Take care. A common farewell told to friends and family. “Take Care.” An album by Aubrey “Drake” Graham that will brighten one’s day more than a friendly goodbye.
The Toronto-born rapper’s sophomore album has already burned up the charts debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart. The CD is his follow up album to 2010’s “Thank Me Later,” which received positive reviews and great success. Despite this, Drake felt he had to step up for his second album, wanting a stronger recording as opposed to his first, which he felt he rushed.
Drake definitely elevates his singing and rapping this time around, producing much stronger verses and hooks. The theme of the album seems to be what has come from the fame Drake has received since he dropped his first mixtape in February of 2006.
One of the first songs fans heard off of the album was the rap breakup anthem of the year, “Marvin’s Room.” The song has been covered by artists like JoJo and Chris Brown, who bring different perspectives to the lyrics. The lyrics include clips of a phone conversation between Drake and his ex in which she asks, “Are you drunk right now?” and he replies, “I’m just saying you can do better.” Drake showcases his ability to effortlessly weave singing in with his spoken-sounding raps. The conversation doesn’t interrupt the song too much and provides a back story to his verses and chorus.
It wouldn’t be a Drake album without appearances of artists from his label: Young Money Entertainment. Rappers that are featured include Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. Other artists such as Rick Ross, Rihanna and The Weekend, also made their way on contributing more depth to the album.
Drake’s latest single, “Make Me Proud,” features Minaj, and is one song on the album that praises women. Despite repeating “I’m so proud of you” during the chorus, the message makes the song sound out of place because it’s an unconventional idea. Despite its different themes, “Proud” is still a very strong song. Rap is notorious for being known as the genre of music that degrades women and many artists, including Drake, are remembered for their vulgarity.
Although “Make Me Proud” seems out of place, it still combines a strong beat with Minaj and Drake’s effortless verses.
Wayne lends his talents on “HYFR” and “The Real Her.” While he doesn’t bring the strongest performance of all guest artists on the album, it couldn’t be Drake without some Wayne. As Drake’s mentor, Wayne’s influence is seen throughout the tracks and “HFYR” is one of the many single-ready songs on the album.
One downfall however, is that after listening to the songs many times, they seem to blend together with only small distinguishing traits between them. Many start off with an interlude and booming bass, that makes the songs seem upbeat, but then ends up being another slow tempo track. A bit more diversity could have been added between each song to break the album up.
One standout song of the album is “Shot For Me.” It’s one of the opening songs and has the strongest slow tempo. Drake describes a relationship that fell apart as “he made it.”
The song is soothing, and one that he sings more than raps. The best lyrics of the song, and possibly the entire album, is in the final seconds of the song where he speaks, “may your neighbors respect you/ angels protect you/ trouble neglect you/ and heaven accept you.”
These words are inspirational and speak to the title of the album.
The album is some of Drake’s best work; it’s effortless. All one needs to do is sit back and “Take Care.”
