Worst to Best: Drake Albums (List)
Hello one & all,
Hope you and yours are doing well, drinking water and protecting your mental health. Sky Bento here on the check in and Big Bento Energy is in total effect like we always do at this time. Speaking of this time, now that Day Trill has brought Summer 2021 to a close, it’s officially Fall. But not just any Fall. This fall marks a decade of Drake as the incredible artist we know him to be. Of course he was bubbling up in 2009 and released his debut album in 2010, but 2011’s Take Care is where he really came into his own and hit his stride. So much so that most people consider that to be his best work. But is it? And where does his new project Certified Lover Boy fall into his discography? How has he evolved over the years? Find out all this and more on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z. Or just read the list below. Like always, we starting at the bottom.
Also, these are just MY opinions and do not reflect the views of TDN as a staff, brand or a m***********g crew. Feel free to crucify me on Twitter @plzsaythebento. Iight, let’s get to it.
14. Room For Improvement (2006)
Of course we starting with the early joints. Like most artists on their first project, Aubrey Graham hadn’t really become Drake and found his footing yet. He hadn’t yet become secure in his insecurities and that comes through in his flow and delivery. The cadence just isn’t there yet. This project definitely lives up to its title. But most importantly, the passion we would find in later projects just isn’t there. This is Drake in the gym shooting free throws trying to perfect his form, and that makes this admirable. It’s certainly interesting to go back to the blog era and hear where the biggest pop star on the planet got his start as a rapper.
13. Comeback Season (2007)
Iight, boom. So here the seeds have been planted. This was where Drake really began to put more emotion in his autobiographical lyrics, and tried to develop the ladies’ man archetype we know him to define today. This was when he met Trey Songz & more importantly future mentor Lil Wayne. “Replacement Girl” made Drake the first Canadian rapper featured on BET’s 106 & Park. “Closer (feat. Andreena Mills)” still feels just as warm as it did in 2007. “Must Hate Money” laid the foundation for the soul sample flavored records we’d hear Drake on later, and features a time machine of a Rich Boy verse (with a John Tucker Must Die reference that’s sooooo 2007). This was definitely the genesis of the Drake we’d get to know over the next decade.
12. Thank Me Later (2010)
This is the “look guys, I have famous friends now” type of debut album. Drake himself has admitted that this was him getting caught up in the hype and pressure of delivering on the heavy promises his co-signs had landed him. Fortunately, out of all of his earlier work, this might have the most memorable features. Young Jeezy surprisingly shows impressive chemistry with Drake over a classic Aaliyah sample on “Unforgettable”. Hov on “Light Up” was legendary. Wayne’s performance on “Miss Me” was electrifying. Nicki Minaj’s appearance on “Up All Night” is the greatest link up the two have ever had that didn’t also include Lil Wayne (that would be this). Unfortunately, the guest list does the heavy lifting. Drake still had his mixtape energy, and rather than continue to develop the sound that made him a star on So Far Gone before this, Drake was focused on becoming that star. The album feels like an introduction at a party and Drake showed up to shake every hand and kiss every baby. It left a good impression, but did not deliver us the next big thing like it felt it should.
11. Dark Lane Demo Tapes (2020)
With the COVID-19 pandemic, touring and public appearances became pretty hard to figure out. So Drake dropped some music he didn’t have to promote. Dark Lane Demo Tapes really sounds like just that, demo tapes. This is more practice for Drake. While at this point in his career rarely needs it, he still sounds relatively uninspired. Of course the Jay-Z & Eminem flips that resulted in the first video to the double single “When To Say When” & “Chicago Freestyle” are high points. Drake taking his UK obsession to New York with Fivio Foreign and Sosa Geek on “Demons” and “War” was novel upon first listen but quickly lost any sense of replay value compared to actual New York Drill. What saves this project is its length and its own adhesion to the sound that made Drake become Drake. The aesthetic is dark (duh) and gloomy, but Drake is still very much in victory lap mode. If Drake had gone back over these records with 40, and put a bit more passion and inspiration into his sessions we could’ve very well gotten the classic rap album Drake detractors have always cried for.
