Sounds

REVIEW: Drake, Scorpion

by Darcy MacDonald

It’s tempting to label Drake’s 25-track double-album “ambitious,” but truthfully, he’s been the single hardest-working artist in hip hop for a considerable, hit-laden stretch of time.

Drake, Scorpion (Republic)
It’s tempting to label Drake’s 25-track double-album “ambitious,” but truthfully, he’s been the single hardest-working artist in hip hop for a considerable, hit-laden stretch of time. No sooner do we stop referring to his last record as his “new” record, another drops. And yet somehow, not only does he not overstay his welcome, he manages to extend it with each outing. So okay, not all of this is great, but the sum of it is pretty damn slick, especially considering Drake is the poster child for a generation said to have buried the idea of full albums mattering. He has matured well past the wet-behind-the-ears try-hardism of his earliest efforts, found a balance since becoming one of the world’s biggest pop stars, and has fully claimed the easy confidence he could once only boast about. Rap fans and critics can no longer deny Drake. And he is well past caring, anyway. 7/10 Trial Track: “Is There More” (Darcy MacDonald)

Posted in Sounds

by Darcy MacDonald

Contributor
Darcy MacDonald has been with Cult MTL since day one, a decade ago. Which means today, he’s a middle-aged white guy (albeit one more interested in other people’s ideas than in his own). He was previously a columnist and reporter for Montreal Mirror, and has also created content (FKA “written”) for RBMA, Noisey, Montreal Gazette, The National Post and probably some other great places he’s forgotten about. Music, culture, community and miscellaneous questions in search of answers all come across his desk, sooner or later.