More Life, Drake’s latest release, is technically a playlist rather than an album. Released March 18, this piece avoids the pressure that accompanies a serious “album,” as well as implications that it is a small or even insignificant mixtape.
The playlist features a multitude of established and emerging artists in the hip-hop scene, including Sampha, Young Thug and Kanye West.
While these features made songs entertaining and more complex, Drake’s own performance on the album pales in comparison. One can argue that More Life relies too heavily on the features to pull his weight, and Drake is ultimately overshadowed.
It almost seems like the best songs on the album, such as “Get it Together” and “4422,” are performed almost entirely by features. But some fans may argue that this was Drake’s intention, to recognize other artists’ talents using a nontraditional album format.
The size of the 22 track playlist is impressive, but its lack of creativity and innovation makes it a bit difficult to listen to all the way through.
The playlist features numerous memorable songs that are unfortunately buried by the sheer number of songs included on the album.
Drake also uses multiple accents and personas, which can be seen in songs like “Blem.” This makes his performance on the album feel inauthentic and even a bit strange. His use of Caribbean, British or Spanish style accents attempt to hide his Canadian roots in a way that feels awkward and a bit embarrassing to listen to.
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However, More Life feels surprisingly less commercial and more interesting than his previous album, Views, which isn’t saying much. While Views contained hits that yielded sales and success, its lack of cohesiveness and originality as an album deterred many from giving it more than one listen all the way through.
While More Life is hard to swallow all at once, the individual songs prove to be extremely catchy and enjoyable. Much like Views, More Life is reliant on specific hits that make the album worthwhile. Songs like “Passionfruit” contain undeniably captivating beats and rhythms that are impossible not to move to.
Drake created a playlist filled with great party songs that are fun to dance to, indisputably sexy and catered to a very specific setting. Much like a traditional pop album, many of the songs have beats and lyrics that get stuck in your head almost instantly.
While the album lacks a feeling of deeper meaning or authenticity, More Life is an overall fun listen.