10. Scorpion (2018)
Nothing can take away from “God’s Plan”. Fresh off finally achieving the commercial success he’d been destined for with the next entry on our list (spoilers) Drake had finally achieved a #1 on Billboard on his own. Both it and “Nice For What” carried through the Spring until the album dropped and “In My Feelings” took over the Summer. The bounce music aesthetic and heavy Memphis inspiration really helped make this album more essential Drake than expected. That said it has the same issue as most Drake projects - it’s far too long. Thankfully, the accompanying complaint of being unfocused is somewhat mitigated by this being a double album split into a rap-leaning side A and an R&B style side B. But unlike the playlist style that More Life adopted, this footnote about the sequence hardly helps the album create its own identity. Most Drake albums feel like 10 rap songs and 10 singing songs of all different flavors anyway, The Kanye disses were incredibly topical in 2018 but do little to make the bars feel any different than regular Drake bars in retrospect. His “Sicko Mode” verse feels like a more scathing Kanye diss than anything on Scorpion, especially considering how big that record got. All in all, this was Drake inheriting the Summer with an album after he owned the Summer in 2016 with the album before. I mean, this record had a Michael Jackson (allegedly) collaboration on it and even that just came and went.
9. Views (2016)
Now we’re really getting into the meat of his discography. While not his best album by any merits, Views (formerly Views From The 6) was the beginning of real super-mega-popstar Drake. This was the record that showed just how powerful Drake’s versatility was as he dove into the worlds of dancehall and afrobeats. This record actually changed culture, moreso than almost any other album in his discography. But again what holds this back is its length and inconsistency. The length and variety felt like Drake was trying to recapture the magic of Take Care, but ended up just feeling like a little bit of everything. This is not inherently bad, especially since Drake had been on a real run in the two or three years prior. The talent on display is incredible, but let’s call this for what it is. Beyond the experimentation with the dancefloor, this was Drake trying to get that #1 spot again, and on a grander scale. For the most part he succeeded. But what he described as “the album going through the seasons of Toronto” was really an excuse to show off Drake’s own versatility and came off has a scattered way to link the different sounds of this album together. Again, some of the songs here are incredible. “Faithful” with the late, great Pimp C & dvsn and “Feel No Ways” are some of the best deep cuts to ever appear on a Drake album. The dancefloor anthems are classics both in regards to Drake’s catalog and music at large. But overall, this album doesn’t do much to feel like an album.
8. Certified Lover Boy (2021)
The latest addition to the legendary career that is Drake’s, Certified Lover Boy is a refreshing return to form. This is of course subject to change in ranking, as it’s only been out for two days at the time of me writing this. The album starts over an incredible high as Drake seeks to remake “Tuscan Leather” (his best intro by far) with “Champagne Poetry”. While it doesn’t quite hit that high of a mark, it certainly leaves an impression. However like the album it will eternally be compared to (Kanye West’s DONDA, which got its own accompanying list) it doesn’t really function as much more than a return to actually making really good music on its own merits. This doesn’t feel like Drake is chasing a number one, and therefore this is the most inspired he’s sounded in years. It has a theme that it leans into more than most Drake projects, even though it still doesn’t fully commit. Drake is rapping really well, clearly intent on giving us captions to carry us through the day. Even “Way 2 Sexy” which felt like a dud on first listen has really grown on me between the meme goldmine that is the video and how crazy it rang out at Day Trill yesterday (shout out stay silent). The features throughout are very fitting and I don’t think there is a bad song on the album. But tracks 12-14 and, as much as I hate to say it, 18 do not belong on an album called Certified Lover Boy. No cap, Drake really had something with that title and cover. This is some of the best R&B Drake has ever produced. 8-11 and 15-17 are really dope runs (even though the Views cash-in that is the Tems collaboration could’ve just been released separately and feels out of place). But the album lacks a strong ending as it lacks focus, which is to say not by much. Overall, it starts strong enough to feel like old Drake. And that’s both good and bad for an artist 15 years in.
7. Care Package (2019)
CLB is good, but from here on out it’s nothing but great projects. And it’s crazy that it starts here considering this was not created as a project. Drake made a greatest hits out of a bunch of B-sides that had mostly not seen a commercial release. Thankfully, most of these are from his real peak era when he was still growing and establishing the sound that would change rap forever. Songs like “Free Spirit” and “Trust Issues” were sorely missed on Take Care. “5AM Toronto” is one of Drake’s best rap performances in his entire career but missed out on the Nothing Was The Same tracklist. “Paris Morton Music”. “The Motion”. “How Bout Now”. The tracklist is full of flashes of greatness that show Drake is a capable of a concise, inspired, classic project that debatably never materialized. This is an incredible playlist, but mostly serves as a legal snapshot of the promise Drake displayed so effortlessly early in his career. He had yet to really master the sounds on display, but the sounds are so incredible even today that it’s okay if the flex rips the shirt a little bit.
