My first impressions of Drake's fifth studio album, Scorpion

Scorpion is the latest album from Toronto rapper, Drake. With a double-disc album boasting 25 songs, very few features and plenty of samples Drake fans will find a lot to love in the rapper's fifth studio album.

A-side 

The A-side is comprised of 12 rap tracks. It opens with "Survival" which is a short track with Drake discussing the beef he has encountered during his career and how he dealt with all of them. A recurring line is "This is just a intro, let me not get ahead of myself"implying that more songs will further address this subject matter and that is basically what the rest of the tracks from A-side addresses. Drake doesn't shy away from hyping himself up and reminding everyone that he is the most successful in the industry at the moment. This particular subject matter is not anything new that we've heard from Drake. While some bars are really good I do wish we could have gotten a bit deeper than just hearing about how he started from the bottom and that even though he is light skinned he is in fact black. That being said the beats are solid and you can't help but nod your head to them. 

A stand out song is "Emotionless" which includes a sample of Mariah Carey singing her song "Emotions" live. Drake includes this sample throughout the song while he raps over it. This track sees Drake questioning people in the world and who he trusts. It's one of the more vulnerable tracks on the A-side. Drake also confirms he has a son with the line "I wasn't hidin my kid from the world I was hidin the world from my kid". "Is There More" shows a more introspective side of Drake as he contemplates his life. 

B-Side

This side is the more R&B style of Drake and comprises of 13 tracks. This is Drake at his best- vulnerable and emotional. He tackles unrequited love,relationship issues, his son and even female empowerment. The rapper's strong point has always been pouring his heart out in R&B ballads and with 13 solid tracks of him doing just that the B-side of Scorpion is a hit. There are some weaker songs such as "Ratchet Happy Birthday" and "Blue Tint". These songs aren't bad but they are quite forgetful compared to the other songs on the album.

Stand out songs are "Don't Matter To Me"and "After Dark". "Don't Matter To Me" features the late Michael Jackson and is the main reason why I enjoyed this song as much. It's the most pop sounding song on the album and definitely won't sound out of place on the radio. While not Drake's strongest performance it's great to hear the King of Pop on a track again. "After Dark" has a beat that sounds straight from the early 2000s. Ty Dolla Sign is the star of this song and his verse shows a tone to his voice that I haven't heard before. The "After Dark" sung after each line in the chorus is a bit obnoxious but other than that it's a great addition to the album. 

When Pusha T revealed to the world that Drake has a child through the diss track "Age of Adidon" the Canadian artist could have retaliated immediately, instead he waited for this album to drop. However, Drake didn't hit back at Pusha T but rather made a track for and about his son in the form of "March 14th". This track is the most personal song on the album and he discusses his thoughts on becoming a parent and his own childhood. This is one of Drake's most honest songs.

When listening to this album in its entirety it may seem incredibly long but once you split it up you get to see two completely different sides of the rapper. The A-side he tries to show his hard side. It's the more business side of Drake but on the B-side we get to see the inner workings of Drake's thoughts and feelings. While this is not exactly groundbreaking or new territory for the Canadian, fans will appreciate and enjoy Scorpion. It is also shows Drake going back to his older sound after all those dancehall tracks. Scorpion does not disappoint and while it may not convert any haters to fans it's certainly pleasing for those who already love the rapper.

#Drake #Scorpion