8.6/10
Released September 24 2013
Young Money Entertainment / Cash Money / Republic
By Alex Kamens
Young Money is far from a reputable label. It's current roster includes Austin Mahone, Lil' Wayne, Mack Maine, and Nicki Minaj, along with other cringeworthy artists that have all released, for lack of better word, bad albums over the past couple of years. It'd be easy to group Drake with his labelmates and disregard his work as nothing more than an attempt at unwarranted fame and fortune. But as the legend goes, "the easy way out is not always the right one," and in this case, it's far from it.
What sets "Nothing Was the Same" apart from other hip-hop releases is it's emotional substance, which is heavily conveyed through Drake's lyrics and tone. They bring new life to topics of love, sex, drugs, money, etc. - all of which have been beaten like a dead horse in hip-hop. "Hold On, We're Going Home" (which might be the best song of the year) is a romantic ballad that manages to avoid romantic cliches - something not easily done in any genre of writing. In "Connect," Drake somehow references "pussy power" in an elegant way, and in "Own It," he makes it clear that at the end of the day, his girl owns his emotions. Nothing about stereotypical misogynistic rap makes its way into Nothing Was the Same. Drake portrays himself as vulnerable - a side that is rarely explored in rap without insinuating annoying pity (see: Childish Gambino's "Camp"). Repeat collaborator Noah "40" Shebib's production also brings out the emotion in Nothing. Shebib-produced tracks "Furthest Thing," "Wu-Tang Forever," and "From Time," along with Hold On, all feature punchy kicks and smooth piano/synth lines that flow beautifully under Drake's vocals. Non-coincidentally, the worst songs on the album are produced by others. "Worst Behavior," produced by DJ Dahi, is choppy and bizarre. "305 To My City" features Detail on the keys and the mic - both of which he fails at. The hook consists of Detail yelling into an autotuned microphone over a beat that sounds like it was put together in two minutes by an amateur producer. Drake's lyrics don't provide anything interesting to listen to on the tracks, either, and are sometimes downright annoying.
Conversely, "From Time" features a self-absorbed girl, played by Jhene Aiko, singing a hook about how she loves herself enough for both her and (presumably) her boyfriend. Seconds later, Drake is rapping about his wish to re-obtain the feeling of being a new artist and his father's alcohol problem. Drizzy has perfected the art of transition on Nothing. He knows how to spit about a multitude of different topics in one song, tie them together, and still have them tug at the heartstrings.
Nothing also features a couple of "success tracks," notably the first single, "Started From the Bottom." With it, Drake manages to find the perfect balance between confidence and arrogance. Similar tracks like "Tuscan Leather" and Jay Z's verse on "Pound Cake" cross over into cocky waters. They aren't too blatantly obnoxious, but they're enough to offset the album and it's main vibe of smoothness. In the grand scheme of things, though, the minimal arrogancy and occasional production flubs barely detract from the greater message this piece is trying to send. The peaks of Nothing are so monumental that the negative aspects float away when listening to the album. Few and far between are albums that can relay unique concepts to a mainstream audience. Nothing Was the Same is one of them.
What sets "Nothing Was the Same" apart from other hip-hop releases is it's emotional substance, which is heavily conveyed through Drake's lyrics and tone. They bring new life to topics of love, sex, drugs, money, etc. - all of which have been beaten like a dead horse in hip-hop. "Hold On, We're Going Home" (which might be the best song of the year) is a romantic ballad that manages to avoid romantic cliches - something not easily done in any genre of writing. In "Connect," Drake somehow references "pussy power" in an elegant way, and in "Own It," he makes it clear that at the end of the day, his girl owns his emotions. Nothing about stereotypical misogynistic rap makes its way into Nothing Was the Same. Drake portrays himself as vulnerable - a side that is rarely explored in rap without insinuating annoying pity (see: Childish Gambino's "Camp"). Repeat collaborator Noah "40" Shebib's production also brings out the emotion in Nothing. Shebib-produced tracks "Furthest Thing," "Wu-Tang Forever," and "From Time," along with Hold On, all feature punchy kicks and smooth piano/synth lines that flow beautifully under Drake's vocals. Non-coincidentally, the worst songs on the album are produced by others. "Worst Behavior," produced by DJ Dahi, is choppy and bizarre. "305 To My City" features Detail on the keys and the mic - both of which he fails at. The hook consists of Detail yelling into an autotuned microphone over a beat that sounds like it was put together in two minutes by an amateur producer. Drake's lyrics don't provide anything interesting to listen to on the tracks, either, and are sometimes downright annoying.
Conversely, "From Time" features a self-absorbed girl, played by Jhene Aiko, singing a hook about how she loves herself enough for both her and (presumably) her boyfriend. Seconds later, Drake is rapping about his wish to re-obtain the feeling of being a new artist and his father's alcohol problem. Drizzy has perfected the art of transition on Nothing. He knows how to spit about a multitude of different topics in one song, tie them together, and still have them tug at the heartstrings.
Nothing also features a couple of "success tracks," notably the first single, "Started From the Bottom." With it, Drake manages to find the perfect balance between confidence and arrogance. Similar tracks like "Tuscan Leather" and Jay Z's verse on "Pound Cake" cross over into cocky waters. They aren't too blatantly obnoxious, but they're enough to offset the album and it's main vibe of smoothness. In the grand scheme of things, though, the minimal arrogancy and occasional production flubs barely detract from the greater message this piece is trying to send. The peaks of Nothing are so monumental that the negative aspects float away when listening to the album. Few and far between are albums that can relay unique concepts to a mainstream audience. Nothing Was the Same is one of them.