6. More Life (2017)
Speaking of playlists, we arrive here at the first commercially released playlist to my knowledge. As you can tell so far, one of the biggest criticisms of Drake projects is the scatterbrained nature that comes with the length. A long project is not bad as long as it is focused, but Drake has far too many audiences to please to stick with and develop one sound. Beyond that, his own taste is too varied to even desire to do that for a full project. So he took a DJ Khaled/Kanye West approach on this one, and curated a project rather than trying to create one. Sampha, Jorja Smith and Skepta all have their own solo tracks on the project and Drake himself is assisted by a bevy of features. From Quavo & Travis Scott to 2 Chainz & Young Thug (literally, one of the best one-two punches on any Drake album), Drake is just making music with his friends and having fun doing it. The transitions on this album are some of the greatest on any Drake album as well. “4422” into “Gyalchester” alone is legendary. This completely mitigates any issues with sequencing and make this project a lot better than it has any business being considering Drake himself said this was just to bridge the gap between albums. “Passionfruit” is an underrated gem and one of Drake’s best two-step type of records. “Blem” is one of Drake’s best dancefloor anthems. “Do Not Disturb” is the bar heavy Drake outro we always needed. “Free Smoke” is one of Drake’s best intros. Overall this project is an enjoyable listen from front to back. Yes there are skips, but you actually lose cohesion by skipping them which gives the whole tape more replay value than most Drake projects.
5. What A Time To Be Alive [with Future] (2015)
I remember when this dropped, I told this shorty that “Where Ya At” was better than anything on this project. I doubted Drake and Future’s creative chemistry for a whole mixtape. I was wrong. This has aged gracefully. It somehow no longer feels like it was slapped together over a week in Atlanta with Metro Boomin even though that is exactly what happened. As the influence of both artists has changed the music landscape in the years that have followed, this project makes a lot more sense looking back. Old heads would say “why is Drake rapping with Future, Future is outclassed” while the youth would say “Future carried Drake the whole project”. Really the star here is of course Metro himself who was in the midst of an incredible run. He laid together such cohesive productions over the project’s 40 minute run time that most of the complaints that hold Drake projects back are completely thrown out the window. There are no skips on this project. While the two underperform individually in certain areas, the other is always around to save the track in peak form. “Diamonds Dancing” is of course the star here, showing Drake could tap deeper into what made Take Care so great and take it to new heights by injecting it with a talent like Future. The druggy melancholy that Future had perfected was exactly what Drake’s moody R&B leanings needed to feel fresh and inventive. It’s not Watch The Throne but it’s a unique melding of styles that goes over a lot better than it got credit for at the time. Drake would hardly sound so tailor-made for trap production ever again. And just to stir the pot, Future’s solo track “Jersey” is better than Drake’s solo track “30 For 30 Freestyle”.
4. So Far Gone (2009)
Finally, we’ve come to the project that created a star. So Far Gone as a whole is one of the most consistent projects we’ve ever gotten from the 6 God, sonically. Of course the raps and the vocal chops are nowhere near what he would go on to deliver, but the ideas on display are the read foundation of everything we’ve come to associate with Drake. The 808’s & Heartbreak influence is extremely apparent but with a twist, Drake is continuing to rap over these bleak soundscapes rather than fully succumbing to auto-tuned melodies. This record has really become a time machine, and revisiting it if you weren’t outside for it may sound like a chore to fresh ears in 2021. The features were not the standouts they would become on later work, outside of No Ceilings-era Lil Wayne on three tracks. I think this mostly has to do with the sound of the project still being so new at the time and while it was very derivative of 808’s it was still undeniably Drake. You have to rate this one in its time, because it’s not that it hasn’t aged well it’s just that Drake did most of these songs way better on subsequent projects. 40 was still developing the dark and moody sound that would make Drake a household name. “November 18th” wasn’t Houston enough on Drake’s part to be as good as original compositions like “Connect” and “TSU”. Successful didn’t have the rap chops that Drake would develop in album mode. “Best I Ever Had” sounds extremely dated, even at the time it felt like the beat was from 2007. But these sounds come together to form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts and an enjoyable listen even if there are definitely skips depending on your mood and tolerance for older records.
