message for YSL’s Lil Keed, who passed suddenly in May. On “Jimmy Cooks,” Drake raps, “Hoes say I'm suave, but I can't get RICO'd,” while also offering an R.I.P.
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The specter of Thug’s incarceration looms all over Honestly, Nevermind, even though the album is geared towards the dancefloor. In the video for lead single “Falling Back,” Drake even does the YSL handshake with several of his 20-plus brides, and flashes a “Free YSL” on the screen in an oozing slime font. The Young Thug-YSL RICO case is clearly on Drake’s mind.ĭrake has been close with Young Thug for years–they’ve released a slew of collaborative songs and toured together–so it makes sense that the massive RICO case the Atlanta rapper and his YSL collective are facing would be weighing on him. Additionally, Black Coffee is listed as a co-writer and co-producer on three songs, including “Currents.” The house music Honestly, Nevermind draws inspiration from was frequently showcased in Drake’s playlists, especially Black Coffee, so it only makes sense that he’s credited as an executive producer. “Superman” was one of the first songs he opened his very first OVO Sound Radio show with way back in 2015, which he always used to show off his eclectic musical tastes. Of course, the More Life track that is, in retrospect, the biggest preview of what Drake does on his seventh album is “Get It Together.” The Jorja Smith-assisted song is essentially just a cover of South African DJ/producer Black Coffee’s seminal track “Superman,” which Drake’s long been a fan of.
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The fact that he made a meaningful artistic pivot in less than a year is commendable, and while there isn’t a song here as dementedly brilliant as “Way 2 Sexy,” standouts like “Sticky” and “Massive” figure to be summer rotation staples.ĭrake finally cashes in on his long-standing love for Black Coffee. With a handful of exceptions, CLB felt dour and muted, a stark contrast to its colorful and provocative cover art. He references the current legal case against Young Thug and YSL multiple times on the album, and there are plenty of wounded breakup ruminations, to boot.
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Dedicated to “our brother V” (the late Virgil Abloh), Drake’s latest focuses not as much on empty escapism, but on recognizing the adversity and setbacks that make it necessary. Still, its release comes colored by a certain amount of loss and trauma. Executive produced by Black Coffee and featuring house and electronic music producers like Gordo, Rampa, and Alex Lustig, Honestly, Nevermind feels like Drake dancing himself clean.
LISTEN TO DRAKE MORE LIFE ALBUM FULL
Light on features and more musically cohesive than anything he’s put out in years, we find Drake once again diving into the worlds of Afrobeats and house music that he has in the past, but for nearly a full hour as opposed to just a couple tracks.ĭespite being released alongside a cryptic, rhyming letter (“I’m not a forgiving guy even when I try / My urge for revenge wins the game against my good guy inside every single fuckin’ time”), this album feels less sonically somber than some of his other recent projects.
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Honestly, Nevermind, his surprise seventh studio album, feels considerably lower stakes than 2021’s Certified Lover Boy–in part because it was announced just six hours before its release. It’s mid-June, temperatures are high, and Drake clearly wants to shake something.