#jjmb

Most of this album is barely of note – like, at all. Matters of loyalty, betrayal and haters that Drake usually revels in, barely even call to arms his wards of social media theologists. Hits such as Over, Miss Me and Find Your Love serve their function, but only the latter strikes an impression worth any remark. Everything else just blends together, minus Fancy and Light Up – which are aided by performances from T.I. and JAY-Z (at the time Jay Z), respectively.

Pleasantly though, there are genuinely great songs on this album. For starters, the observations on Fireworks and The Resistance are some of the most astute and eloquent of Drake’s career. Fireworks sees Drake reflect on his personal history. With focus on his parents and a previous relationship, he analyses his attitudes towards the people who are – and were – close to him and his dreams. How, with each epiphany gained, he will continue to march towards his desired grandeur, celebrating proudly along the way. The Resistance sees Drake ruminate about those who took umbrage with his changes because of – and for – success. The greatness of this song is that Drizzy doesn’t shrug off the idea that he may be the problem. He acknowledges he may indeed be the one that has changed, but as stated, for him to reach the grandeur of his desires, it is but a harsh necessity. It’s as refreshing now as it was then, almost bafflingly so.

Pleasantly-er, is the absence of strange, tone death moments like on following Drake projects. No oddly racist and nonsensical lines like ‘Shout out to Asian girls, let the lights dim some’ (get it?). No venting about a 21-year-old not wanting to date or be supported by or have sex with a man who is a decade older than them. No complaining about his girl taking his car to buy tampons, then threatening to take them ‘back to the hood’, as only a human trafficking connoisseur would. No real terrible songs. And finally, no real thematic failure, other than the idea that most people will thank him for this album. All we have are groan-inducing bars created with that abominable hashtag flow of yore, and otherwise exemplary producers clocking in to showcase a congregation of sub-efforts. So yeah, on the whole, could be worse.

In conclusion, this album certainly exists. It’s evident that Drake rushed this project out to capitalise on his hype, yet judging by the 447,000 first week sales, alongside his continued success, I suppose it was an essential buffer before he and his team could really flex their song-writing capabilities.

Ultimately, I must rate Drake’s Thank Me Later a:

NOT CLASSIC! / 10

Again, it’s not a bad album. In fact, individually most of these songs are fine, but as a 14-track project it makes you feel vague feelings of nothingness; it’s quite frustrating.

P.S.

Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was released in November 2010. Nicki Minaj put more bother into her fake British accent on that album’s opener, Dark Fantasy, than she did in her Up All Night verse.

P.P.S.