The release of Drake’s long-awaited sophomore album, Take Care, has added a whole slew of potential hits to his already impressive repertoire. It’s hard to believe that his first single “Best I Ever Had” was released in 2009. In that short amount of time, Drake’s reputation and talent have grown tremendously; for proof, just take a look at the big stars appearing on his new album. Take Care features collaborations with credited artists such as Rihanna, Andre 3000, Rick Ross, and of course his buddy Lil Wayne. For two years in the rap business, that’s not too shabby.
“Headlines,” Drake’s biggest single off of Take Care, has the perfect combination of a strong beat and cocky lyrics to appeal to the masses. Even though the song is constantly played on the radio and, according to my iTunes, I’ve listened to the song more than thirty times in the last two weeks, I still can’t help but sing along. I especially love the reference to the soap opera All My Children. That’s just the thing with all of Drake’s songs: he has these really great one-liners that show there was actually some thought put into his lyrics, unlike some of today’s other successful pop stars.
“Headlines” is just one of many songs on Take Care with a great beat and catchy lyrics that is sure to be a hit. “Make Me Proud” featuring Nicki Minaj, which was also released as a single, has that mass-appeal quality too. The best thing about this song, which may admittedly be the expected female reaction, is the lyrics. Don’t get me wrong, I am a devoted rap fan, but so many mainstream rap songs are about women as prostitutes or sex objects, and it’s refreshing to see a rap song with a more positive message about females make it onto the radio. “The Motto,” which is my favorite upbeat song on Take Care definitely has the potential to be a hit, as does “Take Care” featuring Rihanna, which brings an element of pop to the album.
What I like most about Drake’s music is that his songs are like mini-autobiographies. Because he’s only a few years older than the average college-age student, a lot of the things that he talks about are things that I can relate to, such as finding success and a place where he belongs. It’s not all drugs, gangs, money, and women with Drake; instead, he talks a lot about past relationships and growing up in Toronto. In “Look What You’ve Done,” a song in which he thanks his mother and his uncle for supporting him in his search for fame, anyone who listens to the words can hear that he is, for lack of a better word, normal.
My favorite song on the album is “Marvin’s Room,” which I think does an amazing job of showcasing the diversity of Drake’s music. Not only does he sing in this track, which he does on many tracks from Take Care, but it’s also sad, unlike your typical rap song. He’s no Josh Groban, but Drake does have a good voice, and the fact that he can sing and rap, and usually does both on one track, proves that he’s gotten where he is today because he actually has talent. I think this song is really honest, displaying his flaws and his fears, which as a fan, I appreciate being exposed to. Many artists including JoJo, Lil Wayne, and Chris Brown have redone this song, and while all of these versions are good (I would particularly recommend JoJo’s), none can accurately reproduce the bare-it-all element found in Drake’s “Marvin’s Room.”
Take Care has something for everyone. I’ve been listening to the album on repeat since it was released on Tuesday, and there is not a single song that I dislike. Every time I listen, each song gets better and better. I think Take Care will finally be enough to get people to stop talking about his Degrassi years… well, almost.
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