Album Review : Drake - Thank Me Later
- Written by Leanne Petersen
Nearly two years ago Drake, real name Aubrey Graham, was starring as a wheel chair bound character in high school soap called Degrassi. Fast forward to February 2009 and he releases ‘So Far So Gone’ arguably one of the best mix tapes/EPs of the last ten years which he gives to fans for free, receiving 2,000 downloads in the first two hours of its release. Fast forward to June 2010, and the 23 year old Canadian born, actor, turned singing-rapper's album Thank Me Later has been claimed as one of the most highly anticipated album in years.
Drake continues to wow everyone with his refreshing lyrics, rapping and singing style, giving a much needed shake up to the hip-hop game. Thank Me Later features an envious collection of collaborations from the likes of Alicia Keys on the track 'Fire Works', Jay-Z on 'Light Up', and Young Jeezy on a rendition remix of the Aaliyah classic ‘Unforgettable’. Drake shares with listeners both his highs and lows of his new found ‘celebrity’ in an emotive assortment of diary like entries, through both his lyrics on tracks such as 'Resistance' and 'Over' and production including that of Kanye West, Timbaland and Swiss Beats.
And of course what is a hip-hop album without the talk of the female species, something Drake seems all too familiar with, heard here with ‘CeCes interlude’, ‘Shut it down’ featuring The Dream, and club banger ‘Fancy’ featuring a surprisingly good verse from T.I. The album on a whole definitely has a more ‘radio friendly’ sound in contrast to his previous three mix tapes, however Thank Me Later remains a must for all the Drake fans, which I guess is everyone.