I think Drake’s tape is 100% ratass. I also willingly cede others the right to like whatever drivel they please, from reality television to malt liquor.
I’ve found that I joke on the lil fella a lot. It’s partially because my producer, Corey Erdman, gets laughably defensive over it, like the two of them are kin or something. But it’s also because it’s like the saying goes — we mock that which we don’t understand.
And what I don’t understand are you people that really, really love his album. Or, like Talib Kweli, those that assume those that dislike Drake’s album are merely haters.
Thank Me Later is soft. There are just no two ways about it. If soft music doesn’t bother you, then that’s OK. I’ve got my soft indulgences, few though they may be. And, to be honest, the only one I can think of is the Counting Crows.
The thing with them is that Duritz is ridiculously compelling. Yeah, he never seems to be too happy with anything, the chicks are doing him wrong (that Latina he wrote about circa ’94 put him through the ringer), but he’s so damn emotive and sincere and writes brilliant songs. Yes, he’s soft, but he’s absolutely fascinating.
What makes Drake’s album so wack to me is that it’s absolutely uninteresting. I don’t mind him talking about the women he pines for and the ones that did him dirty. But just talking about them isn’t enough. Since he doesn’t give much emphasis on any syllables, let alone punchlines, there’s never a moment where I feel these songs. To hear them is to read them off a piece of paper. At points, they read impressively. But that’s all they do — read.
They float, but they don’t dance. They never rise above the din. And no matter how much talent Drake has, and how witty his wordplay is, I cannot understand how so many people — people I respect and admire, in some cases — are so enamored by such an emotionless record.
Maybe it’s emo, but it’s not emotional. The beats aren’t evocative (or, as my man says, it’s 808s and Heartbreaks minus the 808s), making it even more crucial that he be able to sell what he’s saying. Where on Thank Me Later does he do that?
The problem is that just talking about your problems with little behind it is just as annoying to listen to on record as it is in real life. The dude sounds like a complainer. Listening to this album, for me, was no different than listening to someone go on and on and on about his problems. Since it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with me, it just drones on and, after a while, makes you wanna shake him by the shoulders and tell him to man up. I can’t feel it, so there’s no way in the world I can be expected to care.
And in the course of writing that paragraph, I think I figured out why I dislike this album so much.
Now, that’s an opinion that’s formed independent of what anyone else thinks. I admit, however, I’m probably more vocal because of the huge contingent on the other side. Better conversation that way. Plus, I really don’t get the appeal.
Some have credited Drake’s ambition, making an album that goes between genres. I could care less about that, personally. If you rap well, rap. If you sing well, sing. Just do it well. I sure didn’t hear that, particularly the singing. For that quality of vocal, I’d go listen to Ciara.
Now, let’s get this part straight — I’m not saying that, if Drake is soft, he should pretend to be something he’s not. But he simply lacks the depth to articulate who he is in a compelling way.
So worse than disliking Thank Me Later, I’m totally disinterested in it. I haven’t had an inclination to put it back in after the second time I listened to it.
I’m just trying to figure out what’s got other people interested. Considering how passionately people defend the album, I’ll acknowledge that there may be something he’s trying to get across that I simply don’t see. Please let me know what it is because, based on my recollection of what sorts of music people have enjoyed since the beginning of time, I have no idea what makes some of you dig it so much.