Today: Scorpion Review
Tomorrow (or possibly later tonight): End of June write-up
Sunday: 5 Worst Songs of 2018 (so far)
Monday: 5 Worst Albums of 2018 (so far)
Tuesday: 10 Best Albums of 2018 (so far)
Wednesday: 50 Best Songs of 2018 (so far)
Thursday: I'll listen to an older album (don't know which one)
And now, let's begin...
Scorpion is the tenth full-length project from Drake. 2018 was off to a great start and was shaping up to be his best year. He took the world by storm with not one, but two chart-topping singles (God's Plan, Nice For What). He put two rising artists on the map (BlocBoy JB, Lil Baby). And then Pusha T happened. His direct shots on the closer of his latest album Daytona (Infrared) made Drake tick. He responded with "Duppy Freestyle," which was a good diss track, but little did Drake know, he fucked up big time. Pusha T responded with "The Story of Adidon," a track which exposes Drake as not a perfect figure and reveals that he has a son we don't know about. Drake didn't respond with another diss track but was still hard at work on his new album. I've always been a huge fan of Drake. He was one of the first hip-hop artists I discovered and has always provided music that I love, even on his weaker projects. Even with Pusha T's diss, I was still looking forward to what he had in store for this album. Since this album is two discs, I will be reviewing both parts individually.
Side A
Positives
The production on this album, like Drake's other albums, is phenomenal. His go-tos, Noah "40" Shebib and Boi-1da, continue to provide great beats, along with some great production from No ID throughout. The production also includes some great sampling, such as the use of "Emotions" by Mariah Carey on the song "Emotionless." Drake's versatility and flows continue to shine throughout this part of the album as the harder side mixes melodies and raps quite nicely. It feels more consistent and cohesive than his previous two albums. Now, I don't consider Drake to be a lyrical rapper, but he provides some great quotables on his albums. Here are some of my favorite lines from Side A:
"Yeah I'm light skinned, but I'm still a dark ni**a" - Verse 1 of "Nonstop"
"I know the truth is you won't love me until I'm gone" - Verse 1 of "Emotionless"
"I take this shit too serious, you ni**as my comic relief" - Verse 2 of "Sandra's Rose"
Negatives
The fact that "I'm Upset" made the album but "Diplomatic Immunity" didn't is just stupid. I get that it's a better move for sales to put the more popular singles on, but the latter would have fit much better. I also thought that this part of the album, as consistent as it is, was very samey in terms of flow. It doesn't really bother me that much since the beats are at least different, but I still felt the need to point it out. Also, when I say that Drake isn't a lyrical rapper despite having some good lines every now and again, it's because he sometimes provides some questionable/corny lines such as:
"I wanna thank God for workin' harder than Satan" - The lone verse of "Elevate"
"When I say that they cursin' me it ain't dirty words" - Verse 2 of "Sandra's Rose"
"Too many Walt Disney characters, mouses and goofs" - Verse 2 of "Is There More"
Features
Jay-Z (Talk Up) - Like usual, Jay-Z provides some interesting brag bars and delivers some solid flows. The end of his verse is very interesting because he mentions the recent death of XXXTentacion:
"Y'all killed X, let Zimmerman live, streets is done"
Singles
1) God's Plan - Everyone and their mother has probably heard this song by now. This song was and still is EVERYWHERE. It broke streaming records. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for 11 weeks. It's still in the Top 10 right now. As of May, this song is 7 times Platinum. As for the song itself, it's catchy as fuck and includes one of my favorite lines of 2018:
"She said 'Do you love me? I tell her, 'Only partly' / I only love my bed and my momma, I'm sorry"
The production is absolutely beautiful as well. This song has been out for half a year, but I still listen to and love this song. It's one of the best songs of 2018 by far.
2) I'm Upset - This song, on the other hand, is not great. Sure, the beat is smooth, but Drake sounds bored and doesn't switch his flow at all. It feels out of place on this album and is just aggressively mediocre. In my opinion, this is Drake's worst song. Again, why did this song make the tracklist and not "Diplomatic Immunity?"
