Drake Brings Fire on If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

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Drake in Beyonce-esque fashion, dropped a surprise project via itunes late Thursday night, titled If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Rumors had been circling the net of a potential mixtape coming from the Toronto emcee and although it’s definitely not the album Drake has been promoting heavily, it is for sale in album format. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late appears to be the strong “throwaway tracks” from Views From The 6. Some have speculated about his motive with selling the mixtape as an album via itunes might fulfill his 4-album commitment with Cash Money, in support of his mentor Lil Wayne.

At seventeen tracks long, the album features Lil Wayne, OVO’s PARTYNEXTDOOR and Travi$ Scott with production from in-house super producer, Noah “40” Shebib. The content deals with what Drake knows oh so well, women, Toronto and “Woes.” In his confident and melodic voice, Drizzy takes us into the realm of growing up in Toronto, incorporating Canadian slang, accents and interludes, and proclaiming that his hometown and his mom, made him the legend he is today. Filled with hard-hitting punchlines and Ginuwine samples, Drake delivers an incredible body of work, reflecting his growth from artist to icon.

“Legend” begins the project and is as boastful as it is introspective. Drake attempts to process his new stature, both financially and in music history. And even though he doesn’t hail from a necessarily tough background, he admits he has struggled and triumphed, making his success that much more meaningful. Although, typical to 40, the production is absolutely outstanding, Drake’s mentions of paychecks and strip clubs can get mundane. However, when he steps out of his comfort zone and conveys shameless honesty, Drizzy is simply breathtaking. “You & The 6” details Drake’s rocky relationship with his mom, but most importantly, how grateful he is for being raised by her. Over a subdued beat, Drake speaks in a melancholy tone about his father, visiting a prison, Memphis and the many life experiences that has shaped his existence.

“Company” featuring Travi$ Scott is also a standout as he describes his ideal company as well as the woman who Drake states, he should propose to but is too good for him. Brilliantly, as he mentions his dog-like persona, canine noises interrupt the beat and become thematic throughout. “I need you to take my mind off being in my prime, I need some company,” provides some insight into the struggle of sustaining a relationship during such a momentus career. Travi$’ auto-tuned voice echoes before entering into a forceful flow that is blended of elevated vocal tones, dragged out lines and short, powerful bars.

“6PM In New York” may be the most talked about track from the project, as it closes the album and not so subtlely disses label mate Tyga, continuing to ignite the fued between the two. “I heard a lil lil homie talking reckless in Vibe/ Quite a platform you chose, you shoulda kept it inside/ Oh you tried, it’s so childish calling my name on the world stage/ You need to act your age and not your girl’s age,” Drake spits in reference to Tyga’s girlfriend, seventeen-year old Kylie Jenner. Those aren’t the only shots Drake takes though, for the first time since the #BlackLivesMatter movement manifested, he provides his own commentary on police brutality: “And I heard someone say something that stuck with me a lot/ About how we need protection from those protecting the block/ Nobody lookin’ out for nobody/ Maybe we should try and help somebody and be somebody/ Instead of being somebody that makes the news/ So everybody can tweet about it/ And then they start to RIP about it/ And four weeks later nobody even speaks about it/ damn, I just had to say my piece about it.”  The hook-less record follows the same timestamp format as “9AM in Dallas” and “5AM in Toronto.”

Although nobody knows exactly how to refer to the full-length project just yet, it was confirmed that Views From The 6 is still slated to be released this year. If If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is at all telling of the calibar Drake is about to bring this year, then we’re all in for an abundance of Toronto tales, strip club chronicles and in general, good music.

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