Review Summary: A great mixtape, and a promising start to a good rapper's career
Drake is one of the most successful rappers right now (not that it makes him better), and the rap game has been good to him. With 1 Grammy won, and 2 MTV VMA's won by him, Drake is enjoying quite a bit of critical acclaim (not to mention rave reviews by publications). There's also the Degrassi days, but no one wants to remember wheelchair Jimmy.
From 2007-2009, Drake was releasing mixtapes and creating hype for himself. These mixtapes, notably Room For Improvement, showed a young rapper with promise, trying (and succeeding) to prove himself. Drake was getting co-signs and features from artists like Lil' Wayne and Bun B, and in turn, had a big buzz for himself. After years of hype, Drake released his first true mixtape (in some ways), So Far Gone. This mixtape is what got Drake known in the hip hop community, and earned him some acclaim, and some criticisms too. This mixtape was a game changer in ways, because it fused R&B and hip hop, and had an even amount of both.
This mixtape fuses a nice amount of good rapping, with good singing, as Drake is a good singer, and a good rapper at the same time. In addition to that, Drake has a pretty good ear for beats, and it shows here. Even though some of these beats aren't new, Drake adds a nice, unique sound to them. For example on "Say What's Real", the original beat was from a Kanye West song ("Say You Will"), which was actually an autotune croon song. Drake used the exact same instrumental and actually rapped over it, and made it actually sound better than the original. An even bigger example of this is on "Ignant S**t", where Drake takes a flip of a Jay Z song (you read that right, Jay Z) originally on American Gangster ("Ignorant S**t"), where Jay Z and Beanie Sigel were rapping extremely well. Drake manages to make a song on par with that version whilst rapping with Lil' Wayne, and both rappers sound comfortable over this beat.
For the original material, it sounds great as well, and the guest spots mesh well with the host. One of the highlights is "Uptown", which features Bun B and Lil' Wayne. No one on this song raps incredibly, but the three people on this song sound comfortable and laid-back, which is great. The verses, on top of a great beat by Boi-1da, makes for a great song, and an instant classic. Another highlight is "November 18th", which shows how much Drake is influenced by Houston hip hop (which Drake says as well). This song has Drake singing his lyrics, which sound like normal Drake verses, but the way Drake delivers them is great. The beat here is slowed down, and is reminiscent of something Bun B would do, as it's chopped and screwed.
Overall, So Far Gone is a great mixtape, and Drake's best project thus far. This mixtape shows Drake's versatility as an artist, and how talented he is as a singer and a rapper. Definitely listen to this if you're a Drake fan, but chances are if you're a Drake fan, you have heard this.
Ratings:
1. Lust for Life: 4/5
2. Houstatlantavegas: 4.5/5
3. Successful (feat. Trey Songz and Lil' Wayne): 4.5/5
4. Let's Call it Off (feat. Peter Bjorn and John): 3.5/5
5. November 18th: 4.5/5
6. Ignant Shit (feat. Lil' Wayne): 5/5
7. A Night Off (feat. Lloyd): 4/5
8. Say What's Real: 4.5/5
9. Little Bit (feat. Lykke Li): 3.5/5
10. Best I Ever Had: 4/5
11. Unstoppable (Remix) (feat. Santigold and Lil' Wayne): 3.5/5
12. Uptown (feat. Bun B and Lil' Wayne): 5/5
13. Sooner Than Later: 4/5
14. Bria's Interlude (feat. Omarion): 4/5
15. The Calm: 4/5
16. Outro
17. Brand New: 4/5
Best songs:
Uptown
Ignant Shit
Say What's Real
Houstatlantavegas
November 18th
Weakest song: Sooner Than Later
Production: 8.8/10
Lyrics: 8.3/10
Overall rating: 86/100
Grade: B
