Avg Rating: 
4.8 ( 67 total votes )
Drake may be new to you, but he’s no stranger to success. A rapper turned singer turned actor who’s been a force in his native Canada for years, Drake is finally bringing his introspective swagger to the U.S. He’s starting his campaign for stateside success with So Far Gone, a mixtape that could easily pass for an album for most musicians (what I like to call a mixalbum). So Far Gone is a meditative blend of hip-hop and soulful R&B that’s reminiscent of 808s & Heartbreak’s electronic brooding over love lost and sought after. If … ...Read the full album review
Fans can also check out Drake's previous albums: Drake - Take Care | Drake - Thank Me Later
DJBooth Album Review
Drake may be new to you, but he’s no stranger to success. A rapper turned singer turned actor who’s been a force in his native Canada for years, Drake is finally bringing his introspective swagger to the U.S. He’s starting his campaign for stateside success with So Far Gone, a mixtape that could easily pass for an album for most musicians (what I like to call a mixalbum). So Far Gone is a meditative blend of hip-hop and soulful R&B that’s reminiscent of 808s & Heartbreak’s electronic brooding over love lost and sought after. If you’re looking for an unadulterated party you may want to give T-Pain a call (believe me, he’s down to party), but if you want to watch an artist in the process of channeling his considerable talent into a concentrated vision, So Far Gone is a good place to start. Hey, DJBooth doesn’t give out awards to just anybody.
For most of the DJBooth family it was Say What’s Real that convinced them to give Drake his hard-earned respect as a rapper. Over Kanye’s cathedral worthy beat from Say You Will, Drake spins the tale of a young artist who’s given so much to his fans, groupies and entourage that he has nothing left over for himself: “Before they told me to do me/don’t listen to anyone that knew me/cause to have known me would mean that there’s a new me/if you think I’ve changed in the slightest could have fooled me.” Drake’s appropriately following the “backpacker with an ego” blueprint laid out by Mr. West, and he does so with a fearless lyricism that’s impressive. That’s not to say that Drake is all lyrics and no delivery, the man can swagger when the time’s right, like on Unstoppable, a fast flowing track featuring a eclectic chorus from Santogold (the girl from Brooklyn Go Hard) and Weezy F. Baby, who’s in “Mr. Out Of His F**king Mind” mode. Unstoppable’s a welcome reprieve of lightness in an album that at times sounds like a musical therapy session, as is Uptown, a quickly riding cut that has Bun B dropping by for a dope verse (does the man ever miss?). Despite the “hip-hip is dead” hysterics emanating from some quarters, Drake is part of a new generation bringing hope to the art form’s future.
What really sets Drake above the huddled rapping masses yearning to be famous is the impressive range of his talents. Now he’s not exactly the second coming of Slim, but unlike some other crossover artists, he can actually sing…without robotic assistance (oh, I’m sorry Kanye. I didn’t see you standing there). Drake’s potential as a serious crooner is on full display with Brand New, a slowly snapping track with shades of late 90’s R&B. Vocally, Drake opens Brand New with the smoothness of R. Kelly, if Kells was a little more interested in exploring the complexities of human relationships and a little less interested in midgets, kitchen sex and hiding in closets. If Brand New was the only Drake song you ever heard you’d think he was a pretty damn good singer, but personally I like the Omarion-assisted Bria’s Interlude better, if only because the bass line reminds me of Ginuwine’s My Pony (a.k.a. the song I’m trying to convince my girl to make our wedding song). Interlude’s production style make’s Drake’s voice sound distant, as if he were singing through the phone, embedding the track with a feeling of longing and lust. Then again, the best testament to his legitimacy as a singer is probably Night Off, another sparsely produced cut that has him going voice-to-voice with the perpetually happy Lloyd for a lock the doors and turn off the phone baby makin’ slow jam. Make no mistake about it - Drake can get down
As hard as I’ve tried not to go overboard with the Kanye comparisons, it’s been nearly impossible, especially considering that at times So Far Gone sounds like a remake of 808s & Heartbreak, a skilled remake, but a remake none the less. For all his originality Drake seems to still be finding his own voice, but he’s young, he’s got time. Artistically he’s already miles ahead of where most rappers are at any age, and if So Far Gone is any indication, his “Breakthrough Artist of 2009” status will be more than an award, it will be a prophecy.
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Member Reviews and Ratings
Average Member Rating: Total Ratings: 67
Showing 50 of 67 Ratings. See All Ratings
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 135 |
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 Drake goes hard on this for real! Reppin Toronto like no other :D
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| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 115 |
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Drakes been tha fav rapper for a while now...u should listen to his first mixtapes if u havnt already...
