Top 3 Songs From Each Drake Album
Shout out to Drake!
I have talked about my favourite Drake hooks but I have yet to give him his proper due. Even if he doesn't write everything we hear from him, he sure can perform it well! Let's see what the three best songs from each of his projects (not including Come Back Season and Scary Hours) are!
Album:
So Far Gone (2009)/The 5th Best Drake Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Houstatlantavegas"
2) "Uptown" (ft. Bun B & Lil Wayne)
3) "Best I Ever Had"
The mixtape version of this EP was a huge contributing factor to the soundtrack of the writing of Better Than Me. There is a certain vibe that I truly dug for the time and it is made clear in the album opener "Houstalantavegas." It's hard to retroactively speak on the feeling that this shift in music gave me. Drake was something different and songs like this felt emotional and personal and still so repeatable (balling out of control not withstanding). "Uptown" has a great hook and some great guest verses from Wayne and the fourth best Southern Rapper ever! Try if you want, but you can't hate on "Best I Ever Had." That is a stone cold hit. No two ways about it.
Album:
Thank Me Later (2010)/The 2nd Best Drake Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Over"
2) "Light Up" (ft. JAY-Z)
3) "Up All Night" (ft. Nicki Minaj)
The strings on "Over" are everything to me. Even if that track was an instrumental it would have been in the top spot, but you add the hook and quotable lines for days and here we are! "Light Up" is spooky since it's got the best East Coast rapper ever trying to warn Drake about basically what would end up happening to him years later. They both go off on a stripped down beat and it's great. "Up All Night" is great because the beat is dope but it gives Nicki a chance to prove she earned her spot as one of the best female spitters out there.
Album:
Take Care (2011)/AKA THE BEST DRAKE ALBUM
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Under Ground Kings"
2) "Over My Dead Body" (ft. Chantal Kreviazuk)
3) "Lord Knows" (ft. Rick Ross)
"Under Ground Kings" showcases the great ear for beats that Drake has. Or at least beats that make him shine. It also features the type of lyrics that make you think you're actually getting a real insight into Drake's psyche which is always great for crating a bond and fan loyalty. I love the album opener "Over My Dead Body." The way the piano and Chantal's voice work together are a great foundation for Drake to boldly claim his dominance over the game on. "Lord Knows" wins for the fact its got the 6th best producer ever providing Drake with heat to spit over. The fact that Drake could spit over this 808 less beat not made for trapping showed some range.
Album:
Nothing Was The Same (2013)/The 7th Best Drake Best Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "All Me" (ft. 2 Chainz & Big Sean)
2) "Worst Behavior"
3) "Hold On, We're Going Home" (ft. Majid Jordan)
Unfortunately I had to run to the bonus track section of the album to get a top song. This album just didn't work for me, even though I know people love it. "All Me" though? That had some slick Drake lines referencing In Living Color and two memorable guest verses! "Worst Behavior" was the first track on the album proper that I responded to. It had an aggressive energy that shook off the lethargic feel of the rest of the album. "Hold On, we're Going Home" didn't even feel like it belonged on this album sonically but it is another undeniable hit.
Album:
If You're Reading This It's Too Late (2015)/The 4th Best Drake Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "No Tellin'"
2) "Legend"
3) "Know Yourself"
This album reminds me of going back and forth between Toronto and Durham region to see Pauline and then Pauline and I roadtripping all over Ontario. So I might like it more than most. This was the true coming out party for the 6 God alias and if you've been to a raptor game than you know they use parts of "Know Yourself" to hype up the crowd. It's hard for me to actually order the top three or just narrow it down to a top three but all the songs a great. "No Tellin" because I love the beat switch, and "Legend" because of the way the sample is chopped up. This album also introduced new words into the zeitgeist so that's pretty cool.
Album:
What A Time To Be Alive (2015)/Technically a Drake & Future Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Plastic Bag"
2) "I'm The Plug"
3) "Diamonds Dancing"
"Plastic Bag" is a sort of hypnotic song that I don't mind at all. "I'm The Plug" has a pretty energetic Drake verse at the end, and I like the hook on "Diamonds Dancing" Other than that I don't know that this album aged well other than the fact that it forced Kanye to ape one of the songs on his 3rd best album ever. So it's not nothing.
Album:
Views (2016)/The 6th Best Album Drake Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Child's Play"
2) "Hype"
3) "Too Good" (ft. Rihanna)
Gillian really turned me around on "Child's Play." I'm not sure why I didn't like it at first, but as you can see I think it's simply the best this album has to offer. While the album is underwhelming, "Child's Play" operates on a higher level. The instrumentation is next level, and the lyrics are so specific. The way Drake paints the picture of his horrible Cheesecake Factory visit is great. "Hype" is a lot like "Worst Behavior" on NTWTS. A much needed burst of aggression on a somewhat sleepy album. One of the better collaborations Drake and Rihanna have ever come with is on "Too Good." And that's saying a lot since they're all pretty good. I love the upbeat vibe of the music while the lyrics convey a pretty sad subject matter.
Album:
More Life (2017)/The 3rd Best Drake Album
Top 3 Songs:
1) "Sacrifices" (ft. 2 Chainz & Young Thug)
2) "Free Smoke"
3) "Gylachester"
Way to pull it off at the last minute, Aubrey! More Life felt like a return to form. Even if it lasts for too long and wasn't promoted as a proper album. It still provided a bunch of tracks to satisfy the core fan base. I explained what I liked about "Sacrifices" in particular and the album as a whole during my 2017 music rundown but I didn't mention the stellar opener "Free Smoke" and the dope "Gylachester" so here we are!
-YG