Drake’s forthcoming album, Take Care, is different.
Most of the tracks from the Canadian rapper/crooner’s sophomore release were leaked recently, revealing a project full of deep, emo tracks. Before posting our official album review, AllHipHop.com digs deeper into what is becoming Drake’s signature style. Here are 10 handpicked lines from some of the more, touchy-feely songs on the album:
1. “And you tell me I’m just like my father/ My one button, you push it/ Now it’s ‘F*ck you, I hate you/ I’ll move out in a heartbeat’”
On the Chase N. Cashe-produced “Look What You’ve Done,” Drake tells all about his relationships with his mother, aunt, and uncle. In these particular lines, Drake gets upset during an argument with his mother when she compares him to his father. He has made it clear before that he never wants to be compared to his father, and this sets him off – although a few lines later, he and his mother make up. Yet, it’s still an emo moment on one of the more emo tracks on the album.
2. “I thought I found the girl/ Of my dreams at a strip club / F*ck it, I was wrong, though”
Drake allegedly dated a woman named Maliah Michel, a stripper from Houston, so these lines could refer to his relationship with her. Drake has also been looking for love at the strip club since the So Far Gone days on “Houstatlantavegas” and on Thanks Me Later’s “Miss Me.” It looks like he finally may have learned his lesson on “Over My Dead Body,” and maybe it’s time for Drizzy to start looking for love in other places.
3. “OK, look, I’m honest / Girl I can’t lie, I miss you / You and the music were the/ Only things that I commit to”
On “Shot For Me,” Drake references not one, but two ex-girlfriends. Speaking to one of them in these lines, he lets her know how he truthfully feels towards her. From the context of the song, it looks like she broke up with him, even though he was as committed to her as he was to his music. This is sure to make her regret her decision, and on the hook Drake asks her to take a shot for him as a toast to his success. Swag!
4. “When you record with two others/ That want the same things / It starts to feel better/ Than home feels”
This line from “The Ride” most likely refers to the Take Care recording sessions that took place in Noah ‘40’ Shebib’s studio in Toronto. The “two others” are 40 and Future The Prince. A few lines earlier, Drake raps about late nights and the sun being up when he gets home. The studio sessions for Take Care are known to have been from around 9pm to 7 in the morning. This is an emo line as it shows the kind of feelings that Drake has towards Take Care, and how important the process is to him. Unlike Thank Me Later, he recorded his entire sophomore album in his hometown of Toronto. In these lines, he describes how good it feels to not only be home, but also to be recording with two people that really connect with you musically in an effort to put forth the best music possible.
5. “It’s like ’09 in your basement/ And I’m in love with Nebby / And I still love her but it fell through/ Because I wasn’t ready”
In the first verse of “Look What You’ve Done,” Drake raps about his relationship with his mother and starts the verse off by setting the time period. He does this by reflecting on an ex-girlfriend that he wasn’t ready to take the next step with, although he loved her and still does. Through these lines, he also reminisces on his time at home living in his mother’s basement in her Forest Hill, Toronto home.
6. “All the care I would take/ All the love that we made / Now you’re trying to find somebody/ To replace what I gave to you”
Even after treating his ex with love, she still broke it off with him. Damn. Since then, he’s come a long way in his career, and she still hasn’t found anyone like him. Nobody else can take care of her the way that he did. Drake also asks this ex to take a “Shot For Me,” too.
7. “’Cause you say you love me/ And I’ll end up lying / And say I love you, too”
On “Doing It Wrong,” Drake breaks up with a girl and then lies by saying that he loves her, too. He only does this to try and make her feel better about their situation, but he knows that lying isn’t right way to going about ending a relationship. The truth hurts.
8. “I wish that you would come and find me / Just to tell me that I haven’t changed/ Girl, I needed that from you”
On the interlude “Good Ones Go,” Drake wants one of his ex’s to come and tell him that he is still the same person that he was before the fame and money. He wants to hear this from an ex that knew him before his career took off. He desperately needs this, and let’s his wish be known to her through his emo lamenting.
9. “I’ve had sex four times this week/ I’ll explain / Having a hard time adjusting to fame”
On the drunk-dial anthem, “Marvin’s Room,” Drake shares with an ex some of the difficulties that he is having in his life. It seems like sex has become completely unemotional for him, and he is only using it to cope with his new-found problems that fame has brought him. He definitely has some explaining to do.
10. “I guess we’ll never know what Harvard gets us / But seeing my family have it all took the place of/ That desire for diplomas on the wall”
Drake raps on “Crew Love” about how he gave up his aspirations of going to college when he realized that he could give his family and crew anything they ever wanted through his success in music. After working hard to finally achieve this, he feels even better about his decision.
Take Care is set for release on November 15 with a few, additional tracks that haven’t been leaked. Check back for AllHipHop.com’s official album review next week!
