Whether you love him or not, pissed off by him, Drake is one of the biggest Rap & R&B stars in the world. Today we're ranking his discography. To some, he's the end of the "bling" era of Rap, and one of the more brutally honest and personal stars out there. On the other hand, in case you've missed the memes, Drake's lyrics occasionally drift into the realm of sounding like a 15-year-old girls discography. So hey, let's chat about good ol' Champagne Papi's discography, and yes we're counting "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" as an album and steering away from that criminally boring split album he did with Future. Get in losers, we're going crying.
6. More Life - This album was easily one of 2018's biggest disappointments. Between Drake faking his way through a terrible accent and so much of a focus on Grime and Dancehall, this album was criminally awkward. There were some great moments like "Portland" and "Passionfruit". But outside of that, this album is seriously a weird one. Why the hell was this marketed as a "Playlist"? Why are these features as bad as they are? And if I have to hear him say "ITS AN OVO TING EHH?" one more time I'm gonna scream.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COz9lDCFHjw
5. Nothing Was The Same - 2013's "Nothing Was The Same" showed Drake reaching new highs, but I wasn't nearly as into it all, to be honest. Sure, tracks like "Wu-Tang Forever" and the polarizing "Worst Behavior" are some of Drake's most rugged tracks yet. But other moments like the disgustingly long "Tuscan Leather" and the painfully cheesy "From Time" actually had me pining to listen to overplayed hits like "Hold On, We're Going Home".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CccnAvfLPvE
4. Views - 2016's "Views" is easily one of his most inconsistent projects. Sure, there are moments like the title track or "Keep The Family Close" where things come off pretty cinematic and epic. But tracks like the unbearable "Child's Play" and the hilariously bad "Grammys" made this album become seriously hard to see through. So much so, that re-listening to this album a few days ago I literally got excited to hear tracks like "One Dance" and "Hotline Bling" (which are genuinely fantastic Pop Rap tunes, something we forget most of the time)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcer12OFU2g
3. Thank Me Later - Honestly, this album has lessened on me over the years. But still, this is a pretty solid debut with Drake really crafting his sound. We have very confident tunes like "Unforgettable" and "Up All Night", as well as big hits like "Over" and "Fireworks". But for me, it was some of the slower tracks like "Shut It Down", where Drake started to craft his blend of R&B and Rap. Which, yes, you can argue is way too sappy most of the time, trust me I've seen the memes. But Drake was just this interesting, very human new figure in R&B and Rap, one that was totally beyond the "bling" era.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyv4Bjja8yc
2. If You're Reading This, It's Too Late - When Drake returned with 2015's "If You're Reading This it's Too Late", this was an entirely different artist. There were debates on whether or not this was a Mixtape or an album, I really didn't care about that. Simply put, this project is fucking awesome. Gone is the pristine production, the whiny lyrics, the R&B influences, all of that. And in its place is a bitter and much more aggressive Drake. The beats were so much more minimal, cold, and often chilling. Drake had gone through phases of pushing out more Rap material, that was nothing new. But the sheer level of confidence on tracks like "6 God" and "Know Yourself" is absolutely flooring. Even at some of this album's sappier moments like "Madonna" and "You & The 6", Drake was a new man. I honestly wish THIS Drake came around more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgav9vani3A
1. Take Care - By 2011's "Take Care" however, I honestly feel like Drake was so much more confident. No longer was he dabbling in fusing R&B and Rap, he was spitting it masterfully and absolutely killing it. Whether it be Pop crossovers like his iconic duet with Rihanna for "Take Care" or the fan favorite "Marvin's Room", or legitimately aggressive Rap tunes like "Under Ground Kings" or "Lord Knows", this was a feast of all things R&B/Hip-Hop. Now yes, it's an hour and 20 minutes. And no, it really doesn't need to be. But, man does Drake ever make it work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zzP29emgpg
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