Album Review: "Nothing Was The Same" - Drake

A lot has changed for Drake.

It has been twelve years since he first appeared on MTV's "Degrassi"
It has been five years since Lil' Wayne first was given a few of his records to listen to.
It has been a two years since the release of his debut album, Thank Me Later.
It has been seven months since his sophomore album, Take Care, won Rap Album of the Year at the 55th Grammy Awards.

Since surfacing in 2009 with his So Far Gone mixtape, Drake has also been the target of plenty criticism.  His previous role on Degrassi and current status as a "rapper" has given way for fans and critics alike to call Drake "fake" or "soft". Surely, a teenage actor turned rapper is going to turn heads and draw criticism in a genre where the most common job for emcees before their rap career launched is subjected to a street corner rather than on a film set.

On Drake's latest album, Nothing Was The Same, Drake delivers a level of honesty that has forced listeners (even myself- someone who never was perturbed by his background) to overlook his past in order to effectively understand his present status.  His third studio album is overbrimming with honesty so much so that the persistent theme seems to finally address the perpetual criticism and scrutiny the Toronto rapper has faced since the release of So Far Gone.

On the album's opening track, "Tuscan Leather", Drake delivers three separate verses divided by no chorus, but minor changes in the song's beat.  In the opening verse, over a beat that sounds like it belonged on a Diplomats record, Drake raps, "I'm just as famous as my mentor".  By being blunt as possible on the opening verse of the album's first song, Drake is acknowledging that his fame has surpassed that of his mentor, Lil' Wayne; whose slipping fame has manifested in the recent flop of his Truckfit clothing line and sub-par download numbers on his latest mixtape, Dedication 5.  Two minutes into the album and Drake has already divulged an honest, yet controversial, personal thought with his listeners.  He has showed his listeners what he thinks about himself and how he feels about his current status in relationship to his past.

It's hard to review Nothing Was The Same and remember that the album's singles, "Started From The Bottom" and "Hold On, We're Going Home" are even singles at all.  "Started From The Bottom" started off the 2013 and has had the most influence on pop culture since Jay and Kanye's "N*ggas In Paris".  "Hold On We're Going Home" was out for less than a month and has already amassed more radio play than any song from either of Big Sean and 2 Chainz's recent studio albums.  There's no question that these singles are valuable pieces of Nothing Was The Same.

For "From Time" and "305 to My City", Drake passes the vocals over to Jhene Aiko and Detail, respectively, having the two artists forge the song's impressive choruses.  In an album that feels overwhelmingly dominated by Drake's singing skills, these two tracks stand out as two moments where Drake passes the microphone over to another skilled musician, beside himself, for a songs' chorus.  (Don't miss  the ultra-talented Jhene Aiko on "From Time").  The album's only major rap feature comes from Jay-Z on "Pound Cake" where Jay bogs down a mediocre verse with celebrity name drops ranging from Katy Perry to William Wesley.  Jay's verse seems to be a continuation of the average lyrics on July's Magna Carta Holy Grail.

However, Drake certainly includes tracks where he does both the singing and the rapping.  Adhering to his signature style, Drake delivers melodic choruses and metaphor laden verses on "Own It" and "Furthest Thing".  Both tracks have that signature Drake feel to them and are some of the album's lighter moments.

The album's strongest tracks, "The Language" and "Too Much", are undoubtably the stand out pieces from the emcee's third album.  On "The Language", Boi-1da (the same producer behind previous Drake smash-hits such as "Best I Ever Had", "Over" and "Take Care") crafts a beat that perfectly echoes Drake's verses and melodic chorus.  The classic Drake flow feels as fresh as the first time we heard it and "The Language" is complimented by Drake's easy transitions from singing to rapping, back to singing.  On "Too Much", the album's nicest track, Drake samples a song by Sampha, the vocalist behind "The Motion" and internet hit "Wildfire (Remix)".  Sampha's chorus is looped throughout the song and is an excellent pairing to Drake's finest bars.  Looking for honesty? Drake raps about his fear that no one would show up to his 2009 show at The Warehouse, a popular Houston concert venue.  (Drake sold out the venue two nights in a row during his recent tour).

It's clear.  Drake is not going to over evaluate his past, like so many do, and instead is going to keep it as real as he can.  Like he said on 2 Chainz's 2012 summer hit, "No lie".

The clearest acknowledgement toward the critics comes on "Worst Behavior" where Drake's aggressive flow mirrors that of his previous "Versace" and "Stay Schemin" verses.  The track is a huge F-U to the critics who decided to label Drake as "soft" and "fake".  Rapping about the bitterness of critics, Drake remarks "Mothaf*ckas never loved us", nearly replicating Ma$e's verse on "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems".  In addressing these critics, Drake seems to not care as his near-violent bars could literally be equated to spitting in their faces.

It's clear.  Drake doesn't want to over evaluate his past like so many do.  He instead wants to deliver an insight into the honest and true life of Aubrey Graham aka. Drake.  This idea is most evident on "Wu-Tang Forever" , discussing the streets and the gang lifestyle that so many emcees in the genre have been acustomed to since their earliest years, Drake notes "Luckily I didn't have to grow there/ I would only go there cause niggas that I know there".

No lies.
No faking.
Just honesty.

Drake uses Nothing Was The Same to finally face the growing critics and scrutinizers.  He has no reason to lie to listeners and appear as "soft" or "fake".  Instead, he is revealing what his life is really like.  What he really experiences and what he really has experienced.

A lot has changed for Drake.  Just look at the last twelve years for the Toronto rapper.  Honestly,


Nothing Was The Same.


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