MOG Editorial Review

Canadian rapper Drake ruled the summer of 2010 with his highly anticipated debut album Thank Me Later. The debut established Drake as a hip-hop star who not only went bar for bar with the best in terms of lyricism, but also a crooner who blurred the ever-thinning line between Rap and R&B. Choosing not to tinker with a proven formula, Drake's sophomore effort Take Care picks up mostly were the first album left off, filling over fifteen tracks with down-tempo beats, emotion filled lyrics, and harmonies traditionally absent from mainstream hip-hop. Drake makes the occasional effort to stray from the cotton-soft groove he's most comfortable with on tracks like "Lord Knows," "Over My Dead Body," and "Headlines," but the fact that he managed to turn one of the most misogynistic booty shaking tracks in rap history into a ladies love jam ("Practice") proves where his heart lies. Not since LL Cool J has an emcee made such a persistent effort to cater to the female audience, and since the hyper-masculine "thug" image has grown beyond stale in hip-hop.... We're not sure Drake's direction is a bad thing.