Fresh Panda Blog: November 2011

The Track-By-Track Review Is Here

In the midst of "Watch the Throne", "Cole World: The Sideline Story" & even "Carter 4" it's hard to make a good album that still does well commercially. Though I lost interest in Drake a while ago I will say this is not a bad album to be #1 on the charts. Two years ago Drake acquired millions of fans with his So Far Gone mixtape. He quickly went from Degrassi's wheelchair bound Jimmy Brooks to one of the world's biggest hip hop sensations. A year later his debut album sold over 447,000 copies (in the US alone) in its first week. Now, a year after that album we get his follow up record, Take Care. Take Care, definitely takes us back to the "So far Gone" days with chill and well done production from Drake's right hand man, Noah "40" Shebib. Other production comes from beat veteran Just Blaze, indie band The XX's own Jamie XX, Young Money's own T-Minus & more. So without anymore bullshit talk lets get to the track by track..

01. Over My Dead Body

[Prod By 40] The beat starts off, honestly, how you'd want the opening track to a Drake album to start; chill and laid back. The song starts off with singer Chantal Kreviazuk gently singing over perfect 40 production. Muffled drum patterns and "chillwave-like" piano. Drake gives his usual spiel of "killing the competition" and "meeting girls at the strip club" but still you're not bored with it. There's this "back back in the day" line where Drizzy trys tearin it up a bit but it sounds retarded and doesn't really make sense. I guess it was a nice try. Overall good song but nothing we havnt herd before.

"Best" Line: Oh well, I guess you lose some and win some / Long as the outcome is income / You know I want it all and then some / Shout out to Asian girls, let the lights dim sum

02. Shot For Me

[Prod By 40] Not gonna lie, this song is ridiculously stupid. Drake decides to sing this one and the first minute and fifteen seconds is almost unbearable. He sings "Alisha, Catya" like the biggest queef. I wonder if all these fake "love" songs are about one person, and i wonder if she's real.

03. Headlines

[Prod By Boi-Da] Drake is definitely capable of delivering a better hook and honestly, Boi-1da could of definitely deliver a better beat. Lame single. At the end there's a cute little poem he recites about how people would rather hear about positive things then negative. This is the same person that has a mixtape in the works with Rick Ross (the Y.O.L.O. mixtape)

Best Line: And they say that i'm back i'd agree with that / I just take my time with all this shit I still believe in that / I had someone tell me I fell off ooh I needed that / And they wanna see me pick back up right well whered I leave it at?

04. Crew Love (Feat. The Weeknd)

[Prod By Illangelo & The Weeknd] The Weeknd is a recent artist I've taken interest in, despite not usually falling for any R&B get up. I was that guy that hoped the world would disown Chris Brown for the Rihanna situation. Not because I'm against hitting women but because I cant stand anymore whiney hooks with little curly blonde hairs attached to it. Anyway, The Weeknd sing "She's lovin the crew" for way too long. Honestly, the phrase is kind of annoying and definitely does not need to be repeated the way it is. The beat's really cool, I'll be excited to see who rips the instrumental on their mixtapes (I was thinking Jeezy would sound good on this). Drake spits a verse almost two minutes in. Thinking he was going to sing again in this one I couldnt be more grateful. Besides the "lovin the crew" part this song is okay.

05. Take Care (Feat. Rihanna)

[Prod By Jamie XX] Lets talk the good and bad of the production. The good thing is the beat is produced by indie band The XX's Jamie XX. The bad thing is the piano riff sounds just like my band Welly!'s "Talk to Me" but oh well. The title track starts off with Rihanna doing well, Rihanna. After she's done with her thin vocalized verse the instrumental takes over and you get this awesome laid back surf guitar and you can tell the guy from the XX made the beat. Then... Drake comes in and i immediately feel like I'm listening to a song from High School Musical. But this is also coming from someone who likes Yes Giantess.. And by the end you get used to it and kinda get into the epicness. At around 3:30 we get a random beat intermission that doesn't make sense at all. Anyway, song's pretty dope but would much rather an instrumental version.

Best Line: it's my birthday, i get high if i want to

06. Marvins Room

[Prod By 40] Drake at his most emo point. AND he says "nigger" with the "er"!!! Not only is he half white but it also dosent flow or sound good. The "we threw a party, they threw a party" is beyond terrible too. We've all herd this song and if you're anything like me you just fast forward to 5:43 for Kendrick Lamar's epic sermon.

07. Buried Alive Interlude

[Prod By 40 & Supa Dups] "I jump right in and fall asleep" Kendrick opens his verse in the sketchiest most Kendrick way possible and you have no choice but to jump right in.. and fall asleep. Kendrick spits heavy perfectly formed thoughts of selling out and how it will happen to him. "When I got it I was greeted by an alien / That said last year that she slept with a Canadian / That gave him an addiction / That would keep him in Mercedes Benz / Bright lights and Rhianna as a lady friend" Basically I think this is Kendrick's way of saying

he will fall for the same things everyone else has fallin for; money, hoes etc. Hopefully he continues to make great music while he does it.. Oh and shout out to Drake for letting Kendrick Lamar on the album (and even Tour). Big ups to anyone mainstream putting good music out for the masses.

