Drizzy Drake is back, baby.
Dropping an uncharacteristic mixtape for a rapper of his status, Aubrey Graham, aka Drake, put the quarantined world on notice and established that he is still at the peak of pop culture and music.
Dark Lane Demo Tapes is an unorganized, even choppy collective of music, but it works. Whether it is Drake’s effortless flowing, his dark lyrics or the features by high profile artists like Future, Chris Brown, Young Thug and Playboi Carti, Drake makes this mixtape sound as professional as any studio album.
Of course, this is not a studio album, since Drake admits certain songs were leaked on SoundCloud, but many fans were still enthusiastic about the release. This unique factor allows Drake’s most recent work to stand out. The artist actually delivered songs his fans have been asking for for years, such as “Pain 1993,” a melodic track featuring rap star Playboi Carti.
Future, a frequent Drake collaborator, teamed up with Aubrey and Young Thug to bring listeners “D4L,” a fast paced track where the three trap stars shout out their respective labels while flexing their expensive bandanas and clothing items. Drake’s representation, October’s Very Own and Future’s A1 were both spoken about frequently on “D4L”. “D4L” was the peak of the album in my opinion, bringing slight lyricism blended with the best flow by far on the mixtape.
Drake went solo on the track “Time Flies,” a song perfect for late night listens with a catchy beat and light rhymes. “Time Flies” is a good track for someone just trying to get into Drake as an artist, as it displays the musician’s catchy style in a casual song. “Time Flies” is a solid representation of the entire album as it is informal, but still very solid and has good appeal to a large group of people.
Conversely, “Chicago Freestyle” hits hard for Drake fans who enjoyed his studio album Take Care, with depressing bars exploring Drake’s experiences with women and featuring a dark verse by Giveon. Naturally, Drake raps on how people attempt to take advantage of his fame and money. The artist also gives a small look into how he deals with such a high profile. Overall, for a short, unorganized look into Drake in his current state as an artist, Dark Lane Demo Tapes did the job, tying fans over until Drake’s next studio album, anticipated for release in July.