Breaking Down His Best Work In Years

For many, many years now, one of the main criticisms of Drake – arguably hip-hop’s biggest superstar for at least the last decade – has been that he doesn’t rap enough. Every time he releases a new album, the complaint is found on social networks; that’s cool, but why doesn’t he just do RAP?

It’s an understandable feeling; after all, while Drake’s mainstream attention came with the leak of his R&B-leaning “Brand New” and simptastic follow-up “Best I Ever Had,” he was only able to make a breakthrough as great as because of his freestyles and rapper-rapper projects like Room for improvement And Returning season.

It’s also understandable why Drake has always tried to walk the line between serving these two largely distinct fan bases. Of course, the guys supported him early on and his true rap fans are undeniable (he’s a sponsor of the Ultimate Rap League battlesfor crying out loud), but his greatest commercial successes were largely due to the support of the ladies.

This is largely the reason for the outcry over his latest album, For all dogs. Despite its title suggesting music aimed at the restless part of his fanbase who loves his intricately constructed bars, what he dropped instead was a mawkish collection of hurt chants aimed squarely at MRAs and the women who despise them but date them anyway.

However, Drake is often at his best when his back is against the wall. Metabolizing the criticisms of his latest work, he returned to the laboratory, synthesizing his responses to these reactions in his third Scary hours EP, released under the title For all dogs: scary hoursand doing exactly what many of us wanted him to do for so long: RAP.

He raps, selecting beats that clearly speak to his backpacker origins (Alchemist, what’s up!) and doubling down on the warm reception given to his collaboration with J. Cole.First person shooter” with another epic team-up, this one infused with the pass-the-mic chemistry showcased by fan-favorite rap duos like Jadakiss and Styles and Clipse.

Since this is such a short project, rather than doing a full review, I thought I’d just list my thoughts on each of these pieces and why they hit the mark where the previous project didn’t. successful.

“Red button”

You know Drake is in this mode when he reminds fans of the short-lived backronym of his name. “Do good and kill everything” Aubrey goes for almost two minutes and thirty seconds without a hitch, recalling his Nothing was the same introductions. Keeping a rhyme pattern for this long can be a challenge and the fact that Drake seems so straightforward shows just how much practice he has at his craft.

“Stories about my brother”

Drake says “enough about me” throughout this track, but it’s still mostly a collection of boats about his status and wealth in comparison to his rivals and enemies. Drake the Gangster is probably the least credible version of the superstar, but the number of metaphors he offers for throw a punch at someone is borderline impressive. My favorite: “My brother tore holes in your top, you’re an Air Force member.” »

“The shoe that suits you”

It’s the closest song on the EP to continuing the malevolent spirit of the original album. For six full minutes, Drake raps about women who denigrate him but fail to bring a man to his level of fame and/or wealth. Drake then addresses the men who spend their time hating him and his lifestyle, only to lose their daughter to a hoop many would call one of the cleanest NBA players in the league right now. You’re probably better off following Drake’s advice at the beginning of the track and pressing skip.

“The Bad Man”

Calling yourself lipstick is… as questionable as a lot of what Drake has said in recent years and your endorsement of Pusha T vaccines will vary depending on where you stood when they openly defended themselves. But as an extended metaphorical threat of violence, it’s rather well constructed despite its incredulity. Fans who make the same goofy football joke about the song might want to check their sourcesHowever.

“Evil Ways” Feat. J.Cole

“Evil Ways” is not only the best song on the Scary Hours 3, it’s also a better, more enjoyable conversation between the two rap titans than “First Person Shooter,” mainly because they’re both on the subject and it sounds like they recorded it together (readers (long-timers will also know that I’m just an asshole for commercial bars). Around the 2:30 mark, I started to hope that Kendrick or Phonte would show up to take over, but even unsurprisingly, I imagine this one will stay in rotation for me much longer than any of Drake and Cole. collaborations. Also, shout out Bushido Bladean underrated fighting game from the late 90s that gave me endless hours of entertainment thanks to the brevity of its matches.

“You broke my heart”

Ugh. Even when Drake is intentionally focused on ditching Scribble Jam-worthy punchlines and regaining his grip on his corner of the “best rappers alive” triumvirate, he can’t resist a lazy return to the sad boy who sings about hating his ex who did it. in self-parody on his last three solo albums. We get it, man, girls have cooties or whatever. Go to therapy!