Drake is personally one of my favorite rappers and has a voice I could listen to all day, and I was quite excited to see what he had to say this time around on his new mixtape “Dark Lane Demo Tapes”. Let’s take it track by track and break it down.
1. Deep Pockets
What a fantastic intro song! Lyrics on point, production is stellar, it’s great! Flow is nothing special from Drake, but that doesn’t mean that’s a bad thing. The beat and his voice truly feel like one here, and there are a lot of sick quotable lines such as “They turn they back on everything we built, then they must bleed, I’ve seen splatter hit the snow when the blood freeze”. Great way to start off any project.
2. When To Say When
Another great track at the beginning of the tape, this beat is probably the best on the project. Much like the intro track “Deep Pockets”, the song doesn’t push many boundaries for Drake, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable. This song has lots of replay ability and Drake was definitely in the pocket here.
3. Chicago Freestyle (feat. Giveon)
My personal favorite track on this project, “Chicago Freestyle” is a dark emotional look deep into Drake’s love life and his emotional state. Giveon’s voice provides for a beautiful hook, and Drake’s flip on Eminem’s flow is awesome. The beat is simple yet haunting. Fantastic track.
4. Not You Too (feat. Chris Brown)
One of the weaker cuts here, as nothing incredibly special or new happens and Chris Brown’s ability is not showcased at all. The beat is simple, with a nice generic RnB drum loop. Other than that, there isn’t much to enjoy here.
5. Toosie Slide
The next three tracks are more melodically heavy, and this one is easily the worst of the bunch. Although I enjoyed it on first listen, it’s generic beat and lackluster writing provide for a stale song that needs a lot of work.
6. Desires (feat. Future)
“Desires” is definitely better than the last two tracks, but it definitely isn’t perfect. My main complaint is that I wish Future contributed more to the song, considering this is his bag. The melodies are quite addictive though, and the track itself is fun but I don’t think it’s going to age well overtime.
7. Time Flies
A personal favorite of mine, “Time Flies” mixes great melodies with fantastic and light production that doesn’t overtake Drake’s softer delivery. The writing is considerably better here compared to “Toosie Slide” and “Desires” in my opinion, and Drake really shows off his hit-making talent here.
8. Landed
Definitely a throwaway track, Landed is a lifeless lackluster song that doesn’t capitalize riding off the back of “Time Flies”. Drake’s delivery, the instrumental and the lyrics here all feel empty. I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this one anytime soon.
9. D4L (feat. Future & Young Thug)
“D4L” is a mid track for me. I think the instrumental is incredible. The strings in the background sound stellar and fit the style of Thugger and Future perfectly. I do have a few complaints though. The first may be nit picky, but Drake, Young Thug and Future are not rapping at the same volume. This creates awkward transitions between their verses. Also, none of these guys say absolutely anything here, but the beat definitely kept me interested all on it’s own. Overall, I’m indifferent towards this one.
10. Pain 1993 (feat. Playboi Carti)
Not much to say here except this, everything about this track is great until Carti’s verse starts. Drake’s flow over the soft beat is fantastic. But once it reaches Carti, his intolerable baby voice and off-beat flow ruin the track for me. I was quite looking forward to this one, but it unfortunately let me down.
11. Losses
“Losses” is one of the stronger cuts here, and Drake really flows perfectly over this hard beat. This one has lots of quotable lines too. “I was wishing on a star when I was that” is a great line from this track. He definitely spit some bars, but nothing we haven’t really heard from him before.
12. From Florida With Love
Another personal favorite of mine, “From Florida With Love” is a smooth banger that is different enough that it stands out on this project. The instrumental is new and fresh, but doesn’t stray too for away from what we would expect from Drake. The change of inflections in Drake’s voice give this track some personality, and I love it!
13. Demons (feat. Fivio Foreign & Sosa Geek)
I don’t think I ever expected to hear Drake on a drill type beat like this, but since it’s the new wave it makes sense Drake would want to ride the hype. He kills it though! His flow perfectly matches the intensity of the instrumental, and it was nice to see guys like Fivio and Sosa land a feature from such a highly regarded artist. Definitely the biggest banger on this tape.
14. War
I don’t know why he put this track on the tape, especially at the end. The bland instrumental and the lack of lyrical content provide for an awful song. Definitely not coming back to this one.
Conclusion
Although it’s incredibly messy, Drake’s new mixtape “Dark Lane Demo Tapes” is an introspective look at where Drake is at mentally right now, and I think it’s a decent project. He doesn’t do anything too special, but he provides enough material that there are some tracks I’ll definitely be returning to. It’s not perfect whatsoever, especially in the features area, but it was nice to once again hear from the 6 God himself.
Health Points Music 