Who Wants to Read Me Break Down Drake’s “Take Care”? (Album Review)

Over the last few weeks Drake has been the number one story in hip-hop so I've done my fair share of Drizzy coverage, although maybe not your average Drizzy coverage (Angry Kitten Flow anyone?). But cue the Boyz II Men - we've finally reached the End of the Road. Drake's "Take Care" is officially out...for those who don't know how to use Google and insist on paying for music.

Per my job description, I threw down over 1,000 words on "Take Care' for the mothership, during which I propose a Three Topic breakdown system of the album that breaks down every song Drake's ever done, and probably will ever do. Here's a little appetizer - those willing to ignore their day job for 30 minutes can hit the link at the bottom for the full thing. Enjoy:

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"From Elvis’ rebellious hip-swaying in the ‘50s to Eminem’s nihilistic rap in the late ‘90s, every generation sees a young artist emerge who embodies the mood of their time. This generation has been raised, for better or worse, to believe that they are special, and that they are also entitled to the privileges of their specialness. They are taught to pay close attention to their emotions, and those emotions are the sun around which everything and everyone else orbits. They’re simultaneously starving for success and nostalgic for a simpler past, recklessly pushing boundaries yet always returning to the comforts of home. This generation is Drake’s generation.

It’s been just over a year since we last assembled, wondering if the Drake phenomenon was ephemeral hype or something more lasting, but the question already seems ancient. The success of Thank Me Later, both critically and commercially, not only solidified Drake’s place in the game but vaulted him to the top of the hip-hop food chain. He can’t yet truly step into the ring with rap’s heavyweight quartet of Jay, Ye, Em and Weezy, but in his weight class (the under 25 division) he’s the undisputed champ. So this time around, with the release of his sophomore album Take Care, he enters the arena not as the scrappy underdog with the heart of gold, but as the prohibitive favorite, trailed by a massive entourage waving his championship belt aloft.

It’s only right then that, as the title would suggest, Take Care is a fuller and more carefully-crafted album than Thank Me Later, although not especially better, or that much different. The hazy, anesthesia beats of Drizzy’s constant production partner Noah “40” Shebib still comprise the album’s predominant sound, and Drake still returns to the same three topics he’s rotated between since the So Far Gone days."

Read the "Take Care" Album Review via DJBooth