Album of the Year 2018 #1: Drake - Scorpion - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year 2018 #1: Drake - Scorpion - HipHop

Album of the Year 2018 #1: Drake - Scorpion - HipHop

Album of the Year 2018 #1: Drake - Scorpion

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 10:00 AM PST

Artist: Drake

Album: Scorpion

Listen:

Apple Music

Google Play

Spotify

Tidal

Background

We really gonna do background for this album? FOR THIS ARTIST? Fine.

Initially announced in April, preceded by 'Nice For What' and followed roughly a month after with the less well received 'I'm Upset', I didn't really know what to expect from this album, I almost thought Nice For What wasn't even gonna be on the album until someone pointed out to me the similarities between the single artwork between it and I'm Upset. I figured God's Plan (from the Scary Hours EP released in January) would be tacked on as a sort of bonus track ala 'Hotline Bling' from Views in '16 for numbers but ultimately I didn't have any ideas or particular expectations until the billboards went up.

Explicitly stating there were 2 sides on the album immediately said to me that instead of cutting back and forth between styles like he did on Views and More Life it would be a clean split of the softer more late night drive R&B Drizzy and the puffy chested braggadocios rappity raps Drake, of course we ended with something close, if a little fuzzier than the clean-cut I hoped it would be.

There's a lot more that could be discussed as background: the slew of consistently great features across the year(only outmatched by J.Cole in my opinion), the whole El Hijo De MAGA saga, the record breaking on top of record breaking but we're not here for all that shit (at least not right now) we're here to discuss this album, so let's get to it.

Review

As previously mentioned, after the initial billboards were posted I expected a clear-cut R&B/hip-hop type double album, for whatever reason in my mind with the R&B half first, maybe it's because that's where I expected the hits to be (e.g. God's Plan, Nice For What) sprinkled throughout for maximum streams, clearly a false assumption that didn't matter but nevertheless.

The album opens with another great Drake intro, giving a general view of his life blocked by the chip on his shoulder that for whatever reason still exists mixed with your typical Drake bragging (so much for regular life humbling him) over a masterfully crafted beat by No I.D. & 40, weaving these delicate almost playful synths (from Claude Larson's 'Telex') into your super low super rumbly bass that increases its presence as the song goes.

This is the part where this shit goes off. A lot of people are less than captivated with Tay Keith's beats and his rise to fame, but he does exactly what he does incredibly, almost akin to videogame soundtracks of old in that the main loop has to keep you drawn in and focused without distracting from the main draw, this blended with Drake's (literal) mumbling ad libs makes for one of my favourite songs of the year, I really can't tell you how many times I've played this song (as of writing this it's 73) without thinking yeah maybe I should go listen to this shit again.

Of course, this isn't the only ~banger~ of the rap side of the album with cuts like 'Can't Take A Joke' that has Drake skating all over the beat and 'Mob Ties' doing his alleged best impression of Young Thug, much to the chagrin of many bootygoons around the world, talking about how it's "too late for all that lovey dovey shit" presumably in relation to Lift Yourself, dug into more with '8 Out of 10' replying almost directly to shots off Ye's 'No Mistakes' from the jump with the "Too rich for who? Y'all just got rich again, who grips the mic and likes to kill their friends?" and alluding to how Kim and pretty much everyone around Kanye is gonna be playing this shit, but luckily for him Drake is now the good guy (really?) and this is as bad as it's gonna get for him. Another outstanding beat, this time helmed by Boi-1da, very simple with a big heavy bass, almost celebratory in sound. It's a shame this song is finished by the Plies skit clearly aimed at Pusha T, something I found hilarious at first quickly became incredibly tiresome on relisten which could perhaps be the point for the targets at hand but as a fan and frequent listener it's an unnecessary annoyance.

Then you've got cuts like the incredible 'Emotionless' with one of my favourite samples maybe ever? I think that's a little hyperbolic but it's great and completely contrasts how drained and exhausted Drake sounds with life on this record, discussing the fraudulency of the world due to the effects & expectations of social media, how he still doesn't feel like he gets the love he deserves while simultaneously breaking all the records in the world and the lack of spark existing in his music career as his idols become his peers and eventually become less than that as they expose themselves to be anything but Drake's idealization of them. This contrasted with 'Talk Up' with Jay Z & DJ Paul & 'Sandra's Rose' with DJ Premier, the former with DJ Paul throwing it back to Drake's roots in Memphis with this super menacing beat & Jay actually coming through with a decent verse (we still remember Pound Cake) talking about the cornball in office and how the streets have let him down, the latter with what I think can easily be agreed as Drake's best rapping on this record over a classic Primo beat, shows that not all is fraught in Drake's world view of hip-hop as he steadily cements his place amongst true legends.

This half of the record finally ends with 'Is There More', an almost ethereal haunting beat bookended with an Aaliyah interpolation by the incredibly talented Nai Palm, this track laments of Drake's place in the world as both an artist and a human being and almost touches on something sincerely genuine and meaningful before hurriedly transitioning to Side B for some of the most bitter music we've heard from him yet.

Just to get this shit out the way cause I'm not gonna talk about it outside of this I think Summer Games really might be the most offensively bad thing Drake has done maybe ever? This shit sounds like the damn Hunger Games soundtrack it is NOT GOOD and should be abolished from all streaming services and physical copies of the album. Ratchet Happy Birthday on the other hand is an eternal classic and some of the funniest shit I've ever heard.