3. Take Care (2011)
GASP! Blasphemy, I know. But listen, I love Take Care it’s just not the greatest album for what I think an album should be. This was the real beginning of Drake drifting into longer projects with too many detours in the sequencing. That said, the music is undeniable. After the Grammy afterparty that was Thank Me Later, Drake returned fully to the sound that really popped him off. Expanding on the established formula of So Far Gone, Take Care featured true R&B. “Shot For Me” remains to this day as one of the best examples of the “Drake featuring Drake” formula. “Lord Knows” is one of the best examples that Drake can rap his ass off even with a questionable choice of topics like going through a woman’s phone while she’s in the bathroom. And just like his idol Kanye West, Drake recruited an up and comer with a distinct sound to help take his new style even further. That someone was Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd. You can’t mention this album without bringing up his contribution, especially in the general sound of this album. But while the sound is a mix between So Far Gone and what Abel was doing, the themes of the album are entirely Drake. This is the best Drake has ever spoken about love from the immature angle that he does. In his older age, he’s largely refused to abandon this formula and grow topically, but here in his early career it feels so genuine. Take Care feels exactly like it’s cover, like Drake is genuinely alone and contemplating how he got there. Honestly, if this were shorter and better sequenced it would be at least number two on this list. But even at number three, you can’t overstate the importance of this album. If Drake has a classic album based on the release in its moment alone, it is definitely Take Care.
2. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late (2015)
This one ranks so high for obvious reasons. This is the most confident Drake has ever sounded. This is Drake, the rapper. With his own cold and dark yet somehow polished take on trap music, the boy delivers bars and flows with a hunger he hasn’t been able to recapture since. Quentin Miller or no Quentin Miller, you’ve got to give it up to Drake for his ability to rap these lyrics. Originating as a Gangsta Grillz mixtape and releasing in February with no promotion or prior announcement, this one changed everything for Drake. A departure from the winter jacket cold feeling of his previous projects, this project was noticeably absent of warmth. As a mixtape, complaints about length don’t matter as much, especially with a project as cohesive as this one. There’s only one project more cohesive than this and it’s obvious which one is coming up next, but that allowed Drake to do this. Without 40 keeping him in his typical zone, Drake was able to really show off just how talented a rapper he is. The first five tracks of this album feel like the classic Drake rap project fans had been waiting for. This project allowed Drake to be taken more seriously outside of his typical R&B bag, and allowed us to really accept him taking on new genres after demonstrating a mastery of the craft that made him a household name after this and the two projects before. It’s long been a running joke to say an artist’s mixtapes are better than their albums, but this one really cements that theory. This is the most masculine sounding Drake. That alone does not make this project as good as it is. But the conviction in which Drake delivers every bar… this is the king letting y’all know that he is aware that he’s the king. Not getting lost in it. Just proving it.
1. Nothing Was The Same (2013)
This that “baby picture on the album cover” joint. That’s how you know this is the one. This is Drake’s real deal classic album. It might not be the classic “just rap” or “just "sing” album individual fans have pleaded for, but this is the most cohesive blending of those styles maybe ever. “Tuscan Leather” is one of the greatest intros of all time. Then without missing a beat, we get melodic Drake back with a beat switch and a rap verse. Then another rap joint in the classic “Started From The Bottom”. Then we slow it down with more melodies on “Wu-Tang Forever”. The album goes back and forth seamlessly, largely thanks to the production. This was when 40’s sampling really reached the next level and became the sound we associate with modern Drake. And this applies to both the singing tracks and the bar-fests. This project does have the worst Drake song of all time in “305 to My City” but even that doesn’t hold the record back. “Hold On, We’re Going Home” is the most wedding-ready Drake song ever. “The Language” helped popularize the Migos flow that Drake (and the whole damn rap game) would go on to continue adopting. “From Time” is the most 2006-sounding timeless production ever, and is probably Drake’s best collaboration with a woman ever (sorry Nicki). “Connect” is honestly way too slept on, and 8 out of 10 times that you ask me I’m going to call it my favorite Drake song. “Too Much” is more focused, rap-heavy version of the sound perfected on Take Care, somehow leveling up what had already been etched in stone as classic. “Pound Cake” found Drake out-rapping Hov for the first time and features a stone cold minimal rap beat with a ghostly vocal sample and some warm pianos, which would become a Drake staple. Throughout NWTS, there is reflection more than sulking, and with that comes a clarity that is missing from a lot of Drake’s post-2015 output. From start to finish in just under an hour with 13 tracks, this is Drake’s best body of work and most enjoyable listen. Nothing has been the same since.