"Room for Improvement" and "Comeback Season" but all 3 are classics to me...~ |
| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 11633 |
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Drake completely solidified himself as an artist whose work must never go unheard in my book. This mixtape is better than 85% of the albums I've heard over the past few years.
Cannot wait to hear what a full-length sounds like... just hoping it doesn't take my good friends at Interscope a year to deliver. 
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| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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yea this album .. i mean mixtape is the best !!! 90% in my book better than most albums!!! i jus hope his LP is good im kinda scared that his LP will b nothin like this mixtape cuz of his bosses.....
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| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 433 |
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I believe that this is the best mixtape to come out of the industry in the past few years. "So Far Gone" is sometimes too deep for its own good, but with some upbeat songs in the mix it is imperfectly perfect.
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| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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Just great. Loved it. Best mixtape in awhile.
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| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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I advise anybody who is any body 2 go cop dis mixtape!! Drake is the future of hip-hop!!
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| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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This mixtape, jus like Comeback Season is a classic! Its better than 90% of rap albums that have came out in the past couple of years. If a few of the songs didnt leak b4 the mixtape wouldve came out, everybody would truely appreciate it. But as far as his album, im ready for it and one song in particular. Friends wit Money is supposed to have Wayne and somebody else on it...SO FAR GONE is still being played in my RIGHT NOW!!
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| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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Drake is amazing. Can't Overstate that.
Top 5 Picks 1. Uptown 2 Best I Ever Had 3. Ignant Shit 4. Unstoppable 5. Successful |
| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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Great mixtape!!! Loved it!!! Cant wait for his album!!!
Loved "Best I've Ever Had", "Sooner or Later", and "Successful", "Say Whats Real" and "Ignant shit". Dude is dope!!! |
| Posted on Feb 17, 2009 |
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THIS IS A DEFINITE CLASSIC!!!
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| Posted on Feb 18, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Crew  Total Ratings: 334 |
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I swear this is an Album!!! From beginning to end Classic :)
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| Posted on Feb 18, 2009 |
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drake should win a grammy or somethin his lyrics are outta this world
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| Posted on Feb 18, 2009 |
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Haven't heard a couple but I kno Drake... ClassiC
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| Posted on Feb 18, 2009 |
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I used to watch Drake on Degrassi The Next Generation and there were a few episodes where he would rap and I new if he would persue hip hop that he would be amazing becuase his rhymes are the best in the game and Drake knows how to get my head head moving up and down to his beats. As I am a Canadian I am pround to have such a great Rap artist in the game, hopefully he will bring some publicity to Canada becuase it is a truly a great country and we have lots of talent!!!!
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| Posted on Feb 19, 2009 |
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Well Drake Is A Rookie For Him Being The Best In Toronto He's Doing Good Proving What He Is To Everybody Too Of His Mixtapes Was Bangers In The Song With Rich Boy You Must Hate Money Nice Song He Deserves A Classic
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| Posted on Feb 19, 2009 |
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One Word, Perfection!
Drake is the best there is! |
| Posted on Feb 19, 2009 |
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I feel that this mixtape is the best of the year so far. I don't even have to give a second though to spending my hard earned money on this one!
