Album of the Year #6: Drake - Care Package - HipHop

Album of the Year #6: Drake - Care Package
Daily Discussion Thread 01/07/2020
Rae Sremmurd's Stepdad Killed, Brother in Custody as Person of Interest
[FRESH VIDEO] Mick Jenkins - "Carefree" Black Boy (Official Music Video)
[FRESH] IDK - Hello Freestyle Pt. 4 (Prod. by JPEGMAFIA)
[FRESH] Sada Baby x Lil Yachty - SB5
[SHOTS FIRED] Wiley - Eediyat Skengman 2 (Stormzy Send)
2019 /r/HipHopHeads Awards - Winners and Nominees
[FIRST IMPRESSIONS] Denzel Curry - 13LOOD 1N + 13LOOD OUT
Denzel Curry - SIRENS | Z1RENZ
[FRESH] Knxwledge - Do You
Geto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks On Me
Blu & Exile- No Greater Love
Chief Keef - War
[HYPE] Chrxs Alexander - Lil Chrxs
Yung Lean - Crystal Clear Ice
YG ft. Nipsey Hussle - FDT (Fuck Donald Trump)
Flatbush Zombies - Smoke Break (Interlude)
Joey Bada$$ - My Yout
Fort Minor - Remember The Name
$uicideboy$ - Gorilla Warfare (w///RAMIREZ)
MIKE - Sleepwalk
Westside Gunn - Ric Martel (feat. Roc Marciano)
[FRESH VIDEO] Summer Walker - Come Thru (with Usher)
Action Bronson - It Concerns Me

Album of the Year #6: Drake - Care Package

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 04:50 AM PST

Artist: Drake

Album: Care Package

Label: OVO

Release Date: August 2, 2019

Listen

Apple Music

Spotify

Background

I am definitely going to keep the background brief because presumably if you have ventured into this thread and are on this subreddit, you know who Drake is. For the inception of the project itself, it has always been a running joke amongst rap fans that if Drake compiled all of his loose tracks and put them onto one project, it would be his best work yet. Well, after years of dropping gems on his Soundcloud that never made it past his core fan base, he decided to clear the samples and put the songs on streaming services.

Review

In a recent interview with Rap Radar, Drake talks about his legacy throughout the decade and recounts some of the most memorable moments of his career. In the 2+ hour conversation, he discusses a time of when So Far Gone, his third official mixtape and the project that ultimately put him on the map, was just released and was starting to spread. In 2009 when the project was released, most people were still purchasing music through physical copies and sharing albums and songs they enjoyed via word of mouth. Music was not nearly as readily accessible as it is today. Drake describes his rise to fame as a, "who is this moment?". Essentially, this is the positive reaction from a listener when someone puts them on to new music and they want to know more. "Be present in your "who is this moment?" because you're going to be chasing that "who is this moment?" for the rest of your career trying to keep people as entertained as they were when they felt like they were one of the only people listening to you." It is hard to fault Spotify's most streamed artist of the decade for wanting to return to a time of when his audience felt like they were the only ones who had possession of this hidden gem. When you seemingly have accomplished everything, what else is there left to do? For Drake, the answer seems to lie in reflection.

As the decade comes to a close, people seem to agree that this one belonged to the 6 God. I could inundate you with numbers and accolades, but that isn't even necessary, and we both know that. 2019 seemed to represent a victory lap for Drake. An opportunity to toast to his accomplishments by himself. He re-released So Far Gone on streaming services and also released Care Package, which Drake described as, "some of our most important moments together available in one place". I know a quote like that may seem far-fetched to a lot of you, but to the guy writing this at his desk below his displayed If You're Reading This It's Too Late vinyl and a framed hand-drawn photo of Drake and Future as if they are on the cover of Time Magazine, I have to agree. This compilation of songs evokes an eerily similar level of nostalgia for me as it seems to be doing for Drake. Each one of these tracks represent distinct moments in my life that I can very clearly return back to with just the push of the play button. The individual release of many of these songs allow for them to act as their own moments in time, the same way that a full-length project would.

