You realize what obtained misplaced in all of the noise surrounding Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s battle of wits final yr? That Kendrick admitted he really likes Drake — when Drake is definitely being Drake. The out-of-character model that has gotten progressively paranoid and delusional since 2018’s Scorpion isn’t any enjoyable; Kenny is only one of many who wished to see him return to the lighthearted man from Extra Lifedelivering upbeat bops for nights out with the mandem, on the prowl for some unhealthy tings to spend time with.
Drake’s newest single, “Which One?” that includes Central Cee, is a giant step in the proper route. Dropping the mobster pretensions and wounded incel-isms of his previous few tasks, Drake as a substitute adopts the Afroswing embraced by English adherents like J Hus (and himself, again in 2017 — assume “Passionfruit” or “Blem”) to relate a membership walkthrough with one in all London’s rising stars, as they select baddies (or “peng gyals,” if you happen to’re feeling notably British) for dialog, dancing, and perhaps even a shared Uber house. Being in Britain appears to have performed wonders for Drake, questionable statements evaluating the standard of rap on both finish of the Pond apart.
That is the Drake most of us loved essentially the most — emphasis on “most of us” — the model of Aubrey that bought all these information and had a loss of life grip on the tradition, earlier than getting his ass handed to him by Pusha T. Maybe, as a substitute of doubling down on the persona that obtained him in all this hassle to start with, he ought to stick with it.