Drake has built himself quite the reputation over the turn of the decade. Since his 2009 hit “I’m Goin’ In,” Drake has all but dominated the charts as one of the top rappers in the current rap game. After Drake’s 2010 debut album “Thank Me Later,” he has only continued to build on that success with his signature wordplay and auto-tune-peppered vocals. Drake has shown versatility within his rapping, displaying his aggressive side through songs such as “Lord Knows” and “Over,” while also displaying his softer side on underrated tracks such as “Over My Dead Body” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” to name a few.
Just over a year after 2013’s “Nothing Was the Same,” Drake is back with, not an album, but a monstrous 16-track mixtape entitled, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” where Drake continues to stick by has soft/aggressive rapping style.
“If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” doesn’t quite offer the substance that you’ll hear from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Ghostface Killah, or Nas, but there are plenty of things to like on this mixtape– that is if you skip the first track, “Legend.” The opener on this mixtape is one of the least impressive tracks on the mixtape, where Drake showcases his pretentious, arrogant attitude, literally dubbing himself as a legend barely after his music career has hit the five year mark.
But it doesn’t take long for Drake to make up for the subpar opener. Immediately following “Legend” is “Energy,” one of the main highlights of the mixtape. As Drake rhymes about the difficulties of being one of rap’s most hated artists, the darkness of the track makes you feel even more engulfed in its ominous, claustrophobic, underlying piano sample.
“If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” displays a lot of Drake’s aggressive style, with songs like “Energy” and the Lil Wayne-featured “Used To,” but “10 Bands” really showcased Drake’s best quality; just rhyming bars over a sick beat. “10 Bands”’ sample sounds like something out of a winter wonderland universe, but it’s a beat that you can really bob your head to.
Don’t think that “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” is specific to the raw, hard-nosed version of Drake (believe it or not, Drake isn’t soft all the time). Drake also goes soft on some of the songs here. Most notably, “Jungle,” is a warm, heart-melting track that brings back the Drake from “Hold On, We’re Going Home.” Though Drake doesn’t exactly blow anyone’s minds on “Jungle,” he does however, piece together one of the more soulful songs on the mixtape.
Drake has built himself up as one of the biggest names in music over the last few years, but has also built himself up as one of rap’s softest artists as well. Even looking at the title, “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late,” you’d think that this mixtape would continue to see Drake being the romantic that he portrays himself as. While he does do that, he also really showcases himself as someone who can hang in there with the hard-hitters. Drake is no DMX, by any means, but the release of this mixtape could very well make him a little more of a Big Sean then a Tyga.
My Rating: 6/10
