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41 of 49 found the following review helpful:
 "....THE GAME NEEDED LIFE, SO I PUT MY HEART IN IT" Jun 28, 2010
By DA THRILLA
Back in 1997, a young, up and coming rapper seemed like he was on everybody's remix, collabo & posse cut all before his first album dropped. He was the must have MC. That rapper was DMX. And he brought a new energy that had everybody hyped about his debut album. Now in 2010 we have Drake,who has been everywhere since his mixtape "So Far Gone" dropped last year. Since then he has been everywhere singing or rapping on your favorite rapper or R&B artists' song. Now its time for Drake to hold his own with his major label debut, the highly anticipated "Thank Me Later".
This is Drake's official introduction to the music world. No more buzz. No more guest collabo's. This album is all about him. And if you can get past all the hype, he did a pretty good job. Right now, he is not an A+ rapper. He's more average. His raps shine the most when he has a veteran hip hop artist on the track with him. He seems motivated on the Jay-Z-assisted track "Light Up". When Lil' Wayne shows up on "Miss Me", Drake feels like he has to compete. Young Jeezy shows up on the Aaliyah-sampled "Unforgetable", but Drake is singing most of that song. "Up All Night" shows Drake's true rapping potential over the albums hardest beat. And when he gets a chance to shine on his own, he's at his best on "The Resistance" As far as the R&B side of the album, Drake falls short in a lot of ways with the only ones any good being "Find Your Love" & "Shut It Down" ft The-Dream (Even though I had trouble figuring out who was singing which verse)
All the hype around Drake has destroyed his credibility. Its easy to dis mainstream hip hop like we did back in 1990 when MC Hammer was flying across the stage. But how many rappers today would like to sell Hammer records? How many rappers want to have top selling albums? If these rappers truly talk about making money why wouldn't they. I'm a a music fan first, not just a hip hop fan. And as a music fan I cant knock Drake's hustle. His music is not that bad. He's not the best singer or the strongest rapper. But he has clever rhymes and that "I'm-going-to-ride-this-train-til-the-wheels-fall off" mentality . That can get annoying but it worked for Lil' Wayne, Plies & DMX. How does Plies, with two Gold selling albums and three Top 5 singles, get more credibility than Drake?
The rap/R&B genre is not new. But a new wave of hip hop/R&B acts are hitting the shelves. Kid Cudi & B.o.B have been doing it for years. T-Pain was a rapper before he found auto-tune. And Andre 3000 made an R&B album. Now its Drake's turn to put his bid in. Drake's singing is no better than other hot R&B artist like Trey Songz & The-Dream. And he is not Rick Ross or Young Jeezy when it comes to rapping. But he is only 23 years old. Drake's lyrics has an early Kanye West feel to them. Which isn't bad. But just like Kanye, I expect his rhyming skills to improve. This album is not as overhyped as people think. Sure there are something's Drake could have left out. And there are things he should have added. But if you just woke up from a coma and never heard of Drake and listened to this CD, you would notice a young artist laying the ground work of more to come. And his growth has no ceiling.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Stick to singing hooks Jul 07, 2010
By Solid Snake
"Greatone"
It been a weird trip for Drake, as by the time of the release of Drake's first full-length album, the Canadian rapper was already a star. Therefore Thank Me Later needs to lives up to the hype and it does to a degree but not enough. Thanks to the rich and nuanced production and Drake's thoughtful, playful, and intense lyrics, Thank Me Later is a friendly, chart-topping collection of singles but also a serious examination of Drake's life that holds up as an album. However, Drake is not the hip-hop savior he was hyped to be. Instead, he flows through what should have been his energetic coming-out party, he comes off as a weird kid, missing the days when he was 19 and it was just about him and his girlfriend. Memo to Drake the days of being Jimmy from Degrassi are over.
The record mostly finds the rapper conflicted about his growing stardom and fame. He continues to splits the difference between rapping and singing, his quite serviceable voice occasionally distorted and made to sound better due to auto tune. I was really looking forward to this album since Drake had not put out a bad record since he came out but this "Thank Me Later" album is decent not good. I am disappointed, as he does not sound good on songs by himself as he only shines on features. He reminds me of Nate Dogg because he kills hooks and puts out good music with other people but he just sounds like something is missing on this album when he is solo.
