Drake ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ Review By: Kyle Pinaro

Track-By-Track Review

Drake. He isn’t just another rapper; he’s somebody who brings in new phrases and words that everybody uses. He’s a cultural staple and has the charm of a playboy. He showcases his talent as a sharp-tongued lyricist while also being a powerhouse hit maker on the airwaves as well as the streets. The guy can rap his ass off. Seriously. His last release, Nothing Was the Same, was indeed a good album; but its longevity was nowhere to be found. His new mixtape (that has to be paid for) is called If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Drizzy literally dropped the tape out of nowhere after giving us the “Jungle” short film. But it’s hardly a surprise considering the amount of rumors swirling around the date it came out. Needless to say, it was expected. But is the new project any good? Let’s find out.

Track #1: Legend

A slow burn with a great sample is the perfect recipe for an excellent intro. Most people prefer big in your face intros that suck all the juice out the rest of the album, leaving it feeling flat and underwhelming. But Drake made a great call on this one. The track is calm and catchy, showing how Drake feels about himself and his current position in the music industry. The production is nice and the carefully placed sounds are welcoming on the ears. Kudos.

Track #2: Energy

A bizarre Cutty Ranks intro followed by a machine gun firing starts this track, feeling like I was just pulled out of my bed to run for my life. A complete 180 in the tone is what feels weird, and it doesn’t work. Drake starts doing the yelling and moaning rap he’s been doing lately and it doesn’t feel welcome on the low key and relatively non-busy beat. A piano sample preceded by the occasionally high hat makes this song forgettable and boring. The raps fall flat and are incredibly simple “I got enemies, got a lot of enemies / Got a lot of people tryna drain me of my energy.” Meh.

Track #3: 10 Bands

Incredible beat by Boi-1da and Sevn Thomas. Seriously. This is song goes in. Boasting his money, sneaker deal and his properties, as well as all around showing off. The beat has an incredible sound towards the end. One of the best piano samples I’ve heard in a while.

Track #4: Know Yourself

This is a weird combination of a party song mixed with a deep sentimental track. A quotable hook but a dark beat. A lot is said here but nothing is really memorable. The song falls flat and then picks up again but ultimately fails to impress.

Track #5: No Tellin’

I’m not one for spoilers but this is easily one of the best songs on the album. Its crisp, hard hitting, and the bass is beautiful. This song goes hard. It’s calm yet gets the point across and the production is absolutely stellar. Drake delivers some of his best stuff in recent memory. He adds in a catchy hook with a monotone voiceover and voila! Kudos Drizzy.

Track #6: Madonna

The first beat by 40 that appears on this project and it’s by far one of his best. It samples a small snippet from the opening of Paris Morton Music 2, something you won’t hear unless you know what you’re looking for. A well-made beat on top of a dope bass line is what makes this track so great. As well as you know, Drake singing about a mysterious girl, but that’s beside the point.

Track #7: 6 God

Strictly just a track made to bump in the whip and to sing at parties. Not much going on here and Drake’s yelling question voice gets tiring for 4 minutes. No thanks.

Track #8: Star67

What sounds like a short intro from Lil Wayne starts this triumphant sounding track while also mixing in fake things that Drake probably doesn’t do. “Brand new Beretta can’t wait to let it go.” Yeah okay. Then at the 1 minute 30 mark the song transitions into a completely different song that works incredibly well. Sounding reminiscent of his older works like Lust for Life and some tracks off Thank Me Later. It works well and the stark contrast works to his advantage.

Track #9: Preach (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)

This song is absolutely terrible. I mean claw your ears off bad. I’ve always been a fan of PND but this over auto tuning of his voice in this song is gut wrenchingly awful and the song is just repetitive. The best aspect is the beat change when there’s 50 seconds left in the song. Sounds like a Drake feature more than a Drake song.

