W R I T I N G - O N - M U S I C

WOM | Drake - It's Not Too Late

To give the record some context, it seems the motivations for the release were not entirely artistic and instead has provided a useful means to exit a long turned sour relationship with label Cash Money.

This doesn't detract from the record itself, which is something akin to a pre-album outlet for anything deemed chart-unfriendly. Lyrically it treads familiar territory; odes to strippers, porn stars, and the trials and tribulations of being a multi-million dollar rap star.

Drake's darker, melancholic album tracks are often eclipsed by club favourites; think the atmospheric Marvin's Room on Take Care or Connect on Nothing was the Same. If You're Reading This Now is similarly dark and at times confessional. Typically for Drake, his lyrics deal with themes we can all relate to - just take your problems dress them head to toe in Louis Vuitton, douse them in Cristal and you have Drake's problems.

Toronto (or "the 6" on account of its 416 dialling code) provides the setting for the mixtape and constant references to "the 6" help add to the atmospheric and cinematic qualities of the record. There are however no vivid descriptions of the city, instead Toronto seems to embody Drake's (and our own) search for identity in a sea of success and excess. Rap has always been famously territorial, but Drake's homage to Toronto is more nostalgic than phallic. It's imagery and references are deliberately vague, Drake invites us to insert our own cities in place of "the 6".  

Drake's homage to his roots reaches a literal height in the hypnotic 6Man when he samples The Roots - You Got Me. Know Yourself is another highlight, with it's patois samples, another nod to his roots. Nostalgia is interspersed with the usual self-affirmation (Legend) and stripper problems. Jungle and Now & Forever are also worthy of note. 

How should I listen to this album? It's 2am, it's raining, get your limo driver to take you around the [insert city here] and ponder all those failed relationships with strippers.