So in the end if you're an huge Drake fan your going to pick this album regardless of what I think. However if your on the fence just download it from LimeWare. It is not worth paying full price.
28 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 Only because 1 Star was the minumum Aug 20, 2010
By Seth S. Shelton
"seth3esq"
Another nail in the coffin of the genre that I watched come to life a few blocks from where I grew up on 219th Street in The Bronx when Kool Herc first set-up The Herculords and brought Jamaican "toasting" to the widest audience it'd seen.
I've heard (and countered) all the "evolution" arguments ... all the "the game needed new life" arguments ... and, especially, the flaccid "you're just hating" excuses.
Drake's lyrics are trite & weak and his flow is non-exsistent. Hip Hop has always been forgiving in one of those two requisite areas: but never when both are lacking.
Unfortunately, the commercial success of today's rap (which has absolutely no semblance to true Hip Hop whatsoever) is predicated not on the talents of the rapper but the producer.
The creations of a Swizz Beats, Neptunes, etc. can ... and most certainly HAS ... led to undreamt (and undeserved) success of rappers who would've been laughed off the mic as little as 20 years ago; if they were even allowed to go near the mic at all.
The reviews here that talk of "the hype" have hit the nail on the head. Today's rappers are hand-picked and pre-packaged, then put on the public relations converyer belt, and served to the masses as "The Next Big Thing".
Hey, "business is business" ... I get that. So far as business is concerned, this release is yet another milestone in the rise of rap music.
However, like nearly every other pre-packaged product, it lacks soul.
No, I'm not talking about what he, Drake, put into it. I'm sure he puts every ounce of talent (God bless him) he has into every rhyme. Does a 3 year old put any less heart into his fingerpaint? No ... so that's not my point.
If I have to take the time to explain soul .. if I have to name drop Tupac, Biggie, Rakim, KRS, Chuck, Mel, etc .. then I'd waste a lot of bandwidth and be completely off topic.
This is about Drake's release and it's impact; history class it ain't.
Hip Hop (rap, graffiti, breaking) once meant something: it was a medium by which, for example, kids from The South Bronx told their stories of superiority to the kids from Bushwick Brooklyn. Brooklyn, in turn, would tell their stories ... and those were the parameters of battles.
Rap once was just as fun as the cuts played on the radio and clubs today without ever compromising its soul or, for that matter, integrity. The difference is the conduit ... the rapper.
Yes, we did have the "one and off" novelty rappers like The Rapping Duke, but that's to be expected in every arena where a something new has found some commercial success.
If this sounds elitest, then I accept that wholeheartedly because I have nothing but pride and respect for the pioneers and visionaries who paved the way for rap music. Due to the life's blood that they and untold numbers of others put into getting rap music beyond areas like my old neighborhood in The Bronx, we were able to see Lauren Hill hold an Album of the Year Grammy Award ... something that was once unthinkable.
If all that still has you in "he just hatin'" mode, consider this"
of the three areas of Hip Hop, Rap has become the most commercially successful and, some would say, the one most wanted to do.
Why?
because unlike dance and art, which require a talent from birth, Rap has been devoled into just making words rhyme over a beat; the hotter the beat the more successful the rapper.
Like I said, I'm fine with "business is business" ... but let's cal it like it is:
"Thank Me Later" is the first major label release of rap's Justin Beiber
From that perspective: congrats and good job.
... but dissing those that came before you is not only bad form but it betrays your middle class pseudo-priviledged upbringing and exposes you for the poser you truly are.
Just smile & wave and perform your Bubble Gum Rap for your fans.
(The Rock said it best "Know Your Role ... and Shut Your Mouth")
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Thank Me Later Jul 24, 2011
By Geminigirl
I bought this album last year @ the height of the "Drake hype" and I must say that it has held up well over the year for me - I still enjoy it as much as I did the first time I heard it. I am an older music fan who kind of grew up with rap but fell out of love with it as the lyrics grew more violent & misogynistic but back in the day I loved the creative men, women & groups who put their own spin on hip hop - those who mixed jazz and r&b beats in with their sound especially drew me in which is why I gave Drake's album a chance.
I was saddened by the hateful comments so many people made about him being "soft" and his music not being relatable to "hood dudes & chicks". On one message boards guys berated him for making essentially "chick music" and more than a few claimed that they would look "gay" to other guys if they blasted Drake's music in their cars - ridiculous but that's what our society has come to I guess.
