Drake 'Thank Me Later' REVIEW

Let I get this straight from the get go. Drake’s album is more hip-pop than hip-hop and that’s ok. I like pop, I like hip-hop. A merger of the two, done successfully, can be good. Some of the songs sound like he’s (or rather his producers) been listening to a little too much Prince and don’t work, but some songs like “Shut it Down” (Featuring The-Dream) is the perfect song to be blasting cruising late night in your ride. Drake also does A LOT of singing in this album which sometimes works and sometimes don’t.


Most of the producing of the album was done by Noah "40" Shebib & Boi 1 Da and one if not both of them make some of the hottest tracks on the album, like “Over”& “Shut it Down”. Some of the songs they produced like “Fireworks” (Featuring Alicia Keys) & “Up All Night” (Featuring Nicki Minaj) can be hot if I hear them enough, but right now NO. In fact all of the guest performers, and he has some all-star guests, on this album never really add anything to it.


Even what used to be the best man in the biz, when it came to cameos, falls flat on “Miss Me” (Featuring Lil Wayne). In fact even though the song doesn’t work Drake has some of his best rhyming on this song and out rhymes Weezy. T.I. repays the favor and out rhymes Drake on another song that doesn’t work “Fancy” (Featuring T.I. & Swizz Beatz) despite a clever use of a Juvenile (the rapper) sample. “Unforgettable” (Featuring Young Jeezy) starting off with a nice sample from Aaliyah never continues to use it effectively and even Jeezy can’t save the song.


Despite what you may think of him, Kanye West is still one of the best producers in the game and both of the tracks he produced “Show Me a Good Time” and “Find Your Love” are some of the hottest on the album.

Out of the 13 (full) tracks on the album, only 4 are HOT. That makes less than half. As usual, below you can see exactly which tracks I thought were hot. Even though I’m really feeling the hot tracks, sorry Drake, I won’t thank you now and I doubt if I will thank you later.


1. Fireworks (Featuring Alicia Keys)
2. Karaoke
3. The Resistance
4. Over HOT
5. Show Me a Good Time HOT
6. Up All Night (Featuring Nicki Minaj) warm
7. Fancy (Featuring T.I. & Swizz Beatz)
8. Shut It Down (Featuring The-Dream)
HOT9. Unforgettable (Featuring Young Jeezy)
10. Light Up (Featuring Jay-Z)
11. Miss Me (Featuring Lil Wayne)
12. Cece's Interlude
13. Find Your Love HOT
14. Thank Me Now


July 4, 2010 Amendment: Okay I can admit when I'm wrong. The album is growing on me as a whole. Some of the songs that I can't even call "warm" yet work ok as you play the album in full.

Tracks I didn't think worked before now do...sorta. Lil Wayne's verses on Miss Me are still whack, but as I said before "Drake has some of his best rhyming on this song and out rhymes Weezy." I'm going to reclassify this song newlyHOT despite Lil Wayne's whackness. Another newlyHOT song Unforgettable (Featuring Young Jeezy) definitley grew on me as well. I still really like Up All Night (Featuring Nicki Minaj), but I'm not ready to classify it as HOT yet so it will stay warm. There are some newlywarm songs Fireworks (Featuring Alicia Keys) and The Resistance. I still find nothing fantastic about the songs, but they are very "listenable".

So NOW out of the 13 (full) tracks on the album, 6 are HOT and 3 warm. That makes 9 out of 13 tracks good or "gooder" a better average than I had only after a couple of days of listening to the album. I have reposted the tracks below where you can see exactly which tracks I thought were hot and now the newly reclassified rankings. Maybe indeed Drake...I will thank you later.


1. Fireworks (Featuring Alicia Keys) newlywarm
2. Karaoke
3. The Resistance newlywarm
4. Over HOT
5. Show Me a Good Time HOT
6. Up All Night (Featuring Nicki Minaj) warm
7. Fancy (Featuring T.I. & Swizz Beatz)
8. Shut It Down (Featuring The-Dream) HOT
9. Unforgettable (Featuring Young Jeezy) newlyHOT
10. Light Up (Featuring Jay-Z)
11. Miss Me (Featuring Lil Wayne) newlyHOT
12. Cece's Interlude
13. Find Your Love HOT
14. Thank Me Now