Posted April 11, 2017

By HANYA ALKHAMIS

On March 18, 2017, Drake released his latest musical project, which he himself describes as a playlist. Personally, I believe that “More Life” is a musical project that points towards significant growth on Drake’s part, both professionally and musically. I have been a big fan of Drake from the beginning of his career, and it is welcome to find that he is starting to mature as a musician and as an artist.

I recall that in his first albums, there was not a lot of musical experimentation with different rhythms and beats. Rather, he would deliver a consistent list of songs with two or three that stood out above the rest for their powerful lyrics.

Two prominent examples that come to mind, are “Hotline Bling” and “One Dance” (both of the songs included in the album Views, which was released on April 29, 2016).

Following this line of thought, it was an interesting and, intriguing experience to listen to More Life in its entirety. I remember that when I first got my hands on the album I wondered who the man on the cover was. Surprised to then know it was Drake’s father. I was also intrigued by the subtitle that was below the picture and read: “A Playlist By October Firm.”

It is a collaboration between Drake and Ovo co-founder Oliver El-Khatib, the firm was credited in the album’s subtitle.  As I started to listen to the songs, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Drake was not just rapping. This is not to say that I like the songs in which he does rap, but it is to say that there are times in which the rapping can get weird and difficult for the average listener to relate to. I found that I could relate to this album in its entirety. I liked it very much.

According to Drake, it was his intention to create a playlist that could serve as a companion to people’s lives. In his own words, this was meant to be the soundtrack to people’s lives. I can agree, at least to some extent, with this assessment.

For example, “Fake Love” is a song that talks about people who are hypocrites, who are fake with you, pretending they like you when in reality they envy you and want to do you harm. I believe this is something that all of us can relate to at one point or another of our lives.

Likewise, “Two Birds, One Stone” is a song that in my opinion talks about life, about experiencing hardship and overcoming it, and once we finally get to enjoy success being able to stay true to who we are and value what really matters.

I found the first verses of the song to be very powerful and touching: “More time with family and friends, more life, more time to get it right.”

Overall, this is an album in which I believe that Drake engaged in some significant soul searching. He was trying to find himself, to figure out who he is as a person, as a musician, and as an artist.

All songs in the album have to do with recognizing who you are, with appreciating what matters most in life and being authentic with those around you. This is reflected in the title of the album, “More Life,” making reference to making the most of the life we have.

The album will appeal to a wide audience, largely because each track is different and they are all catchy (albeit in different ways). The album benefits greatly from the collaborations with different artists such as Giggs (“No Long Talk”), Black Coffee and Jorja Smith (“Get It Together”), Kanye West (“Glow”), and 2 Chainz and Young Thug (“Sacrifices”).

As for me, I would have to say that I liked all of the songs, but my favorite by far was “Blem.” I would definitely recommend this album to anyone I know. I can only hope that towards the future Drake will continue to mature as a musician and that this maturity will be reflected in his music.

• Title: “More Life”
• Artist: Drake
• Genre: HipHop, R&B, dance hall; genre of Jamaican popular music.
• Label: OVO, Young Money .Cash Money. Republic
• Release date: March 18, 2017
• Price to download: Download to ITunes, $12.99.
• Content for Adults: Ages 18 and above.
• List of other artist in album and special features: Black Coffee and Jorja Smith, Sampha,. Quavo and Travis Scott, 2, Chainz and Young Thug, Giggs, Kenye West and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
• Rating of the album: 4/5