Track #10: Wednesday Night Interlude (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)

PND takes center stage on this slow late night song and it works to his advantage. Songs like these are what made me grow to like PND. His voice is smooth yet powerful, which proves why his solo projects work so well.

Track #11: Used To (feat. Lil Wayne)

Previously heard on Sorry For the Wait 2, it’s easily one of the best songs on the album and quite possibly one of the best Weezy and Drake collabs. The beat slaps and the raps are all there, seriously one of the most quotable songs of 2015 so far and it’s just amazing. There hasn’t been a collab of theirs this good since HYFR and Miss Me. It’s up there with those two. Good work guys.

Track #12: 6 Man

This song really isn’t that bad but it isn’t really that good either. It’s kind of stuck in a weird limbo spot that makes me feel indifferent to it. I could take it or leave it honestly. The beat is different and works really well with Drake’s voice, other than that not much to see here folks.

Track #13: Now & Forever

Now & Forever is a pretty good song but it’s also, like the rest of this project, decent. Drake seems to have picked an amazing beat but none of the wordplay is there. Instead it’s a pop song that seems misplaced due to the dark nature of the project. It’s a good song but just doesn’t fit the project.

Track #14: Company (feat. Travi$ Scott)

By far the second worst song on this project. It sounds like a lost song off of Scott’s last project Days Before Rodeo, which itself was pure garbage. Drake doesn’t belong on this song at all and for what it’s worth the beat isn’t even that good. It’s repetitive and the subject material about needing company doesn’t fit a dark and dreary beat. When Travi$ Scott comes in at the end of the song it makes what could be a decent song, absolutely awful. It’s not that I don’t like Travi$ Scott it’s just that he is the most repetitive rapper on the face of the Earth. Every song he makes sounds almost identical to the last and it’s too weird and distorted to be enjoyed. Drake should’ve shelved this one.

Track #15: You & The 6

A song dedicated to Drake’s mother about his love for her. It’s an ode to what seems to be a great woman in Drizzy’s life. The beat fits nicely and it’s a heartfelt song, something that seemed to be missing from this project.

Track #16: Jungle

Ladies and Gentleman this is a prime example of Drake at his best. The sample is gorgeous and the beat that accompanies it is too good to be ignored as another sappy love song. Drake’s vocals are the main selling point of the song as well as his vulnerability. It’s quite possibly one of the best songs on the project, and one of his best songs in recent memory. But the main attention is towards the man being sampled in the song, Gabriel Garzón Montano. His vocals are absolutely beautiful due to his falsetto voice. Hopefully we get to here more from this guy after the attention he’s been getting lately.

Track #17: 6PM In New York

A great bonus track that keeps up the theme of 5AM In Toronto and 9AM In Dallas while putting it’s own spin on the “series.” It seems these songs are little showcases of Drake’s current musical style. 5AM was around the time Nothing Was the Same was being recorded while 9AM was a supposed to be the intro for Thank Me Later but didn’t make it due to the song being submitted to late. Nonetheless it’s a song that perfectly closes out the project and leaves us wanting a little more, while also feeling satisfied. Oh you gotta love it!

Final Verdict

Does If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late live up to the standard that Drake has crafted for himself? Well, not really. Every project Drake has ever put out after So Far Gone has ended up on the years best lists and so on. But this mixtape feels flat and rushed, almost as if he just wanted to put it out to feel relevant; something he doesn’t need to do. For a guy whose career is at an all time high it seems like he’s getting lazy. Drake no longer sounds hungry and itching for fame, but comfortable and carefree, something common in the rap game. But the one thing that the project gets right is its tone. The beats are dark and dense, bustling with hi-hats and booming bass lines. The project feels like it had more ambition than it could handle, and for that it seems empty. But luckily if you’re a Drake fan you’ll like this mixtape, if not don’t even bother trying to listen to it. Overall it’s a disappointing project from an otherwise stellar artist. Hopefully Views From the 6 will restore his crown.

Score: 3 out 5

–Kyle Pinaro