Sonically, this project encapsulates the full array of Drake. It represents his traditional output, with no ventures into other genres such as afro beat, dancehall or grime/U.K. drill. All in all, the project plays a lot more cohesively than one would think a compilation of songs released across a decade would sound. To a first-time listener, this could easily be mistaken as an album intended to be listened to together. From an analysis standpoint, it did not seem to make much sense to me to approach this project song by song as it is constantly shifting between different time periods and subject matters, as expected. I feel as if Care Package can be broken into two major themes – heartbreak and relationship struggles and desire for success and what it looks like once you accomplish it. These are not unfamiliar topics from Drake. In fact, his last album Scorpion was split into a Side A and Side B to represent almost this exact dichotomy between his subject matter. Drake has been an artist who was constantly refined and nearly perfected his sound over the years and Care Package gives us a look back at the rough drafts along the way.

Tracks such as "Club Paradise" give us insight into the struggle Drake faced as a result of his new-found success. As he is constantly traveling and touring, he is missing out on what is happening in Toronto and once he returns, he has trouble processing all that has changed. His old girls are with someone else, new girls do not want anything to do with him because he isn't even around and all the rappers that used to pretend to be his friend are now the same ones coming after him. Released before Take Care, this moment of time depicts a clear shift in Drake's life. He is not just another kid from Toronto anymore. He has grown into something larger than he can currently comprehend and is having trouble dealing with the repercussions. As the album progresses in the timeline, we see how Drake begins to adapt to the changes, dating more high-profile celebrities and keeping a much tighter inner circle to insulate himself from the negativity. On "How Bout Now", we hear a tale from Drake's Acura-days of dating a girl and balancing the normal struggles of a relationship – jealously, effort, pleasing their partner's family and how to pursue a dream when your supposed closest ally does not care to support. This qualm is a lot more relatable to the common listener as these problems could happen to anyone. Drake gets the last laugh in the end, sarcastically asking if the girl wants to give him a second chance now that he is a superstar and seems to have it all figured out. On "Days in the East", Drake pours out his heart to Rihanna, his former love affair. He talks about just waiting for her to hit him up to try to rekindle things. Even though things seem to be over, Drake still holds extremely strong feelings for her and believes she feels the same. He brings the listener into intimate conversations with Erykah Badu and his close friend Chubbs, talking about ideas of love and trust. We can all relate to confiding in close friends and spilling out our feelings unrestrained late at night.

What I have always enjoyed about this side of Drake's work is how unbashful he is when discussing these topics. He comes off as sensitive and vulnerable, which in turn makes him more relatable. Although people may have tough times expressing it outwardly, Drake reassures the listener that even at the top, it can get lonely too. The authenticity of this aspect of his work (insert Quentin Miller meme here) has always stood out for me. By naming real-life people and locations, you feel more in-tune what is really happening. When I came back home from college sophomore year and my high school fling was with someone else, I thought back to Rosemary and Leean Sealy (as lame as that may be lol). Something about the somber subject matter of these types of songs coupled with the ethereal production from 40 never fails to give me chills. This side of Drake is ideal "Late-Night Driving" music, as you wind down the road thinking of all that could have been with a previous significant other. Songs like "Trust Issues" and "Girls Love Beyoncé" express the cynic in Drake, doubting the intentions of women and telling himself he will never find true love. These doubts are normal for anyone, but when you are listening by yourself thinking of a certain someone, the feeling hits different.

On the other side of this project, you see the bravado and charisma of The Boy, boasting about his accomplishments and all that he has become. Even though he has been at the top for a minute, it has not always been that way. The project begins with the Jai Paul sampled "Dreams Money Can Buy". Immediately, the listener is taken back to a different time in Drake's life. A time of when major success is imminent and he yearns for it all. He is starting to treat women differently because of his new-found success. He is extremely self-aware of what is happening around him and where he is going. When Lil Wayne announces you to the world as the successor of his empire, the future must feel brighter than ever. But Drake wants it all now. We see a similar type of desire on "Paris Morton Music". Drake talks about his quest for stardom. He shares all to his former love interest and talks her through doubts that he normally would keep to himself. Drake is confident in himself, but there is still the lingering uncertainty in his head that maybe this won't finish exactly how he intends it to. A year and a half later with the release of Take Care, he solidifies his stronghold in the game and slowly begins to develop into the confident, arrogant, and dare I say, ~unruly~, force he is today.

