Drake - Take Care Review

So first of all, Drake is Drake. This is his 2nd major release and he has quite a few lesser known releases from a few years ago. Anyone who claims to be a hip hop head and then gets mad that this cd isn't as hip hop as they expected, then what can i tell you? Well, i could tell you that you're simply not a hip hop head. Anyone who knows anything about hip hop can tell you off the bat that yes, Drake can spit, but that isn't his only talent and he isn't interested in making a rap album. Most of his songs feature him singing whether on auto tune or with some other kind of voice enhancement. I've seen him in concert and can tell you that he's not a very good singer without the digital help. But lucky for us, he (like most of today's r&b acts) is smart enough to use these enhancements on the cd. He isn't a thug, he isn't from the streets, and he isn't a battle rapper or a free styler. However, too many people are interested in comparing him based on those attributes instead of just laying back and listening to this cd.

You know who you are so i'll stop there.

As far as this cd goes, it's real addicting, mainly because of the hooks and the beats. The beats are top notch. Production is so solid and goes perfect with Drake. The guest spots for the most part are solid too, except for the last few bars from nicki minaj.

I really like this cd but i'm gonna compare it to his previous works, simply because while Drake has definitely matured in his last couple of cd's, he has a certain sound that sticks with him throughout. And it's easier to compare this cd with his previous cd's instead of comparing him to wu-tang, biggie, or some ridiculous sh* like that.


As far as the full cd comparison/rating goes, gotta say that the beats on this one completely murder his previous cd's. And the way he strings the songs along as far as sounding unstructured but not unfocused, it's all perfect. Best beats are Crew Love, Cameras, The Real Her.

Lyrically, this cd is probably his worst. (not bad at all, but not as good as his last two) He sounds a lot more bitter and sad on this one than his previous two, and definitely not as creative. So Far Gone you could tell he was optimistic. Thank Me Later he was about living it up with his fame. Now on Take Care, he's about addressing the haters. And don't get me wrong, i love revenge and he does it well (especially on Take a Shot For Me = masterpiece). But what happened to the party songs where you just hear that track and you think wow i want to feel that good about my life too? Drake isn't even talking good about women anymore. "Shut it Down" from Thank Me Later was such a great song for the women. "Fancy" showed his appreciation for women who get it themselves while still beign a bangin track. This cd has none of that. All the songs about women are really like breakup songs and revenge songs, or telling a girl hey you gotta deal with my problem so either deal with it or don't. And all of the party songs have some touch of rubbing it in to the people hating on the sidelines. I agree with many reviewers here who think that the young money crew is bringing Drake down. The track HYFR was unnecessary. It's real sloppy and sounds more like a mix tape track. Real weak hook that has nothing to do with the verses, which may be common for many rappers but definitely not Drake. With Drake, I expect the hook, bridge, verses, all to tell the same story. HYFR is just all over the place, doesn't make sense to me. The Rick Ross guest spot wasn't bad but I don't think it added anything to that song. Seemed just like a spot to advertise for Rick Ross. Same with Nicki Minaj's last few lines on her song. Weak.

I disagree with a lot of reviewers on here when it come to the song "Practice". I love this song, think it's a good way to remix a classic. I like the message on here, it's really the only positive song he has on here towards women, well it is in comparison to the rest of this cd.

The happiest song on this cd is probably the most emo track, which is the one with his mom on it, which is trendy right now for rappers to do, but he pulls it off well.

Right now i'm jamming to this cd mainly for the beats and the mood. When I want more lyrical drizzy, i'll throw Thank Me Later or So Far Gone in the deck. I don't see this cd being a classic like a lot of you do, sorry. I just know how old I am and throughout time, you get to realize that most artists only have one or two classic cd's and the rest you can appreciate but you will skip over when you're in the mood to hear that artist. In 20 years, we won't be reaching for this cd, we'll be reaching for So Far Gone probably. There are definitely exceptions to that rule, but this cd is not one of them. Good, even Great cd here. But no classic. 8/10.

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