The Rundown: Drake, Nothing Was the Same
A track-by-track review of the rapper's third album.
1 / 16
Nothing Was the Same - The wait is finally over! After many leaks and months of anticipation, Drake's third full-length studio album, Nothing Was the Same, drops today; and with it, the man Jay Z called "The Kobe Bryant of rap" looks to continue his reign over the airwaves and Billboard charts. And he just might. It's a strong effort in a look at those feelings and experiences that changed baby Drake to the man he is now. It pushes his boundaries of making rap something that's so singable, and it's backed by some pretty plush production. Check out BET.com's track-by-track review.(Photo: Young Money Records)
2 / 16
"Tuscan Leather" - Fall may have officially started, but Drake wastes no time bringing the heat over this early 2000's Kanye-esque track that features a sped up loop of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" soulfully caressing the thundering bass. "This is nothin' for the radio/ But they'll still play it, though/ 'Cause it's that new Drizzy Drake/ that's just the way it go," Drake spits on his 6-minute intro.(Photo: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns via Getty Images)
3 / 16
"Furthest Thing" - Synth sounds back this updated version of Drake's 2011 hit "Marvin's Room" with the Toronto MC professing, "I hate that you don't think I belong to you/Just too busy runnin' s**t to run home to you." Then, like in the first song, the second half of the beat turns up and Drizzy gets his A$AP Rocky on in response, adding a screwed up voice to play his alter ego.(Photo: CFI/Splash News)
4 / 16
"Started From the Bottom" - Drake recounts his meteoric rise and the four year victory lap that's ensued with this song (and its flossed out video), cutting the haters off at the knees with, "Say I never struggled, wasn't hungry, yeah I got it n***a." Don't question his credibility. It's the album's lead single and one of the year's biggest hits.(Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Et
5 / 16
"Wu-Tang Forever" - Drake continues to show off his ability to effortlessly transition from singing to rapping while the snare tries to keep up and a touch of piano balances the pacing. "Nowadays when I ask about who got it, they say, 'It's yours,' nobody else's, yeah this s**t belong to nobody, 'It's yours.'"(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for ESPN)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 16
"Own It" - This cinematic continuation of "Wu-Tang Forever" starts with an ominous 3-D build. The concept of the song becomes apparent as a voice crescendos from subliminal to blatant, uttering, "Own it, own it, own it," to "Own that s**t, own that s**t," before Drake comes in with the hot 16.(Photo: PA PHOTOS/LANDOV)
7 / 16
"Worst Behavior" - Drake keeps coming harder as the album progresses and on this one the Young Mula prodigy is spitting venom at snakes who've got him on his worst behavior. "Muf***a never loved us, so everywhere we go now, full cup/ Always hated the boy, but now the boy is the man. Muf***a, I done grown up," he rhymes.(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
8 / 16
"From Time" Featuring Jhené Aiko - Drake gets extra personal on this track, which will have both kids and their parents vibin' to it. Just the right amount of piano and boom-kick give it that old school R&B feel. The 26-year-old kicks one of the more personal verses of his career, addressing the non-refundable price of fame and even touching on his resurgent relationship with his father, lamenting, "We been talking about the future and time that we wasted/When he put the bottle down, girl, that n***a's amazing."(Photos: Kevin Kane/WireImage/Getty Images; Rodrigo Vaz/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
9 / 16
"Hold On, We're Going Home" (featuring Majid Jordan) - Drake steps outside of his comfort zone and it pays off on this Euro-pop sounding track complete with an Annie Lennox-sounding voice (courtesy of production/vocal duo Majid Jordan) that could easily be a hit from the '80s. His own voice reaches new heights, singing, "I got my eyes on you, you're everything that I see/ I want your hot love and emotion, endlessly..."(Photo: BIGMEDIABOSS/Splash News; Courtesy of October's Very Own)
10 / 16
"Connect" - Relationship woes got Drake's mind working overtime as his Houston influence comes out in the form of a lean-induced voice echoing his thoughts. "She just wanna run over my feelings like she drinkin' and drivin' in an 18 wheeler," he spit. By the end, the "YOLO" rapper has taken a page out of Big Poppa's book, offering a detail-oriented account that plays out like an on-screen drama.(Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Bing)
ADVERTISEMENT