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Drake "Room for Improvement" Mixtape Review
by cerebral assassin
With Drake’s (AKA Aubrey Graham’s) first LP album being released soon I decided to take some time to review his mixtape collaboration with DJ Smallz from earlier this year. For those who don’t know, a mixtape is an underground rap CD that is mixed by DJs and contains underground songs from rappers who have not yet reached the mainstream. You can purchase Drake’s mixtape: “Room for Improvement” here. And don’t forget to stop by his Myspace, where you can hear a couple songs from “Room for Improvement” and even download his brand new song “Closer To My Dreams.” Well, with that out of the way, onto the review.
I’m going to start off by saying that if anyone doubted it, Aubrey can definitely rap. His rap style has an old school hip hop feel to it, with a modern twist and Jay-Z like New York influence. His voice is 
on par with any other rapper today, and his flow is smooth. Lyrically his style has a sometimes humorous, yet very “real” style.
The mixtape itself is professionally produced and has a very dirty south sound to it, most likely due to being mixed by DJ Smallz, who is from Florida. The album has everything from slow love songs like “Special,” “Bad Meaning Good,” and “Come Winter” to dance style hip hop like “Do What You Do,” “Extra Special,” and “City is Mine” where he gives props to his home town Toronto. It also contains a remix of Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick Push,” where Drake drops a verse. Drake even goes so far as to venture into the realm of gangsta rap with the cut “AM 2 PM.” Here’s a taste of the lyrics:
“It ain’t as easy as it looks, we gonna do some shit
You cut us a check, and we gonna do some hits
I
f you show us respect, then we’ll say you legit
This is the life I lead from AM 2 PM
I’m trying to get the cash, then watch how tall it grow
As soon as we get the ass, we start callin em ho’s
The concept you don’t grasp, I’m guessing you too old
This is the life I lead from AM 2 PM”
Don’t worry about Aubrey’s street cred either, he’s definitely trying to separate his acting persona from his Drake persona. While he does have a few love songs he doesn’t hesitate to go hardcore evident in the following quote from the song “Extra Special:”
“Look hard or be thankful cause the women have plenty of love
When it come to relationships many are stuck
Look at 50 you make love, 30 you have sex,
Some where around it tends the age of 20 you fuck
Or maybe before, I hear waiting to score is long gone
Like brothers having a tape in they car
Instead these girls taking it raw
Now, they tell you to do whatever you want cause it's safe to explore”
Really, I would recommend the mixtape to any hip hop fan; it contains a lot of range and variety as far as the style. If you’re a Degrassi fan expecting to hear Jimmy Brooks rapping, you will be very surprised and disappointed, this is a totally serious rap album and he is definitely not trying to piggyback of the Degrassi fame.
The above article was published by dTNGHO, please credit if cited or used. Pictures used from thisisdrake.com
author contact info: lordlitwicki@msn.com
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