When I first saw the cover art for Drake's junior album "Nothing was the same" surface on Twitter, I almost created a huge scene in the middle of an aisle at Wal-Mart.
I held myself back from shrieking like a little school girl too loud but I still let myself perform my happy dance in public. Like other fans, I laughed about the memes that were created by fans, photoshopping Drake's head to a camel's body, comparing the baby with the afro pick to Beyonce's daughter Blue Ivy and placing Drake's profile into an undiscovered Pokémon card.
I've been a fan of Drake since his time on "Degrassi." I was hooked to his mixed tapes that were out before he was signed to Little Wayne's Young Money Entertainment record label. Hearing songs like "Say What's Real" and "Successful" blast from my cousin's car radio for the first time attracted me to the his honesty in his lyrics highlighting his failed relationships, his hometown of Toronto and his dreams of making it big in the rap game. As I listened over and over again to his tracks, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Drake's willingness to expose his insecurities has been driving his success since 2010 in his first album, "Thank Me Later" and now in his most recent "Nothing was the Same" album.
The album was officially released on Sept. 24, although people were able to hear the leaked version online some days before. Drake's album opens confidently with the track "Tuscan Leather" where he sets the bar for his competitors, proving his return and his goals to hit the top of the charts like his past albums. The beat has a 90s R&B feel and incorporates a gospel-like tone at the end contrasting the two genres and adding another dimension to the song.
The rapper's top hit of 2013, "Started from the Bottom" was also included on the track list where he talks about the struggles he faced growing up in middle class suburbia.
The album also has more songs in which Drake shows off his improved singing skills in songs like "Hold on We're Going Home." Although this song is slow for my taste, I still enjoy how sensual the song is. I wasn't as crazy about this song as I was for "Take Care," also the name of his second album, but after listening to it a couple times, it started to grow on me.
I hate to admit that I'm already falling for the song "Worst Behavior" because of its tough beat and its basic redundant lyrics "Mufucka never loved us." I do have to admit that I wish Drake included his song "Girls love Beyonce" in his album. If people didn't catch this song when it was hyped during its release in April of this year, I think listeners would enjoy the fact that Drake samples Destiny Child's "Say My Name" in his beat.
Although I'm not so familiar with the rest of the songs yet on the album, I'm hoping that Drake delivers in terms of lyric content and sound. I think a lot of people who've been waiting for the Drake's junior album to drop have high expectations since Drake competes with artists like Kanye West and Jay- Z in terms of sound. But I think Drake doesn't have to worry much since his lyrics are always strong and his willingness to display his vulnerability.