The first and arguably best example we have of this is on "5 AM in Toronto". The perfect rebuttal to people who say he can't rap, Drake spits for 3 minutes straight, taking shot after shot at other heavyweights in the game including The Weeknd, Chris Brown (debatable heavyweight) and Common. Line after line, Drake states nothing but the facts, asserting his dominance in the game as fans await Nothing Was The Same. Over an ominous beat, Drake steadily applies pressure and lets his competition know exactly where he stands. He continues this on Jodeci Freestyle with J. Cole., where he calls out rappers for trying to copy his old style and going for his spot at the top. The confidence in his voice leaves minimal doubt in the listener's mind that Drake doesn't have it on lock. The same could be said for "4 PM in Calabasas", chock full of upper-class brags and celebrity name drops. When Drake wants to bring it, he clearly can and he has the ammunition and credibility to back it all up.

Amongst this long project (17 songs), I do not want to miss covering the impact these songs had at the time of their release. One of the biggest commonalities that I noticed from some of these loosies are the other artists that were inspired to remix the original tracks, many of which for Drake listeners may have been their first introduction to them. The Weeknd released a remix of Trust Issues before Thursday came out. Bryson Tiller started to make waves off of his remix to How Bout Now. PartyNextDoor produced "Days In The East" and released his own remix with West District. Still today, these 3 artists reign at the top of the RnB game. To what part of that can be attributed to Drake, you decide (peep my flair), but there is no questioning he played a role in helping those 3 careers take off.

The reason that Care Package makes so much sense to me is because if you look at the subject matter of a lot of these songs, it almost always involves Drake looking backwards. Very rarely is he discussing what he sees in the future. Even in the songs where he is wishing for full-blown success, there are still references scattered throughout to how he got there. To me, Drake has always been someone who has trouble letting go and likes to reflect and recount on his past endeavors. From that perspective, Care Package is almost the perfect, most meta way to summarize his past decade – with a bundle of songs reflecting all that he has been through, ultimately shaping him into the star he is today. Coupled with his summations in the Rap Radar interview and posts like this on IG, it is clear Drake has been nostalgic about the last ten years. And why shouldn't he be? He definitely did not have a decade to forget. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong and the only reason he released this was to capitalize on introducing old music to new fans while reenergizing his base with forgotten classics. After all, that is probably the reason he re-released So Far Gone. Sure, it is great to memorialize his earlier work on streaming services forever, but he is getting paid for all of this in the end! Is this even considered an album? Did I just waste several hours of my life doing this? What a time to be alive.

Things do feel different now, though. He is a father. His last official release was met with mixed reviews. His recent output has been strong, but minimal. Something is coming. As one of the most calculated artists in the game along with his team, I personally am excited to see what is next. I can confidently say that Drake played a large part of shaping the soundtrack of the past decade for me and I am sure that a lot of other similarly-aged people on HHH can agree. Drake is chasing after captivating his audience again like it was 2010, and I think I speak for the fans when I say that we are all waiting for the same.

Favorite Lyrics

It's crazy all the emotions forgot in a year

Club Paradise

Green, white, and red on my body 'cause I'm dipped in Ferrari

All she wanna do is get high and listen to PARTY

She complain, I tell the driver to drop her at Barneys

My summer diet is just Rosé and calamari

4 PM in Calabasas

The girl that I wanna save is like a danger to my health

Try being with somebody that wanna be somebody else

I always thought she was perfect when she was being herself

Don't even know how to help, but I guess that's just the motion, yeah

She'll probably come around

Soon as I settle down, that's the motion

The Motion ft. Sampha

And all I care about is my city, man, I can't say it enough

I done heard things about y'all that they can't say about us

I just hold it down for my side, I just hold it down for my set

I just give everybody a piece of this and make do with what's left

Free Spirit ft. Rick Ross

Discussion Questions

Where does Care Package rank on your list of Drake's discography? Should it even count?
What are your thoughts on re-releasing content to streaming platforms? Would you like to see a Care Package-type project from anyone else?
Where does Drake go from here? Does he maintain his dominance in the new decade?
If you have never cried to any of the songs on Care Package, are you even qualified to read/comment about it?

