Drake: If You're Reading This It's Too Late ALBUM REVIEW

I'm going to keep this intro short, for your sake and mine, because you already know who Drake is, and you also probably know that this latest project dropped out of nowhere in the midst of some pretty heavy drama via Young/ Cash Money records. All that aside, my personal opinion on Drake is that I really enjoyed Take Care, but his debut and the album he put out in 2013, Nothing Was The Same left me kind of disappointed, especially NWTS.

What I really enjoy about Drake is his ability to be cocky, but turn around and be "sappy", however, I hate it when he tries to act "hard" like on "Worst Behavior" or when he's just being whiny on a track like "Marvin's Room". Luckily, this new mixtape/ album is, at least in my opinion, the most balanced a Drake album has ever been.

The first half of this album is incredibly consistent in terms of both mood and quality; Drake lays down some really memorable lines, all laid over some very moody and stripped back production that I really love. It's almost as if Drake took the best parts of Take Care and NWTS and smashed them together for a perfect fusion of his more ethereal and trap flavored tracks. Another big plus on this album is Drake's actual rapping ability, because he keeps the tough guy BS to a minimum and doesn't let his feelings turn tracks into tear-soaked diary material; instead, we get the confident Drake who is simultaneously in touch with (shocker) his emotions.

Some of my favorite tracks include the single "Energy" and "6 God" both of which have great instrumentals and Drake is on point with his flows and bars. There are also a lot of good "slower" moments on this album, such as the personal "You & The 6" which sees Drake reminiscing about his parents, or the mid album couplet of "Preach" and "Wednesday Night Interlude" both of which feature PARTYNEXTDOOR with his overly autotuned vocals, but manage to overcome that fact with, again, great instrumentals and a solid set of bars from Drake. I even enjoyed the track with Lil Wayne, which is probably the most direct track when it comes to addressing the current Lil Wayne / Birdman situation.

Surprisingly enough, this surprise project is not only a solid one, but it also probably my favorite album from Drake so far. It is solid from front to back and is actually manages to feel really cohesive with small interludes and an consistent overall mood.

8.2/10