THANK ME LATER VS. SO FAR GONE

Will we be thanking Drake for his debut LP or have we already heard the best rapshe’s ever had?

WORdsKevin Lo

Lyrics

Much like “So Far Gone,” Drake’s latest offering deals with love, fame and the struggles that coincide with balancing the two. “Thank Me Later,” continues to showcase Drake’s unique songwriting process, incorporating witty bars, catchyhooks and a little bit of R&B flavor into the bulk of the album. Drizzy’s debut LP showcases his improved lyricism and flow,making cameos alongside Jay

Z, T.I., & Jeezy “Unforgettable“.

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The Resistance

– After a brief R&Bintroduction Drake transitions into someof his more memorable bars. From brag-gadocios bars, “It’s happenin’ PennyLane just like you said/ I avoided theCoke game and went with Sprite in-stead,” to more introspective lines, “Thisone that I messed with unprotected/ Texted saying she wished she wouldakept it,” Drake analyzes his newfound su-perstar lifestyle & the pros & cons thatgo along w/ it.

Thank Me Now

– Drake takes us ona tour of what his new life looks like withreferences to Hawaii, Miami, new singlewomen & partying like there’s no tomor-row. While enjoying his newfound scen-ery he speaks of the pressure of beingin such a blessed position, “I can relateto kids going straight to the league/ when they recognize that you got whatit takes to succeed/ and that’s aroundthe time that your idols become yourrivals/ you make friends with Mike butgotta A.I. him for your survival.”

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Say What’s Real

– On “Say What’sReal,” Drizzy’s backhanded braggingand effortless delivery illustrate a youngman, lost and alone, in a world of fameand fortune many can simply dream off.Bars like, “And my mother embarrassed topull my Phantom out/ So I park about 5houses down/ She say I shouldn’t have ituntil I have the crown/ But I don’t wannafeel the need to wear disguises around/ So she wonder where my mind is ac-counts in the minus/ but yet I’m rollinground the fuckin’ city like your highness,”illustrate his troublesome transition frombackpacker to hip-hops next big thing.I

gnant Shit (Feat. Lil’ Wayne)

– It’sclear the R&B inuence on “So Far Gone,”is heavy throughout the mixtape, whichis why a beat from Jay-Z’s AmericanGangster seems like an unlikely t. In-stead the up-tempo Just Blaze produc-tion serves as a lyrical onslaught cour-tesy of Young Angel and Young Lion,with Drake spittin shit like “I’m the onetwice over/ I’m the new

“.

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Light Up (Feat. Jay-Z)

–

One of Hov’s best verses in a long time. WhileJigga does manage to outshine theyoung Canadian, on one of the albumspremier collaborations, Jay curtails hisow to t Drake’s signature sound. Drakeproves several times on T.M.L. that hecan rap alongside any one of his rapidols.

Up All Night

– Young Money labelmate Nicki Minaj rides shotgun overthis club banger, originally producedfor Keri Hilson. The two proclaim theirlove for their team as well as their lovefor ballin. Nicki kills it here with a stel-lar verse that more then makes up for alackluster single (Massive Attack) andwack Christina Aguilera feature.

Features

The list of features on T.M.L. is much more impressive then the cast that ap-peared on S.F.G. While “So Far Gone,” featured more R&B singers, Lloyd, Trey Songz, Omarion, then rappers, T.M.L. features the likes of Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, Young Jeezy, Alicia Keys, The-Dream, T.I and Nicki Minaj. It’s one thing to get Hov on your album but on your debut LP? Kid’s gotta be a star (no spangled banner.)

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Successful

– With the help of TreySongz, Drake discusses somber familymoments over a bed of eerie hauntingdrums. Despite the slow tempo, “Suc-cessful,” is an exciting record, that ndsDrake questioning whether success isequivalent to material things like money,cars & clothes. Drizzy also reveals theturmoil within his family with lines like,“And my mother tried to runaway fromhome/ But I left somethin in the car andso I caught her in the driveway/ Andshe cried to me so I cried too/ And mystomach was soakin wet, she only 5’2,”

Uptown

– Bun B co-signs the youngCanadian upstart as he appears onthe rst of many tracks with the YoungMoney prince. Drake sings on the hook“It’s OK, it’s OK, it’s OK,” & you have nochoice but to believe him as he holdshis own alongside two of the South’shottest emcees.