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| Posted on Feb 19, 2009 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 2130 |
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Young Son’s “2 Cents…and then some” Album Review
Drake’s SO FAR GONE Cut the cheesy review introduction. Let’s cut right to the chase. Lust for Life opened up the CD. Drizzy laced the dreamy production with a lack-luster verse mixed with a some singing to serve beside that. It definitely had that “making a legend feel”. The introduction verse merged into was possible might be the best R&B Drake track ever. Houstonlantavegas was as eclectic and melodic as it’s title inquired. Drizzy continued exhibiting his singing ability over the melodic, trancey, new-age R&B production by Noah "40" Shebib. By the time the third verse rolls around, Drake delivers a hypnotic 16 and then some about a female affection. With a clever interpolation of the remix of R. Kelly's Bump N' Grind (most recently known for being sampled in Juvenile’s “Rodeo). Houstonlangtavegas obviously sums up as a “fantasy world” that this said chick is stuck in. Successful continues a trancey, production to get lost in, with an R&B candor overlapping it. Long time collaborator Trey Songz laces the songs hook and just about makes the most cliché topics in hip hop sounds fresh and new! Drake laces 2 and half verses about certain endeavors he encountered on his plight for success and the people who didn’t pay attention-a very common topic from Drizzy lately. Just when you thought the song was ending, awkwardly in the last 46 seconds, Weezy hops on with a non-autotune verse matching the subject matter perfectly, sounding simple, yet clever with the wordplay. The next track we move to “Let’s Call It Off”, a track that came in with a filtered bass rumble, resembling the introduction of Paramore’s “Crushcrushcrush”. Drake laced some alternative style vocals over the verses while Peter Bjorn holds down the hook, with the whole joint sounding sort of like a throwback Beatles joint. He laced a sing-songy rap verse with about a minute and a quarter left in the song. Once again, the topic was about encounters with a female and ending a relationship, hence “calling the whole thing off.” “November 18” comes in with an awkward southern production, with a subtle Biggie sample while Drake trades back and forth from regular vocals and screwed ones in honor of DJ Screw (R.I.P). Overall, it was a decent track, but lyrically low fat. It didn’t keep my attention at all. I would say it probably was one of the worst Drake tracks I had ever heard. Ignant S**t seemed like the real intro to the album as Drake returned to that epic flow he gained all his fans over. Over the classic Jay-Z instrumental, he served up the clever, cocky style flow that wasn’t the greatest, over-the-top bars, but better than most others. Weezy (with the squeaky/crackling natural voice on overkill) laced an excited, spastic verse. Overall, I felt it could have been way more epic lyrically than it was or even than how it was presented, but skilled verses nevertheless. “A Night Off” returns to the R&B vibe that the first 4 tracks heavily carried. Drake laces some 2nd voice tenor crooning over a slow-tempo production, with the reverb/clap back kick and snares resembling the kits from Ciara’s “Promise”. Lloyd, in a 1st voice tenor vocal candor blended well with Drake for this duet as they let a female know that they “know what to do to it”. What follows is undeniably one of the best and most epic Drake tracks ever. “Say What’s Real” is a near four minute freestyle over Kanye West’s “Say You Will” from the recently re leased “808s and Heartbreak” Pop Art album. Drake goes in with intense, confident flows touching on the topics of how he doesn’t need input from low-grade associates and depicts the awkward transition he’s made as an entertainer and artist in the past few years here and how quickly tables have turned, exposing the true colors of people who surround him. What does the outcome leave us with? Probably the realest “you know what” he’s ever wrote. “Little Bit” featuring Lykke Li was an abstract depiction within itself. This was probably my least favorite track on the album. “Best I’ve Ever Had” had a crazy ill production. It seemed like something Jay could definitely lace with Ne-Yo. This is definitely material if this mixtape was an album. Overall, it was a great mixtape. It was pretty much a different vibe from Drizzy and I’ll have to say this: I’ve been a fan since 2006. I’ve heard “Room for Improvement” and “Comeback Season”. I will say those mixtapes were better than this one for different reasons. This is awesome in it’s own right. I equate it with the feeling I have about Kanye West and 808s and Heartbreaks in comparison to College Dropout or Late Registration. It’s like, 808s comes in last on the list, but it’s awesome in it’s own right. All I am hoping is that Drake’s ALBUM, tentatively titled “Thank Me Later” will be a good balance of “Room for Improvement”, “Comeback Season” and “So Far Gone” Drake. We need that! The name’s Young Son and that’s my two cents…and then some. For real. BTW: The hottest track on the album is only on the CD Version. Congratulations! |
| Posted on Feb 19, 2009 |
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damn i love this album so much
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| Posted on Feb 19, 2009 |
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| Posted on Feb 20, 2009 |
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Gotta Add November 18 to the list. After a few listens it grew on me. Doesn't hurt that it's also my birthday date.
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| Posted on Feb 20, 2009 |
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| Posted on Feb 20, 2009 |
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My dued drake GO HARD!!! no homo
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| Posted on Feb 20, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Crew |
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Alright, alright, after seeing all the mind-blowing hype surrounding this tape I finally checked it out today. Sure, it could very easily pass up as an official studio album, but by no means does that mean it's a classic.
Drake's young and he's still finding his niche in hip-hop's diluted competition. The "808's & Heartbreak" inspirations were executed nicely, but I didn't hear any stylistic angles that I never heard before. Let's just say I not jumping on Drake's bandwagon just yet. |
| Posted on Feb 22, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 6 |
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Download the mixtape here
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ONW03OGZ |
| Posted on Feb 22, 2009 |
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I'm with JORDAN HUNG. If anything, this feels 808's over-inspired this mixtape to the point where I expect to hear bad singing and autotune on every track. But without the passion that would come from a breakup, or daring creativity.