Best Line: We talk casually about the industry / And how the women be the taste makers for the shit we makin’ / Then he said that he was the same age as myself / And it didn’t help cuz it made me even more rude and impatient

(The whole song is the best line so just listen to it)

08. Under Ground Kings

[Prod By T-Minus] The only thing Drake references more then sad strippers is UGK. Sorry Drake but you're not underground... at all. J Cole & Big Sean are more underground and even they, are mainstream. ..Despite some less then average lines about "rapping bitches, rappin wrappin bitches" this song is easily one of the better songs so far. Beat allows Drake to go in moderately hard and restricts him from singing. Hook is catchy. This should and will definetly be the next single.

09. We’ll Be fine

[Prod By T-Minus] Oh what a typical Young Money beat. Loop that is repeated over and over but then they change it up for the chorus which is cool. His flow reminds me of Smoke DZA until the auto tuned typical Drake hook. There's even a little speech from our favorite lyricist the flapping Birdman himself.. Over all not a bad song really but I doubt this is anyone's favorite song.. maybe a 13 year old girl somewhere..

10. Make Me Proud (Feat. Nicki Minaj)

[Prod By T-Minus] And another Young Money beats starts. Drake spits his verse which is good but quickly overshadowed by how corny the hook is. Drake lightly sings "Im so, I'm so, I'm so proud of you! :)" and honestly I turned it down so no one thought i was listening to Magic 106.7 Then the worst happens... Drake is killed on his own track... by a girl. In his defense it's her flow that really kills the track, the lyrics are whatever. After the hook, the beat stops, like any beat would for the beginning of a Nicki Minaj verse. "B-b-b-b-b-bet I am". The whole opening is stupid typical for Nicki Minaj but whatever.. it works.

11. Lord Knows (Feat. Rick Ross)

[Prod By Just Blaze] Maybe the best beat on the whole album, thank god for Just Blaze. There are alot of good beats on this record but this is the only one that really givers you that epic hip hop feeling. Also, perfect beat choice for Ross. Before you even here his trusted "ugh" ad-lib you're thinking the big Ricky will be on this. The instrumental contains this awesome opera like sample with killer snare lines and a real head jerking groove. Drake tries denying that his music is for females and says its for dudes that get laid. But while i see where he's coming from (usually in the closet gays are the more macho ones) I also think its fishy that Drake only raps about love with strippers and old girls from his past. No recent love life or anything.. just sayin.. that's a little suspect.

12. Cameras

[Prod By 40] The beat's cool but to be perfectly honest I'm thinking the album has too many tracks because I'm tired with the typical Drake routine at this point. The hook, once again, is retarded. "I am me I am Me, whatchu know about the Team?" Honestly I didnt finish the song.. Even 40's production couldnt save this one, it's like Drake really isnt trying for this one.

13. Doing It Wrong

[Prod By 40] Ohhh, seconds in and its gonna be a cute drake song about past love life gone spoiled by fame. Ohhhh, I'm right. I like the beat and if I was really high and zonein i might be feelin this. The harmonica at the end is an awesome touch.

14. The Real Her (Feat. Andre 3000 & Lil Wayne)

[Prod By 40] Drake sings for like 4 minutes then we get a verse from Weezy that wasnt better then anything off C4 so it really wasnt good. Just super predictable and bland. Thank god for 3Stacks. Just his voice is a saving grace, pause. He almost makes the song worth getting threw 4 minutes off shit for his witty verse. BUT having that said I dont know if he really got the point of the song...But none the less, thank you Andre 3000
15. Look What You’ve Done

[Prod By Chase N Cashe] On this one we get the story of Drake and his career over a piano based, R&B styled beat. He reminisces on the "So Far Gone" days like it was 10 years ago.. Wondering if Drake's gonna flip his subject matter soon.. Probably not sense it's still selling 650K. I sound like I'm bitching but this track is totally straight. Good song to throw on the end of an album and I'm wondering why it isnt the last song period.

16. HYFR (Feat. Lil Wayne)

[Prod By T-Minus] Talking about Texas and Atlanta in the same verse.. again. Homie, go to track 9 for a recap from Birdman on where you're from. This song's good though, I like the beat alot. I dont know about the Wayne's hook but his verse is definitely better then his first one. Oh and if Wayne's wack hook wasnt bad enough we get Drake to sing it.. great. Overall, good song but I'm glad the record's coming to a close. Plleeease no itunes Bonus tracks!!!

17. Practice

[Prod By 40] Oh man. Taking a classic hood banger like Juvey's "Back That Ass Up", slowing and muffling the beat and singing over it is just straight up disrespectful. You should all be ashamed and I hope Juvey didnt agree to this and Baby just kept the rights to that song. OKAY so having said alll that is it totally retarded to say that i kind of enjoyed it?? Yeah.. I'll take that.
18. The Ride

[Prod By Doc McKinney & The Weeknd] Dont worry Drake, I hate when people say "I Feel You" too

Nicki Minaj recently announced her sophomore album Pink Friday ; Roman Reloaded

c'mon Nicki... c'mon

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