Drake- Nothing Was the Same ALBUM REVIEW

Drake is simply the most popular artist in all of hip hop. Whether you like it or not, you know this is true. For all types of reasons, this guy's name is always being mentioned. He did not even release anything in all of 2012 yet he stayed quite relevant. With that being said, I have always been a fan of Drake. I really enjoyed his last album, Take Care. The main reason I liked it was probably its variety. Drake pretty much did everything there, taking from lots of different types of hip hop, and elements of R&B. Now, Drake is finally back nearly two full years later with Nothing Was the Same. What will Drake do on this new album?

The first song on this album, titled Tuscan Leather, really hyped be up and it had me believing this would be album of the year. This song was simply stellar. I loved the initial beat and Drake was really lyrical, spitting with charisma and emotion. The song seriously got good once the beat switched up into this hard-hitting, head-bopping beat that sounded awesome. Drake's verses were full of quotables throughout the song. While this song was a bit too long, it is still one of the best songs Drake has made to date. I even somewhat liked the second track, Furthest Thing. It is by no means as good as the first song, but it is tolerable and I enjoyed the hook here. The third track is Started From the Bottom and I don't really have to say anything. This song has dominated 2013 and for good reason. It is catchy as hell, has a great beat, and Drake sounds hungry and determined here.

After a pretty solid first three songs, this went downhill really fast. Wu-Tang Forever had a very odd title, but it did sample a Wu-Tang song. This just was just kind of bland. Everything sounds fine, from the beat to Drake's rapping, but he doesn't do anything new. This is the story for the next few songs. While they are decent songs, I have heard Drake do all this already, making them boring. Own It was just okay, as I am not that big of a fan of Drake as a singer, and the song never went anywhere. Worst Behavior had a really good beat, but I didn't love Drake on this song. He was trying to be more aggressive here, which I don't think he is very good at doing. The song sounded pretty good overall, though. From Time was next, and this just went on too long, in my opinion. I enjoyed Jhene Aiko's beautiful voice on the hook, but the piano beat wasn't anything new. This song had a cool story and concept, but it just sounded boring.

Hold On, We're Going Home provided a nice change of pace for me. Not that it was anything different, but something about it was just so much more catchy than the others. It was more upbeat and Drake sounded a lot better singing. The beat here was also fantastic. Drake did a great job picking the singles for Nothing Was the Same with this song and Started from the Bottom. Connect was the next song
here, and I thought this song was far too long. I think at this point, . Drake is a bit too emotional for me. He always raps about the same thing and it all sounds the same. I just want some variety like on Take Care, but I'm not getting any variety from Drake here. On the next song, The Language, Drake raps pretty nicely, but I wasn't feeling the hook that much, and he is rapping about the same stuff. 305 To my City sounded exactly like the others, and Too Much brought something a little different, but I still can't get into this for whatever reason. The closer is a two-parter with Pound Cake and Paris Morton 2. Pound Cake was definitely the best beat on the entire album. It sounded fantastic and very smooth. Drake and Jay-Z rapped beautifully over it, and this song sounded very well made overall. On the other hand, Paris Morton 2 was just boring, and a fitting closer for an album that was this repetitive.

NOTHING WAS THE SAME WRAP UP
+Some pretty good atmospheric production
+When Drake raps, he sounds good
+some good stories and lyricism
-no variety
-was really boring overall
-many songs were too long
-could have used some features
-not nearly as good as Take Care

Best: Tuscan Leather, Hold On We're Going Home, Pound Cake

Worst: 305 To My City

Drake- Nothing Was the Same
6.9/10