The Empire Presents Drake, The Drought Is Over

For a while now everyone from y’all (comment posters) to heads in my hood been on me about “When you gonna review a Drake mixtape? What you got against Drake? That he’s Canadian? That he was an actor? Drake is the man!” Well the truth is that I do like some of Drake’s material, but he’s Canadian and he’s part of George Bush’s Axis of Evil so fuck him. Nah, just kidding. Drake is a talented rapper, but he seems more driven to make mainstream music than straight hip-hop music. That’s why I never really got into him. But I can’t deny that son can craft the kind of music to get the cheese (get it?).

The Mountie MC is as clever as they come in the game today. Saying ish like, “I dare one of these niggas to say I’m not insane/pick a road cause where you driving it’s not a lane/and rest in peace to Pimp C, life is not a game/takin’ over the world, no pinky just a lot of braaaiin” on “Overdose On Life.” He even held his own on the Lil Wayne featured “I Want Dis 4 Eva” where he simply stated, “I don’t think you’ll ever find a nigga like me/never L-I-E/I got everything I tell ‘em I got/young nigga showboat like I’m selling a Yacht!” Cooler than the other side of the pillow ish right there is what that is.

But the downside to his cleverness is when he tries to go the pop route with his music and makes—in my opinion—trash music like “Every Girl,” “Get It Like Me” and “She Just Wanna Dance,” But I’m sure birds like Paris Hilton (the target audience for joints like this) will say the aforementioned tracks are “hot” and go on to dance like “niggers” to it. Sidenote: why wasn’t Paris Hilton ever beaten up for making that “we’re dancing like two niggers” remark? Maybe she should’ve dated Chris Brown to see what was really good. But then again had Chris beaten her up, he would’ve gotten the chair by now…

When Drake is straight rhyming or freestyling like he did on ”Closer To My Dreams,” “Still Drake” or his “Presidents" Freestyle where he rhymed over Jigga’s “Dead Presidents” beat, son is no joke like Kramer at the Laugh Factory (yet another person who made racial remarks and went unscathed). His style is versatile enough for him to make a complete hip-hop album filled with songs that have substance over a variety of rhythmic sounds. He’s that good, but he has a tendency to experiment a little too much with his sound and that’s where he loses me. “Girl Let Me” is a prime example of when he feels a little too Kanye-ish with his. It seems like everyone nowadays wants to be an “artist” and not an straight MC.

Have a good and safe weekend, y’all. Stay up and stay strapped both ways. Uno- The Infamous O

Hottest Joint: I Want Dis 4 Eva”s

Weakest Joint: “She Just Wanna Dance”