Thank Me Later
After a mixtape propelled Drake from Canadian TV star to bona fide hitmaker, *Thank Me Later* confirmed his star status. His official studio debut solidifies his moody signature sound while grappling frankly with fame, sex, and self-doubt. Seamlessly fusing hip-hop and R&B, he renders navel-gazing in hi-def clarity: “Karaoke” and “Cece’s Interlude” find the newly minted icon pining for the comfort of old flames and simpler times. But his uncertainty about his newfound fame pales in comparison with the celebratory mood of songs like the triumphant \"Over.\"
Inspired by rap and R&B in equal measure, Drake becomes the first of the post-Kanye, emo-y rappers to fully deliver on his debut LP.
It seems strange to single out rappers for rapping about themselves, since that’s one of the most explored and abused subjects in hip-hop. Heck, most rappers rap about nothing but themselves, but in the wake of Kanye West’s success, a new wave of rappers like B.o.B, Kid Cudi, and now Drake have filled albums with an…
Read the review of Canadian rapper Drake's star studded album 'Thank Me Later' featuring tracks 'Miss Me', 'Over' and 'Best I Ever Had'.
It's difficult to manage expectations when you've been called the Next Big Thing in the hip-hop game for a year running. So it goes for actor-turned-rapper Drake with Thank Me Later , the debut studio album from Lil Wayne's brightest and most visible Young Money protégé. And it's a problem Drake created for himself, or certainly didn't try to solve—this is the same guy who once bragged about "buzz so big I could probably sell a blank disc." As an artist who can sing and rap with equal zeal, he's been aggressively courting R&B lovers and hip-hop heads with three years' worth ...
It’s a shock to hear how softly — sluggishly, even — Drake announces himself on his official debut.
By the time of the release of Drake's first full-length album, the Canadian rapper was already a star thanks to his huge single "Best I Ever Had," his celebrated mixtape and then EP So Far Gone, and his spots on hits by Young Money and Eminem.
One of the debut albums of the year...Actor turned rapper Drake’s first album proper sees the Toronto native flitting between champagne egotism and introspective self-doubt in a way that can only be described as post-Kanye.
Thank Me Later nails confused introspection in a genre famous for willful misrepresentation of self.