Everybody's favorite biracial, Jewish, Canadian rapper/pop star is back at it again! Drake calls his newest project More Life a “playlist,” but this is not some hastily jumbled together collection of loose material and guest showcases. No, More Life is a legitimate piece of work, one that Drake clearly put a lot of work into, a 22-song album of varying sounds that almost no one else in music could pull off so successfully. Does this man ever take a break? I guess having an album that went roughly quadrillion-times platinum and being the most streamed artist in all of music in 2016 wasn't enough to stop him from immediately attempting to do it all over again for early 2017. But hey, if the global-music-domination plans result in music that is as fun to listen to as More Life is, I'm cool with it.
Much of More Life's running time has Drake playfully experimenting with different sounds and cultural styles, giving it a loose yet captivating mood. There's many unique contributions from a diverse set of guests, who he explores a wide array of vibes with. The playful approach pays off- honestly, most of this "playlist" sounds like the innovative rap/pop opus from Drake that the hyped-up but lackluster Views should have been. Whereas Views sounded in many stretches like refrigerated leftovers of a past Drake album, More Life has a considerably livelier, fresher vibe that displays more creative energy. Not everything's changed- you can bet your ass there's some downbeat slow-burners with lyrics that seem designed to get you in your feelings over a Tinder match (This is a still a Drake project, you know). But overall, More Life has a highly pleasing and, most importantly, fun balance of Drizzy's various musical lanes. Let's break these down by separating them into three categories, more or less named after the different cultural sounds that he shamelessly adopts as his own.
Much of More Life's running time has Drake playfully experimenting with different sounds and cultural styles, giving it a loose yet captivating mood. There's many unique contributions from a diverse set of guests, who he explores a wide array of vibes with. The playful approach pays off- honestly, most of this "playlist" sounds like the innovative rap/pop opus from Drake that the hyped-up but lackluster Views should have been. Whereas Views sounded in many stretches like refrigerated leftovers of a past Drake album, More Life has a considerably livelier, fresher vibe that displays more creative energy. Not everything's changed- you can bet your ass there's some downbeat slow-burners with lyrics that seem designed to get you in your feelings over a Tinder match (This is a still a Drake project, you know). But overall, More Life has a highly pleasing and, most importantly, fun balance of Drizzy's various musical lanes. Let's break these down by separating them into three categories, more or less named after the different cultural sounds that he shamelessly adopts as his own.
"Caribbean pop star" Drake
The singing side of Drake on More Life is the form that stands out as being the most catchy and radio-friendly, sure, but also on a creative front, the most satisfyingly innovative he's sounded in a while. Beginning with the irresistible third track, "Passionfruit" (coming soon to every radio near you), there's a sunny five-song stretch that lifts the vibe of the album into a blissful state; it's like the sound of chilling on a tropical island that's floating through the ocean (Yes, an island that somehow moves. VISIONARY). I have no idea what "Madiba Riddim" or "Blem" means, but I damn sure like the way Caribbean Drizzy sings the verses and hooks. And don't sleep on the jubilant Young Thug collab "Ice Melts"! These songs are a nice extension of the "One Dance"-"Controlla"-"Too Good" trifecta that was the best thing about Views, except this time, they naturally fit the tone of the album instead of just feeling like radio-smash-hit interludes. Would anybody be that mad if Drake just stopped rapping altogether and continued to make uplifting pop music from here on out? Maybe in the future he could follow his pal Future's formula and separate his rap songs and poppier songs onto different releases. Either way, Drake really deserves credit for his astounding creative versatility; it's safe to say that there's never before been an established rapper that can also claim to be a top mainstream pop singer of his era.
"toronto/london supertrapper" Drake
Not that Drake is moving on at all from keeping his status as a top-tier rapper. For fans of his slick If You're Reading-style bangers, there's delightfully more to chew on here on More Life than on Views. "Free Smoke" and "No Long Talk" open the album on a vicious note before the tropical stretch takes over. "Gyalchester", "KMT", and "Can't Have Everything" also hit their mark; Drake has proven himself a master at finding a melodic flow in his verses that he repeats over and over until it's engrained in your head. Lyrically, the tough-guy attitude and subliminal name-calling has all been said and done before by him (and it sounds a little forced here due to songs like "Passionfruit" being on the same project), but when he delivers it over the right beat and with the right ear-grabbing flow, its hard to resist. The standout is "Portland"- with its catchy flute riff and gleeful guest verses from his buddies Quavo and Travis Scott, it escapes the usual paranoid sound of Drake's rap music and better complements the fun island vibe of the pop songs. People love to give Drake shit for the fraudulent accents he takes on, and for good reason; here are some actual lyrics from the outrageous "No Long Talk"- "Now you man are on a diss ting / Just know man like Chubbs / He's a fixer if I ever gotta fix tings / Just know man like Fif, he's a sickaz / You get tanned, he don’t miss things...Yeah I pree the whole thing." Uhh...what? (Also, this freakin' Giggs guy from London is the best dude Drake could get to represent the British music scene? Hmm, thanks, but I'll stick to American rappers.) However, I just see the funny voices as good entertainment. What lines will you remember more and have fun blurting out loud randomly around friends- Drake's fake-Jamaican chanting or other lyrics in proper, boring English? What, am I the only one who does that sort of thing? Shit.
"sensitive in the 6" drake
Ah yes, the patented downcast, introspective, staring-at-my-ex's-Facebook-page-and-contemplating-my-entire-life side of Drizzy. Honestly, a big reason why More Life succeeds the way it does might be because this lyrical form of him is a lot more tolerable than usual. He's more personable and less narcissistic throughout the album, on all fronts. After spending most of Views bitterly expressing how ex-girls did him wrong and how hard fame is, he actually comes up with some introspective self-revelations on "Lose You" and the excellent closer "Do Not Disturb." For example- "Yeah, ducked a lot of spiteful moves / I was an angry youth when I was writin' Views / Saw a side of myself that I just never knew." Later on, the lines "Nowadays when we catchin' up we just laugh about it / Can't describe what my life is like when she asks about it / Scary whenever I close my eyes at night / Wakin' up to public statements about my private life" show progress in how he can comment on an ex-girl and his fame without sounding like a grumpy spoiled brat. And if he's gonna keep making booty-call jams about women, I'd much rather the corniest thing about it be that a Jennifer Lopez sample was used for the chorus like it is on "Teenage Fever" than having embarrassing lyrics about Cheesecake Factory and Kotex. I'd really thought that Drake had run the well dry in this department with Views, but the songs on More Life show that when done right, his familiar formula of commenting on fame and relationships over muted production can still succeed shockingly well.
"Concluding paragraph" drake
In Drake's mind, maybe announcing More Life as a playlist instead of a proper album (so that there was less anticipation/expectations) freed him up to explore different avenues and sounds. But even with all the varying styles and guests, More Life is a strong, cohesive listen, and one of his best projects to date. Hmm...wasn't there another Drake project that dropped seemingly out of the blue with no expectations that turned out to be dope as hell? Oh yea, If You're Reading two years ago! Its funny that out of the last three Drake solo releases, the two that have pushed forward his sound the most and been the most quality start-to-finish are the two that Drake did not want to call legit albums (If You're Reading was dubbed a "mixtape"). But both IYR and More Life were available to stream on Spotify when they came out just like a typical album is, so who cares? Mixtape, album, playlist- whatever format Drake calls his next release, lets just hope he realizes he’s at his best when he pushes his boundaries and makes something that is, above all else, fun to listen to. He's done it so well throughout his career, that's the new expectation- for all different forms of him.