Anyway, this side opens up with Peak and shortly follows that with Jaded, two of the most vitriolic and bitter songs I've ever heard from Drake, he's ALWAYS in his feelings about women and he always has these relationship issues but god damn son you can't be making stuff like this at 32, it's not a good look! Especially to then go from these types of songs to something like 'Nice For What' which is almost a celebration of these powerful independent women that so starkly contrasts his distaste for the impolite leads on the previous tracks.

Nice For What was a fantastic single and I'm so happy it made the album, that New Orleans bounce vibe on it is a refreshing new twist on the Drake Formula™ (as mastered on Views) and it's so easy to see why that and 'In My Feelings', another take on that sound, became huge hits, they're infectiously catchy without ever feeling tired and the beats seem to work perfectly with Drake's laid back lazy flow and his singing at the same time.

I think while overall I believe this half to be the weaker side, there are better collaborations on this half of the record, with songs like 'Blue Tint' with Future, which sonically would perhaps fit the first half more thematically sits in nicely with tracks like 'Finesse' and 'That's How You Feel' with an extension on that opening bitterness & distrust of women causing all of his relationship issues with the ice getting thin and the relationship being either sink or swim. Then there's 'After Dark', an alluring throwback with Static Major vocals from beyond the grave mixed beautifully with Ty Dolla Sign, I'm really surprised this song didn't take off, maybe the verses are just a little too long, maybe it's a little too horny for radio (although nowhere near as horny as 'Final Fantasy' Jesus fucking Christ) either way it's a damn shame. None of these collabs quite match up to the strength and significance of a Michael Jackson feature, an insane feat that was allegedly up in the air due to the death of Joe Jackson, something that was sort of underwhelming due to the processing and more fitting the song around it than having it add on to the song (as is the issue with most posthumous material it feels like) still unimaginable that it even happened and to be real I still thoroughly enjoy the song.

Finally we come to March 14, the thing that set it all off, the end of a partnership with one of the other biggest activewear companies in the world (and an alleged end to a campaign exclusively to show off his son which is a whole mess honestly) only to end up going back to the one he just left, the end of any hope of a collaboration between one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time (which isn't necessarily a bad thing cause Glow was horrendous) and the opening of new doors to old friends, but more importantly than any of that hopefully the beginning of a better Drake, at least as a man and maybe (hopefully) reflected in his art.

Favourite Lyrics

You niggas pop mollies, my Malis pop niggas

House on both coasts, but I live on the charts

I have tea with the stars, and I swim with sharks

and I see in the dark, wasn't this cold at the start

  • Survival

Back and forth to Italy, my comment section killing me

I swear I get so passionate, y'all do not know the half of it

I grew up with the Reps Up boys, we crashin it and splashin it

And when I say they crashin it I do not mean a accident

  • Can't Take A Joke

Niggas scared to come toward us, gotta run from us

Louisville hush money for my young gunners

Rick Pitino, I take em to strip clubs and casinos

Stack of c-notes, get all of you niggas scratched like Primo

Worms, I just opened up a can of those

My mother had a flower shop but I was Sandra's rose

Two girls that I rope like Indiana Jones

I make them hoes walk together like I'm Amber Rose

  • Sandra's Rose

Your shorty was bent, she wanted to vent, I promise it fell in my lap

My money is young, my problems are old, I promise I'm bridging the gap

You know what I'm sayin

  • Talk Up

Still I rise, Maya Angelou vibes

When life coming at you from all angles and sides

And they don't wanna see that you smiling from inside

It really boils down to how you plan to survive

Houston women I wine & dine and take to the house

My moral compass is janky, it breaks in the South

  • Is There More

I used to challenge my parents on every album

Now I'm embarrassed to tell em I'm a co-parent

Always promised a family unit

I wanted it to be different because I've been through it

But this is the harsh truth now

And fairy tales are saved for the bedtime stories I tell you now

I promise if I'm not dead then I'm dedicated

This the first positive DNA we ever celebrated

I can't forget the looks on their faces

October baby for irony's sake, of course

I got this 11 tatted on me for somebody now it's yours

And believe me, I can't wait to get a hundred more

Sorry I'm venting, tryna cover ground

They said that in two weeks you're supposed to come in town

Hopefully by the time you hear this me and your mother will have come around

Instead of always cutting each other down

God willing

I got a good feeling you got a good spirit

We'll talk more when you hear this

  • March 14

Talking Points

  • I feel like asking where do you want Drake to go is moot at this point, but with this new deal do you expect the album rollouts/content to be different? If yes, how so?

  • With the firm cementation of his crossover superstardom with this record (as if it wasn't already) would you accept Drake having the help of writers (provided he credits them ala Kanye or Beyonce) for the potential of better music?

  • Do you think Drake knows how condoms work?

  • One of the most interesting aspects of this album is how out of his regular bag he went with producers, with some incredible pulls like Oogiemane and DJ Premier, what's your dream production team for the next inevitable Drake hit?

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Daily Discussion Thread 12/01/2018

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 02:55 PM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
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  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Weekly/Monthly Threads

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

New to /r/hiphopheads or hip-hop in general?

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Meek Mill goes on CNN to talk about new album ‘Champions’ and criminal justice reform

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Screenshot Link to Tweet

The project is slated for release this month

submitted by /u/tollivermvp
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it's been 24 hours

what y'all think of it?

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PSA : If you guys see someone fall in a pit pick them up

Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:43 PM PST

in recent news after what happened in a bring me the horizon show(even though they are metal, same applies to hip hop) please help people who you see struggling in the pit, I've fallen my self and it's a very helpless feeling. Don't let it not be your problem act on it

https://twitter.com/bmthofficial/status/1069012289746030593?s=21

submitted by /u/XSPLL
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Awful Days: A Documentary about Awful Records

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Posted: 01 Dec 2018 11:06 PM PST
at