Best Tracks
1) Nonstop - This song is an absolute fucking banger. No ID and Tay Keith are both credited as producers which is such a weird combo considering the type of music they both make. This shit still bangs though. Just about everything is on point. Drake's flow, confidence, the sample used in the hook, all make such a great song.
2) Emotionless - I love how the song title is the opposite of the song sampled ("Emotions" by Mariah Carey). This song sounds like a combination of "Do Not Disturb" and "30 For 30 Freestyle." On this song, Drake addresses Pusha's diss by admitting that the child mentioned is his child:
"I wasn't hidin' my kid from the world / I was hidin' the world from my kid"
It shows that Drake knows he took a huge loss and he is owning up to it and really makes us think about it from his perspective.
3) Talk Up (feat. Jay-Z) - TWhy and DJ Paul provide a nice beat on this track. I love Drake's confidence in this track, but Jay steals the show with his feature. As I mentioned before, the end of his verse mentions XXXTentacion's death and George Zimmerman.
Worst Track
There really isn't a single track on this album nearly as bad as I'm Upset, but I already mentioned at length why I hate that song.
Side B
Positives
The production continues to shine as 40, No ID, Noel Cadastre, and Boi-1da provide some more great instrumentals. We also get more samples like the use of "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne in "In My Feelings" and the use of "Boss Ass Bitch" by Nicki Minaj in "That's How You Feel." This is the softer side of the album, and his singing sounds amazing. I also love the choruses and hooks throughout this part of the album. Just like Side A, this part is very consistent and cohesive, maybe even more so. While Side A was rapping with melodies mixed in, Side B is melodies with rapping mixed in. I also really like this line from "Peak":
"People are only as tough as they phone allows them to be?"
Negatives
Although the melodic side is more consistent than Views and More Life, I felt like there weren't as many standouts as the melodic tracks on those albums. However, I really liked how well this side of the album blended together without sounding the same. I honestly like Side B more than Side A.
Features
1) Michael Jackson (Don't Matter to Me) - According to Genius, these were unreleased vocals and weren't sampled from another song. His pre-chorus and chorus are amazing and a Drake/Michael Jackson collaboration is legendary.
2) Ty Dolla $ign (After Dark) - He provides some nice melodies in his verse and meshes with Drake very well.
3) Static Major (After Dark) - He provides some nice background vocals.
Singles
Nice For What - I like this song even more than "God's Plan." This was the song that took "God's Plan" out of the #1 spot after all. It's produced by 40 and Murda Beatz and samples "Ex-Factor" by Lauryn Hill. As well as being catchy and infectious, it also has some messages about female empowerment. While I feel like it's out of place in Side B, I still think this is a fantastic song.
Best Tracks
1) Summer Games - 40 and No ID provide a cool beat that sounds like a retro video game. Drake's melodies sound infectious. The chorus and outro sound beautiful. The only flaw of this track is the second verse, but it doesn't drag down the quality too much.
2) Jaded - I love the production from Noel Cadastre and the background vocals from Ty Dolla $ign. The chorus is the best part of the song as Drake continues to provide infectious melodies.
3) Blue Tint - I love how Drake's soft melodies play a foil to the hard production. I also liked Future's contribution, which went uncredited.
Worst Track
Ratchet Happy Birthday - This song is unintentional comedy with its stupid lyrics like:
"I know you're soft like buttercups / Reese's, Reese's"
I died laughing at the part where Drake screams "IT'S YOUR BRRRRR," a line that is just so out of place.
Conclusion
I love this album. Drake continues to provide solid rapping and singing and puts out yet another album of the year contender.
Side A Score: 7/10
Side B Score: 9/10
Final Score: 8/10
I'm gonna rank this album between Thank Me Later and Nothing Was the Same. In other words, it's my fourth favorite Drake album.
That's the end of the review and I'll be back tomorrow (or maybe even tonight) with my end of June write-up.
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