Listen, guys. Three guys from Tennessee are going to tell you what you should, or shouldn't, listen to, read, or see. You should pay attention.

One of the biggest drawbacks that I have when reviewing a hip-hop or rap record is my lack of knowledge about the current state of the industry. In high school, I could tell you when there was a cross-over or a beef between two rap groups or performers from UTFO to Whodini to LL Cool J. The “game”, as it were, has changed so much from those leaner years, and we are now in the arena where artists take a grass roots approach to creating a buzz. As I now understand, Drake is a prime example of this approach, developing a buzz with a “mixtape” made available on his website, and eventually landing a $2 million signing deal with a major label. Despite being able to read about this at any number of websites, there is one thing that I do know: “So Far Gone (Mixtape)” is a good album.
The copy of the album in my possession is seventeen songs, and I am not reviewing the EP released later as “So Far Gone”. There have been many comparisons between this album and Kanye West’s “808’s and Heartbreak”. While I see the comparisons, this album comes with a level of honesty and believability that any Kanye West record can never achieve. The problem with West’s “808’s” was that his ego is as much a part of his persona as his talent. Frankly, I didn’t believe that West could be honest about his feelings about fame and love when he seems to go out of his way to tell us about how awesome he is by being so obnoxious. This is where Drake’s album is an absolute triumph. I believe him when he wants to give me the impression of him as a young man on the precipice of success. In “Successful”, which musically, is set up to be a by-the-numbers rap song about how much money one has, Drake shows concern over perception: “Damn. my reality just set in, And even when the Phantom's leased them hoes wanna get in.” He goes on further to provide real regret over decisions made to put his career over his personal life: “Back when I was tryin’ to put a ring on Alicia’s hand, this lost boy got fly without peter pan, and my delivery just got me buzzin’ like the pizza man.”
The hit on the record is, of course, “The Best I Ever Had”. It’s a great rap song and hook, and is probably the best of the year. The strength in the record, however, continues to lie in the yearning that it creates in the listener to delve into Drake’s head. When he discussed this mixtape in an interview, he remarked that it originated from a discussion with a friend about how they treat women. Nowhere is this more insightful than on “Houstatlantavegas”, a remarkable track where Drake reflects on the life of an exotic dancer, who needs to escape the cycle of living through the three cities in the title in order to make a living: “And she live in a mindset that I could never move to, until you find yourself, it's impossible to lose you.”