New Music
The release of Drake’s singles “Hold On We’re Going Home” and “Started From the Bottom” earlier in the year offered a preview of what to expect, and now that it’s here, “Nothing Was the Same” doesn’t disappoint. The album, which was set to be released Sept. 24, leaked online several days early and was met with rave reviews. From start to finish, the album is purely Drake, with smooth vocals as well as rap verses interlaced throughout, creating a brooding, honest, dark R&B and rap album that tugs at listeners’ emotions.
Drake opens the album with a six-minute song, “Tuscan Leather,” in which he openly admits: “This is nothin’ for the radio/ but they’ll still play it though/ Cause it’s the new Drizzy Drake/that’s just the way it go.”
Drake is confident and happy with who he has become over the years, and the album reflects that with lines like “My life’s a completed checklist” and “You know it’s real when you are who you think you are.” However, the fame he has garnered also has a dark side, and he is conscious of it and addresses it throughout the album.
After acknowledging that the songs on the album were not written to translate to the radio and mainstream, the album continues to boast insight into his life, family, and laments in loneliness throughout.
Drake may have limited the number of guests on his album, but he saved room for Jay Z on the track “Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2.” Drake opens the song reflecting on how he was treated in high school, and considers how things have changed for him: “My high school reunion might be worth an appearance / Make everybody have to go through security clearance / Tables turn, bridges burn, you live and learn.”
To go along with the new album, Drake also revealed the video for the second single, “Hold On We’re Going Home,” on his Vimeo account Sept. 24. It’s not your typical music video either, and boasts a movie-esque feel, depicting Drake on a rescue mission alongside A$AP Rocky, determined to save his lady after she was snatched from his house at the beginning of the video.
Drake will be heading out on the album-supporting tour beginning on Oct. 18 in Pittsburgh, Pa., at the Consol Energy Center, and will continue on to over 25 arenas through December. The tour will feature Miguel and Future as openers throughout the three-month trek, which is set to come to a close in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Dec. 16.
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