In his self-penned note on Apple Music’s album page, Drake reflects, saying “More time with family and friends. More Life. I’ve still got vibrations to send. More Life.” The sentiment is short but powerful. “More Life,” a Jamaican saying that essentially means to be well is the thesis of Drake’s tour de force on his conquest for global domination.
For one, it’s silly to follow his approach that this project is a “playlist” instead of an album. Clocking in at around 81 minutes, it would be more appropriate to label it a double album. The intent does not go unnoticed though. After mediocre critical reception to what was supposed to be his magnum opus in “Views,” Drake needed less critical expectations and more breathing room to deliver “More Life.”
Deliver he did, as the album/playlist is the best body of work he’s released since 2011’s “Take Care,” give or take the concise but not extraordinary “Nothing Was the Same.” Drawing from major aspects of commercial hip-hop in the U.S. and popular black genres in grime, afro-pop and dancehall, “More Life” becomes a sprawling take on present day urban sonics.
Somehow, the album finds a way to be his most experimental album sonically, while sticking to lyrical themes associated with his music. That balance is something critics and fans expected on “Views,” instead he reached and failed sonically while providing bland song concepts.
One thing “More Life” does continue on from its predecessor is the candid paranoia that has existed in his tone for the past few years. At the proverbial top of the hip-hop game and one of the biggest artists in the world, Drake has shifted through rap beefs, failed relationships and questions on his artistry.
The result of those tribulations has made him a more callous lyricist, ready to go blow for blow with anyone who dares cross him. That animosity manifests itself immediately, with the intro “Free Smoke” being a threat to air out any grievances, hence the smoke.
When Drake isn’t laying competitors to waste and make no mistake, some of Drake’s most vicious and effective bars are on display throughout the album, he’s serenading in the most “Drake” way possible.
Coming to grips with his status as both rapper and pop/R&B star, half of the album is layered in island-inspired melodies, dancehall club tracks and fun pop tunes that straddle the perfect balance between inspiration and proper representation.
Formerly accused of ripping other art forms, mainly dance-hall and afro-pop, Drake is more at ease with those styles of music this go around, which makes for natural song concepts that come out extremely well.
What “More Life” represents is Drake’s current psyche. As annoying as it is that Drake can’t find anything else to talk about other than himself, he makes it more interesting than anyone else right now. Instead of attacking political institutions and the world around him, Drake insists on more life as a mantra, employing it to all his devoted listeners.
As his career progresses, Drake is at an interesting crossroads. If “More Life” is his first real step into global domination, he couldn’t have created a better soundtrack.