Admittedly I had not heard his lead single, OVER prior to buying the album. The song that piqued my attention was FIND YOUR LOVE along with its entertaining video. I thought, hmmm a rapper who can also sing? Might be worth a listen. As I've learned more about Drake's entry into the music biz I have come to the conclusion that if he had a better singing voice, he'd rather be a singer than rapper.
The album is excellent featuring clever autobiographical lyrics and stellar musical production mainly by his best friend, Noah "40" Shebib along with Boi-1Da as well as Swizz Beats, Timbaland & Kanye West. I'm glad that Drake did not create some inauthentic persona & pretend to be a gangsta (anyone remember the female rapper Boss?) - his lyrics represent who HE is and what he knows which made the songs infinitely more interesting to me. It was a shame that the entire album leaked almost 3 months before the release date so hopefully he & his team will be more careful next time.
The album gets off to a good start with the track FIREWORKS f/ Alicia Keys. Their vocals matched very well on Alicia's track UNTHINKABLE as they do on this one. Although I love Drake singing the chorus, I wish he & Alicia had dueted that instead of her just singing the "fireworks" line over & over. Drake's lyrics about some experiences also got people talking about him and although not a released single, it is a good lead off track.
KARAOKE - very interesting down tempo track on which he sings before segueing into the rap. His voice (while rapping) sounds kind of nasally but it doesn't take away from the song. Again the musical production/arrangement is stellar.
OVER - very addictive track on which Drake honestly speaks about his experiences over the previous year.
SHOW ME A GOOD TIME - should've released this as a single! Excellent production and his rap perfectly matches the timing of the arrangement. One of my faves!
UP ALL NIGHT f/ Nicki Minaj - another fave! Both go hard on their lyrics about their allegiance to their "crew" and their new found wealth but Nicki's verses kind of outshined Drake's.
SHUT IT DOWN f/ The Dream - r&b-ish track on which Drake & The Dream sing - given that I don't think The Dream is much of a singer, I think Drake held his own.
UNFORGETTABLE f/ Jeezy - I absolutely love the Aaliyah sample used on the track while Jeezy's verses adds to the track and Drake's singing complements Jeezy's rap.
FANCY - ok, yes this IS a chick song but it's a great song that makes females feel good about getting dressed up & going out. Swizz doesn't overpower the track and Mary J Blige backing is terrific.
MISS ME f/Lil Wayne - another addictive track on which Lil Wayne didn't outshine his protege.
CeCe's Interlude - I like this track's downtempo sound.
The tracks I like but don't really have on repeat are: LIGHT UP f/Jay Z - hard track that doesn't feature any singing; THE RESISTANCE - more autobiographical lyrics about his life experiences; THANK ME NOW - cleverly arrogant lyrics about listeners growing to appreciate his music.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Drake can thank a lot of people. Jun 29, 2010
By sonicjazzboy
"gregconnex"
He can thank Eminem for being the 1st huge mainstream rapper to share what was on his mind in that conversational tone. Drake, when he does decide to rap, is fairly adept with flow skills. That being said, he's not a Jay-Z, Biggie, Rakim, or anyone else you'd put in an elite catagory. What he says is not as good as the way he says it. I agree with the reviewer that said "fake southern accent".(It's whats hot right now) but...somehow it dissapears on "Thank Me Now". Drake can thank Ja Rule and 50 Cent for gettin away with singing poorly on hooks. Drake takes this to a whole new level by singing poorly not only hooks but full songs on TML. 2 star deduction. Leave the boy band stuff to Bieber. He can even thank Kid Cudi for making that awful CD of psycho-babble so Drake believes we actually care about his "inner" thoughts. Not that Drake is being too deep, all the raps seem to revolve around the same subject...Drake. The production is good. On par with whats hot today. I would love to hear him with Primo, 9th Wonder, or Pete Rock on the boards. The real issue here is does the release live up to the hype? I cant say it doesnt because he might have 4-5 legitimate hits on the CD. I cant say it does because the hype was so huge it needed to be on par with Supa Dupa Fly, Doggy Style, Slim Shady, Get Rich or Die Tryin and Ready to Die. Thank Me Later doesnt even come close.
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