I've never heard of this dude before, but I think all of the hype affected my perception. I mean, what's the big deal? I'm sure a real album would change my mind. |
| Posted on Feb 23, 2009 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 736 |
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drake is just crazy, good rnb singer, hard rapper, can't wait for his album to drop
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| Posted on Feb 24, 2009 |
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If i could give higher than a 5 on this i would. Hottest mixtape I've heard in a long time. Can't wait to see where this goes.
"Best I ever had" and "Ignorant Shit" go real hard |
| Posted on Feb 26, 2009 |
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| Posted on Feb 26, 2009 |
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yo drake is a @*#$! beast just wait lil wayne somebody mite take your spot Bris_ko
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| Posted on Mar 04, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
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im not a hater but this is hella over rated...
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| Posted on Mar 08, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 29 |
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mad good album. @*#$! haters
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| Posted on Mar 08, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 10 |
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Like everyone said above. Album is really good. Better than more than half the albums released today.
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| Posted on Mar 12, 2009 |
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love this CD!!
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| Posted on Mar 12, 2009 |
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ummmm.can someone tell mii of this is an album or a mixtape caz i swear if it was an album he would be getting a @*#$! grammy:D this dude is sooo sick." THE GAME NEEDS CHANGE AND IM THE THE @*#$! CASHIER." Drake has original and crazy lyrics and i believe will be the best rapper alive in the new era!
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| Posted on Mar 16, 2009 |
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give dat ni66a his tyme
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| Posted on Mar 20, 2009 |
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I LOVE DRAKE THIS DUDE GOES HARD!! HE'S GOING TO BE BIG IN A COUPLE YEARS THEN THE D*CK RIDERS WILL COME OUT THE WOOD WORK. KEEP DOIN YOU BOO YOUR TIME WILL COME, LOVING YOUR STYLE!
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| Posted on Mar 27, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 15 |
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the iPod hasn't left this tracklist in a MINUTE. drizzy drake is the future of hip-hop. if this is a mixtape, then his album is gonna have MONSTER status! keep doin yo thing driz
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| Posted on Mar 30, 2009 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 365 |
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I gotta say, when I saw Drake put out the mixtape I was real excited..I played thru it a few times, immediately loved "Best I ever had" and "Uptown" but wasn't sure on the rest at first..keyword at first...then I realized that I felt like I was gettin somethin for every possible vibe I was in...and lyrically this dude is a genius such a sick flow and so damn versatile!! Its definately on, can't wait for the album
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| Posted on Apr 10, 2009 |
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super cool guy. One of the best
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| Posted on Apr 13, 2009 |
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Tastemaker  Total Ratings: 490 |
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Best mixtape I have ever heard in my entire life
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| Posted on Apr 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 29 |
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Had to drop a comment/rating as I didn't when this came out.
Definitely my favorite mixtape of all time. Not a single bad song on a mixtape? That's pretty rare to me... He has the ability to consistently flow, even over simple, under-produced tracks. The genre of this album has been called "Alternative Hip-Hop" but I think it's just Drake's ability to melt all the genres of hip hop, rap, and r&b into one smooth, sick blend. Drake is fire right now and he's just going to get better. Can't wait for the future of Drake!! (and to see him next Friday in Chicago) Classic! |
| Posted on May 07, 2009 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 2130 |
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Man...just reading back on my review, I feel so different about some of my comments. IMO, this is easily one of the greatest compositions of music EVER! It's classic. This makes me want to start the protest that Mixtapes should be eligible for Grammys under "Album of the Year" or they should add a "Mixtape of the Year" category. I don't think anyone except Drake himself will be able to top this project in 2009.
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| Posted on May 10, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 2 |
he becoming a hard hitter in dis game and you got respect is swagger square up
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| Posted on May 27, 2009 |
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lookin at the kid from that show i would never think that he could be this crazy ever thing he makes is a banger hes gunna be a legend
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| Posted on May 27, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
Drake is a freakkin beast
His favorite Song of all time in my Opinion has to be Congratulations because he rips the whole song into pieces in my Opinion he his the best rapper alive so sorry wayne but your colleague DRIZZY took the throne from underneath you. |
| Posted on Jun 13, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 45 |
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Drake is really deep .
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| Posted on Jun 24, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 24 |
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great album, reppin Canada.
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| Posted on Jun 30, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member  Total Ratings: 86 |
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The whole CD proves how much talent that my man has! Gone ahead DRIZZY!!!
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| Posted on Jul 10, 2009 |
Showing 50 of 67 Ratings. See All Ratings
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