The Student News Site of Shawnee Mission Northwest

SMNW

The Student News Site of Shawnee Mission Northwest

SMNW

The Student News Site of Shawnee Mission Northwest

SMNW

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Drake: Take Care

The difference between Drake and other artists is his use of consciousness. Much like Holden Caulfield (of J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye), he streams it. If you thought you knew Aubrey Drake Graham before Take Care, you didn’t. And here’s why: Even though he says “he’s the realest in the game right now,” he’s actually more.

Like an author writing his first lines to a novel, Drake wants to ingrain the mood of his masterpiece into the listener’s mind. Any rapper could grab attention with the greatest hook, the hardest-driven lines and the catchiest beat, but Drake embodies that tip with a twist. The opening track, “Over My Dead Body,” wraps soft, mesmerizing piano chords over bitter-sweet lyrics and an indecipherable R&B hook, creating an emotional roller coaster as its melody fades in and out. It showcases Take Care’s sentiment before it’s even really started.

Drake is at his best when he keeps his lyrical content clean, which is odd, but true. The track “Take Care” invokes the most emotion on album by far. It’s no wonder that Graham titled the LP after it. By keeping his lyrics clean, Graham proves that emphasis doesn’t have to be created with obscenities and offensive slurs.

That said, the album isn’t PG by any means. The only exception is “Take Care”, which just goes to show that when Drake wants to be sincere while addressing his love, and he’s respectful and classy at it.

Filtered synths, clean electric-guitar and gospel choirs are all elements of Take Care,
There are times where it seems as if Drake is rushing his flow, but it’s intended. He’s spitting out every self-reflecting thought that comes to mind, like the stream of consciousness mentioned before, but not in free style. He’s driven by reactionary emotion; he’s always in the moment.

Compared to Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV and Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne, the most notable hip-hop albums of 2011 thus far, Take Care surpasses Weezy and shares the spotlight with Jay and ‘Ye. It’s apparent that Drake has evolved from Thank Me Later, incorporating his signature R&B-type rap fluidity, with his new favorite sonics, those of which are derived from his friend and signee, The Weeknd, who actually appears on the LP, and overall, the originality expressed on Take Care packages well, especially with all the hype it received in 2011.

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Drake: Take Care