ALBUM REVIEW: DRAKE/ THANK ME LATER/ YOUNG MONEY/ CASH MONEY

For rapper Aubrey Graham a.k.a. Drake, the stakes have never been so high for a young upstart. Drake has had one of the most successful "Rookie" seasons the rap world has ever witnessed. Already being mentioned in the same breath as some of the greats--Drake's rap career is reaching LeBron James-type-proportions. In other words: The kid has to shoulder the burden of delivering nothing short of a classic or be dealt the criticism of being labeled as a "Fluke" or just "Pure hype". Not really a fair deal for a 23 year old, but when you're responsible for creating a Grammy-nominated-mixtape that has been called by fans and critics "a classic", the high expectations become inevitable. The much talked about, highly anticipated Thank Me Later is Drake's answer to the doubters that think his run on top will be shorter than Leprechauns. The album opens up with the appropriately titled-Alicia Keys--assisted "Fireworks", which covers a range of topics from his relationship with mentor Lil' Wayne, to his rumored romance with Rihanna, and dealing with fame. Drake raps the opening bars: "Money just changed everything/ I wonder how life without it would go...Lookin' down from the top and it's crowded below/ My fifteen minutes just started an hour ago..." The first half of the album features occuring themes of paranoia, fear, and doubt. Drake gives the listener the impression that his rocket success to the top is not deserving. The album seems to take a different course toward the middle part of the album as you can hear Drake's confidence grow, as he realizes that maybe his position is valid. "Over"--the album's Boi-1da-produced-first single is a celebration, and declaration as Drake takes a stand and says that his rise is "far from over". Whereas "Show Me A Good Time"-produced by Kanye West, is about leaving your troubles behind and enjoying life. The song, in a sense, is almost like an up-to-date version of the late Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall". Drake then calls up his "Bonnie" to his "Clyde" on the sinister "Up All Night", where Nicki Minaj and Drake stunt all over the dark beat, repping Young Money to the death. Nicki Minaj steals the show boasting: "I got that kinda money make a broke bitch bitter." Later adding "Which bitch you know made a million off a mixtape?" The celebration continues as T.I. and Swizz Beatz join in on "Fancy". A ode to the opposite sex who take pride in their appearance and being independent women. Drake cleverly says "Long as (his women) got a lil' class like half days, and the confidence to overlook his past ways" The album reaches its peak on the much talked-about -Jay-Z-collab-"Light Up". Drizzy and Hov drop gems over the Tone Mason and 40 track, but while Drake does shine on the song("I gross higher than these fuckin' grown man lyers/ Storytellers and they didn't even need a camp fire") he still takes a back seat to Jay's worldly wordplay. Jay plays elder statesman and gives Young Angel advice about the ills of the industry and all the hate it brings, ending his verse with: "Fuck niggas, bitches too/ All I got is this money, this'll do." The Lil Wayne-pre prison-farewell track "Miss Me" is vintage Young Angel and Young Lion rapping retarded bars over the up-tempo beat. The only problems that can be found in TML is some will grow tired of hearing Drake's lazy flow. Drake voice remains the same throughout album, to the point where it's like Drake is talking over the beat instead of rapping over it, and while Drizzy Drake does hold a nicer tune than most his peers who venture out into the realm of singing, sometimes you forget if you're listening to a rap album or an R&B album. Tracks like "Karaoke" and "Find Your Love" has Drake in full R&B singer mode. Those tracks are good, but you still would rather listen to Drake rap on a track instead of singing on the entire song Another downer is the overloaded guest list. Yes, the album features some of today's music elite, but out of 14 tracks, Drake only has the mic alone on half of the remaining songs. Though this debut album probably won't be the illMATIC that most expected from Drake, it still is a solid effort from a kid from Toronto who had dreams of making it big as a rapper, and now that his dream has materialized, I think it's better to not thank him later, but thank him now. I rate this 3.5/5