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Daily Discussion Thread 01/07/2020

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 08:07 AM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

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Rae Sremmurd's Stepdad Killed, Brother in Custody as Person of Interest

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:22 AM PST

submitted by /u/LesCactus
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[FRESH VIDEO] Mick Jenkins - "Carefree" Black Boy (Official Music Video)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 07:12 AM PST

submitted by /u/skjaeveland
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[FRESH] IDK - Hello Freestyle Pt. 4 (Prod. by JPEGMAFIA)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 12:05 PM PST

submitted by /u/kiakili
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[FRESH] Sada Baby x Lil Yachty - SB5

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 06:53 PM PST

submitted by /u/Awhile2
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[SHOTS FIRED] Wiley - Eediyat Skengman 2 (Stormzy Send)

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 02:48 PM PST

submitted by /u/Madbrad200
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2019 /r/HipHopHeads Awards - Winners and Nominees

Posted: 07 Jan 2020 10:18 AM PST

Welcome to the 5th annual /r/HipHopHeads Awards!

Thank you to the thousands of users who voted. Without any further ado, below are the results of your votes!

/r/HHH Awards Voting Results!

Best Beat Of The Year

Nominees:

Danny Brown - Combat (Prod. Q-Tip)
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Crime Pays (Prod. Madlib)
Young Thug - Hot (ft. Gunna) (Prod. Wheezy)
Tyler, The Creator - NEW MAGIC WAND (Prod. Tyler, The Creator)
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Palmolive (ft. Killer Mike & Pusha T) (Prod. Madlib)

Winner: Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - Crime Pays (Prod. Madlib)

Best Guest Verse Of The Year

Nominees:

Andre 3000 - Come Home (Anderson.Paak)
Playboi Carti - EARFQUAKE (Tyler, The Creator)
Black Thought - Crowns For Kings (Benny The Butcher)
Pusha T - Palmolive (Freddie Gibbs & Madlib)
Anderson .Paak - RNP (YBN Cordae)

Winner: Pusha T - Palmolive (Freddie Gibbs & Madlib)

Best Overall Verse Of The Year

Nominees:

J. Cole - Middle Child (Verse 1)
Black Thought - Crowns For Kings (Verse 2)
Pusha T - Palmolive (Verse 2)
J. Cole - Sacrifices (Verse 4)
JID - Down Bad (Verse 2)

Winner: Pusha T - Palmolive (Verse 2)

Best Hook Of The Year

Nominees:

YBN Cordae - RNP (feat. Anderson .Paak)
Denzel Curry - RICKY
BROCKHAMPTON - Sugar
Dreamville - Down Bad (ft. JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy)
Tyler, the Creator - EARFQUAKE (ft. Playboi Carti)

Winner: Tyler, the Creator - EARFQUAKE (ft. Playboi Carti)

Best Posse Cut (4 or more artists on one track) Of The Year

Nominees:

Dreamville - Down Bad (ft. JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy)
Dreamville - Costa Rica (ft. Bas, JID, Guapdad 4000, Reese LAFLARE, Jace, Mez, Smokepurrp, Buddy & Ski Mask The Slump God)
Beast Coast - Left Hand (ft. Joey Bada$$, Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers, Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution & CJ Fly)
Dreamville - Wells Fargo (ft. JID, EARTHGANG, Buddy & Guapdad 4000)
Dreamville - Sacrifices (ft. EARTHGANG, J, Cole, Smino & Saba)

Winner: Dreamville - Down Bad (ft. JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy)