REVIEW: Drake – Nothing Was The Same

Drake - Nothing Was the Same Album Download

Review: 3.5/5

Best Songs: Too Much, Hold On We’re Going Home, The Language

Unlike other reviews that jump to conclusions with only listening to the album a few times, I needed at least a week or two, to sit with this album. We all know this is either going to be Drake’s break out album where he puts himself into the realm of Kanye and Jay-Z or just “more of the same”. For starters, this isn’t a classic album. And is nowhere near Kanye’s third album Graduation by any stretch of the imagination. Sorry Stans. But it also isn’t average rapper stuff either. So what is it? Hit the break down.

1. Tuscan Leather (Produced by Noah “40” Shebib, Boi-1da, Nineteen85 (add.))

This is Drake’s worst intro ever. The beat is just plain bad. It reminds me of the beats I would make during the Dipset era, trying to sound like The Heatmakers. Drake’s verses don’t do too much either but rest on his past accomplishments like a rapper whose running out of ideas. Remember that saying, “Don’t rest on your laurels”? That’s the same shit that killed Jay-Z.

2. Furthest Thing (Produced by Noah “40” Shebib, Jake One)

Okay now this is the Take Care Drake. I imagine light skin girls singing this in their Mazda 3 as they drive to their low level office job.

3. Started From The Bottom (Produced by Mike Zombie, Noah “40” Shebib)

You already love it or hate. I for one love the video more than the song.

4. Wu-Tang Forever (Produced by Noah “40” Shebib)

I imagine Drake’s thinking process in naming this track something like this, “Let’s troll all Wu-Tang fans that probably all hate me anyway and then when they listen to the song it has nothing to do with Wu-Tangm which will only make them more mad”. I really don’t know why Drake feels the need to either troll or ingratiate himself with Wu-Tang fans. It’s like Bruno Mars trying to kiss up to Tyler The Creator fans.

5. Own It (Produced by Detail, Noah “40” Shebib)

The Wu trolling continues. Drake singing sounds Kanye level bad like he just said “fuck it, I’m just going to sing whatever over So Far Gone style beats”. When Drake does decide to rap he does go in.

Best line: “Niggas start more than bitches these days”.

6. Worst Behavior (Produced by DJ Dahi)

This is the worst Drake song I’ve ever heard. It sounds like he heard Yeezus and heard Kanye’s voice in his head instead of his own while rapping this. Honestly, if Kanye had made this I would have loved it but coming from Drake it just sounds like Tyga trying to be Tupac. And the whole Mase verse re-purpose thing, didn’t Jay-Z do that on Nas’ album?

7. From Time (Produced by Chilly Gonzales, Noah “40” Shebib)

This song is custom made for long time Drake fans. It has a very “Closer” feel to it and Jhené Aiko singing on here is star making. My only critique is the attack time on the kicks sounds a little off. I’m awestruck of Drake’s raps on here. As gay as Drake is, when he decides to rap, you can’t deny it.

Best line: “I wanna take it past pussy, money, vacation”.

8. Hold On, We’re Going Home

How can you hate this song? It sounds like Michael Jackson and M-83 mash-up and is just a feel good summer anthem. It’s a song your mom likes. If I were Drake I would have made a whole album with songs like this on it, instead we get an album that sounds nothing like this.

9. Connect

This song is just one big face palm. “Swaggin'”? Drake’s watched Ginuwine’s Pony way to many times.

10. The Language

This is the Drake I wanted to hear. He’s just going raw into Kendrick Lamar’s bootyhole. This beat makes we want to do a slow motion back and forth kinda dance and it’s both amazing and irritating how the snare misses a beat like a normal trap song. Yes Drake we get it.

11. 305 to My City (Featuring Detail) (Produced by Detail)

Okay now this is Drake’s worst song ever. I never want to hear this shit again. With a name like “305 to My City” I was expecting a celebratory song about bringing strippers from Miami to Toronto. Instead we get a Dream-esque song sympathizing with women that take off the clothes for a living.

Worst line: “Were not in Kansas anymore”.

12. Too Much (featuring Sampha) (Produced by Nineteen85, Sampha)

This is another Drake introspective song in the vein of “Closer”. This is where Drake is pretty much untouchable, though I do think Macklemore is giving Drake a run for his money in making songs that actually matter and connect with the audience.

13. Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2 (featuring Jay-Z) (Produced by Boi-1da, Jordan Evans)

No this isn’t as good as “Light Up” but it does come close to the same feel. This time around though there is no question Drake out raps Jay, though Jay does come through with some powerful lines. And yes there’s more Wu trolling this time courtesy of Timbaland who tries to do his mouth scratching thing.

Best line: “I told him less is more. There’s plenty of us”.

Last Word

I can’t imagine people a month from now still playing this album. I’ve probably listened to it a handful of times over the last few weeks and it was more out of force to get this review in. It is not something I would recommend as a complete body of work. While Drake’s super power is his ability to bring females in, it is also his Achilles’ heel as he cannot go full man mode. The thing with rap is that it is like when you’re drinking with your friends and all the misogynistic and crazy shit comes out that you’d never say in the presence of a female, Drake obviously doesn’t want to alienate his female fan base. While Drake did turn up the misogyny on here, he didn’t go all the way, playing it safe for much of the album. Drake would have been more bold and more honest if he had called the album “More Of The Same” because that is precisely what we got.

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