Photo Courtesy of Tribune News Service | Drake performs during the Summer Sixteen tour at United Center on Oct. 5, 2016, in Chicago.
‘More Life’ by Drake
6.5 out of 10
By Jack Cahill ’17
THE ROUNDUP
Drake’s new release “More Life” exceeded the expectations of many, including myself, but still has room for improvement.
I am not normally a fan of Drake, and I was not impressed with his last few albums, such as “Views,” which I thought was bland, uninspired and not easy to listen to.
“More Life,” however, is relatively creative, especially for Drake, who has very often stuck to basic hip hop and pop rap.
The album begins with “Free Smoke,” a hip hop song with a catchy, albeit, generic beat.
As the album progresses, Drake and his collaborators showcase some impressive songs.
“Passionfruit,” one of the album’s singles, is a solid example of this.
The song is not only catchy, but it ditches a lot of the generic hip hop hooks Drake has tended to rely on in the past, and was unique overall.
“Get it Together,” which features artists Black Coffee and Jorja Smith, is one of the album’s most inspired songs.
The song is influenced by dancehall and Afrobeat styles, and the vocals are particularly striking, especially Drake’s shared chorus with Jorja Smith.
The album also has trap influences, as seen in the song “Portland.”
The song features vocals and lyrics from Quavo, Migos and Travis Scott.
While not the most creative song, it’s catchy hook can easily get stuck in your head.
“Teenage Fever” features some of the best vocals in the album, and samples heavily from Jennifer Lopez.
With memorable lyrics and a melancholy hook, it is one of the best songs on the album.
The album’s most popular song commercially is “Fake Love,” and that song, like too many on the album, were uninspired, relatively repetitive, and a bit reminiscent of “Views.”
Despite the album’s many duds, it had a solid number of creative songs that feature plenty of talented artists.
Despite its many flaws, “More Life” is one of Drake’s best works.
