Drake has released a lot of great music over the years, but one of his worst albums might be Scorpion. Though despite many claims, Drake stepped in to defend the zodiac based album on instagram. The colossal double album, which is divided into two halves and spans nearly an hour and a half, is the latest in a series of declines for the Toronto rapper, who has been pushed to the edge by a public feud with Pusha T and the revelation that he is the father of a child.
Amid this turbulent period, he put his career on hold and allowed himself to be demolished by Pusha T in a series of diss tracks and a blackface photo that was later exposed by Adidas. The saga, which culminated with the release of ‘The Story of Adidon’, exposed Drake’s weaknesses in both his writing and his personality, as well as his own ludicrous self-importance.
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There is no doubt that Drake‘s best work has come over the past decade, notably his debut ‘Thank Me Later’, which was a groundbreaking work that owed a debt to Kanye West, but it also revealed a rapper insecure in his own abilities and vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the world. It was the kind of emo-tinged pop rap that drew on Kanye’s influences but never quite matched his ability to craft radio hits.
After a few rough patches in his career, Drake hit his stride again and began to release more consistently good music. His last two albums, Take Care and Her Loss, were also some of the best of his career.
But in the aftermath of his most recent album, ‘Scorpion’, it seems like Drake is reverting to his old ways. The long-awaited follow-up to ‘Thank Me Later’ is a collection of familiar Drake songs – the kind he would have made in 2011, but which sound decidedly less fresh and relevant this time around.
On “Survival,” which kicks off the LP, he opens with a direct, unapologetic message about the state of his life: “All of this disorder, no addressin’ / The crown is broken in pieces, but there’s more in my possession.”
Was Scorpion his worst album?
That’s an odd way to open an album that stretches for over an hour and a half. Nevertheless, it’s a smart move that makes Scorpion stand out from other albums by Drake this year, even if it does feel as though the album is largely an exercise in solipsism.
It’s a sentiment that’s echoed throughout the entire album, and it’s not just in the title track. Other highlights include “Nice For What,” the standout track from ‘Take Care’ that features a sample from Ghostface Killah’s ‘808s & Heartbreak’, and the soulful, morphine-drip piano dirge of “Finesse.”
If there was ever any question whether or not Drake could make a good album, it was answered with this record. The rapper’s recent rocky relationship with Pusha T, and the revelation that he is the father to a child, have forced him to confront his own flaws head-on. That’s a brave act for an artist who has always been so self-obsessed and anxious, but it also feels like another step backward for the artist whose best moments are still ahead of him.
