Nothing Was The Same

David Otero
Editor-in-Chief

This is nothin’ for the radio, but they’ll still play it though ‘Cause it’s that new Drizzy Drake, that’s just the way it go

In his third studio album released on Sept. 24 entitled “Nothing Was The Same,” Drake showed exactly the type of artist he is. He can let loose and just run with a beat and impress you lyrically. Then on the very next song on the track he can slow it down to an emotional, sweet song you may want to hear at your wedding.

“Started From the Bottom,” a song that some people consider a rap anthem which was released back in February, features a bit of an edgy and angry Drake explaining how he, well, started from the bottom and is now essentially, at the top being successful. It has long been speculated that Drake had plenty of money before rapping due to his role on the TV show, “Degrassi.” But the 26-year-old rapper wants it to be known that he had to work hard to get to where he is now; which is no longer at the bottom.

In August, Drizzy released the first official single off the album called “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” Really, this is simple song. But sometimes, simple is best. No need to get fancy. This is the song men- tioned earlier that people have told me they want played at their wed- ding. It currently sits at No. 7 in Billboard’s Hot-100 Songs. When you hear this song you may think you took a trip back to the 80s. It’s a pop disco feel without of any rapping whatsoever. While radio stations and consumers clearly enjoy this song, not everyone agrees that the “soft” and emotional Drake is best.

“I like the album overall. The only negative or downside of the al- bum is like every song is slow,” said Alexis Peters, a senior broadcasting major. “I like the old Drake when he actually rapped.”

Well, some of the old Drake was found on this album too. “Tuscan Leather” is a beautiful example of Drake absolutely getting in the zone. He even says it himself in the song, that he “could go an hour on this beat.” Noah “40” Shebib, a friend of Drake’s and producer on the song, flipped Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” three different times to make this song a standout. In other words, there are three different beats during this one song. The first beat change happens just before the two- minute mark and the drums kick in. Shortly after, Drake raps his face off. Then near the four-minute mark, the beat slows down and Drake becomes the “soft” rapper that some people think he is.

The last song on the album owns the only rap feature on the album as Jay Z teams up with Drizzy on “Pound Cake.” Jay Z says the word “cake” 17 times on one of his verses in the song explaining just how rich he is. Jay Z’s part is interesting for a couple different reasons. Aside from the several clever “cake” metaphors, he says that he’s “just get- ting started.” That’s the icing on the cake; there’s more in store for Jay Z soon. In addition, the constant repetition of “cake” in the song is remind- ing people of Rihanna’s song “Birthday Cake.” Though, she was talking about a different kind of cake…

With any album, there are highs and lows. The beat changes in “Tuscan Leather” are exquisite. “The Language” is a smooth track that may not get as much publicity as some of the other songs. “From Time” and “Too Much” feature Jhene Aiko, and Sampha, respectively. Both are emotional songs. The former is about his past loves; the latter is about what fame has done to his family-life. However, there are low moments such as in “Worst Behaviour.” It song takes too long to get started. Drake gets mad for a few bars, but it takes nearly three minutes for him to begin.

Overall, I feel that “Nothing Was The Same” was an album released by an artist who is extremely comfortable of where he is right now. Drake is the sensitive rapper, but his point gets across that he can rap, and on the next song he can sweet-talk you.

With Drizzy, there will always be comparisons made to his second album, “Take Care,” and if “Nothing Was The Same” is better or worse. It’s fun to debate because both are popular, creative, well-done pieces of work.

And with Drake’s elevated status in the rap game, “Nothing Was The Same” will ultimately be compared to the other big album releases from this year such as Jay Z’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” and Kanye West’s “Yeezus.”

Nothing was the same? Ahh, I hear some familiar tendencies that make Drake the unique artist that he is. He blurs the line between rap and R&B, and he can please almost anyone with his different styles and approaches to his work. He can have one song with the soft-spoken Jhene Aiko, then another with features from 2 Chainz and Big Sean. If everything was the same, would that be an issue? I have no problem at all with Drake, the chameleon in music.

Drake isn’t only involved in music, he just became a Global Ambas- sador for an NBA franchise, the Toronto Raptors. With that, here are my favorite sports references in “Nothing Was The Same:”

“I’m with my whole set, tennis matches at the crib, this way I can beat Serena when she playin’ with her left”

“I had to Derrick Rose the knee up ‘fore I got the re-up” “I reached heights that Dwight Howard couldn’t reach” “The contract like ’91 Dan Marino”