more or less what you expect to hear on a Drake record.

Score: 8.7/10

2011 Rap Album Rankings

Since I have not written a full review for most of these I just wanted to rank the 2011 rap albums that I have heard from start to finish (this is why some that you may know of have been left off the list).

1. Watch The Throne – 9.1/10 (Review here) 

2. Cole World: The Sideline Story – 8.7/10 (Great debut, only issues were that some songs were heard before and the production can get repetitive)

3. Take Care – 8.7/10 (see above)

4. Section 80 – 8.6/10 (Most slept on album of the year, Kendrick Lamar is a beast. His style of rap can take time getting used to though)

5. Hell: The Sequel – 8.5/10 (Review here)

6. Ambition – 7.7/10 (Good album that is amazing when it is good but suffers from a lot of filler songs)

7. The R.E.D. Album – 7.2/10 (Simply average, has a few standout tracks but the last part of the CD is boring and not worth listening to)

8. The Carter IV – 6.1/10 (Just not good. Does anyone still listen to this?)

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