In truth, DrakeвЂ™s violent criminality only extends to his horrific mangling of a London accent on his Behind Barz freestyle, and he hasnвЂ™t actually paused his career as the worldвЂ™s biggest pop star to conduct contract killings for the mafia. вЂњI fuck with the mob and I got ties / Knock you off to pay their tithesвЂќ, Drake claims, as he swaps вЂњLouis bags in exchange for body bagsвЂќ. March 14, about the son he fathered following a brief fling, is another good example of this style: вЂњWe only met two times, two times! вЂќ 23. HeвЂ™s much better when getting into the gossipy, soul-baring particulars, in this case his relationship with his parents and the women who got away, making вЂњCourtney from Hooters on PeachtreeвЂќ briefly famous heвЂ™s further aided by AikoвЂ™s exquisite chorus. From Time (feat JhenГ© Aiko) (2013)Дrake can tend towards self-aggrandisement or non-specific beef with shadowy individuals, and it can be difficult to be remotely bothered about either. DrakeвЂ™s top lines would later improve and his coalescing flow is still in thrall to WayneвЂ™s at this point, but the tradeoff across So Far Gone is energy like a puppy skidding on to a kitchen floor: tracks like Successful and Say WhatвЂ™s Real are still riveting for their audible hunger. He justifies elbowing on to the top table, stretching out across the disco track with breezy banter before passing the mic to Lil Wayne for an equally enjoyable longform verse. ItвЂ™s a measure of DrakeвЂ™s supreme confidence that this track from his breakthrough mixtape So Far Gone uses a Jay-Z beat that features a sample the Notorious BIG made famous. But the bridge is stronger, then Drake jumps off the end with the biggest punchline moment in his catalogue.ДЄ younger Drake performing in Austin, Texas, in 2009. Songs live and die on the strength of said melodies, and the one in GodвЂ™s PlanвЂ™s verses is a little dreary. In the past decade, rap has streamlined вЂ“ and in the worst cases, devolved вЂ“ its songwriting to deliver lyrics in a single melody line over and over again. With a beat that offers a nice tropical twist on Hotline Bling, this isnвЂ™t DrakeвЂ™s finest lyrical hour вЂ“ ah, how relatable the tribulations of having to deal with insincere people when youвЂ™re famous! But the chorus is karaoke-strong, Drake singing forcefully in his higher register, as if doing an impromptu performance on a banquette in a busy club. Hopefully, the new album Certified Lover Boy will expand on this.

Demons (feat Fivio Foreign and Sosa Geek) (2020)ДЇor someone who attaches himself вЂ“ some have said parasitically вЂ“ to all sorts of global music styles, Drake has done relatively little drill, though this track from the water-treading Dark Lane Demo Tapes suggests heвЂ™s well-suited to its bass lurch and asymmetric cymbals. But he closes the album with a beautifully jazzy take on a particular Drake mode: executive slam poetry, as if delivered conversationally to businessmen around the Nespresso machine in a first-class airport lounge. The collaborative album with Future, What a Time to Be Alive, is overrated, Drake wanting to tick off an Atlanta trap project but struggling to write hooks that find purchase in the cold snares (the club-igniting Jumpman is dumb, boring and rips off Gucci Mane, do not me). But his cockiness connects, and the chorus hook is memorably strong. ItвЂ™s a rather corny boast and gets cornier still вЂ“ punchlines like вЂњat the club you know I balled: chemoвЂќ could be included in Christmas crackers, were they not deeply insensitive.

Forever (feat Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem) (2009)Д«orne aloft on a blaze of horns and flanked by three all-time greats, this was DrakeвЂ™s entry to rapвЂ™s big leagues: вЂњLast name ever / first name greatestвЂќ, is how he opens his verse.

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