More Life from Drake

It has been quite a while since I checked out the Billboard charts so I was really surprised to find out that not much has changed in weeks. It is still Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars and The Chainsmokers, plus the only new and exciting product to come out these past weeks, More Life by Drake. Is this a sign that despite the massive turnaround being enjoyed by the music industry, thanks to streaming, the labels remain picky and will only release what will surely sell? Let us keep tabs on these next few weeks to find out the answer. And now let’s get on with the latest by Drake.

More Life means good wishes, as in the toast “To life” or happy day or best wishes. I do not know how it is performing sales-wise out here but in the US of A, it is now known as the album that kicked Sheeran’s out of the No. 1 spot in the Top 200 Albums list when it dropped a month ago. Looks like all the good wishes Drake sent out rebounded to him and brought more life to his album. Dethroning Sheeran is quite a feat for Drake. The British pop idol seemed so invincible with Shape Of You. But it happened and Canadian hip-hop star Drake is now the hot guy in the charts.

On the other hand though, this is really nothing new for Drake. More Life is actually his seventh No. 1 seller. He also made it to the top with Views, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, What A Time To Be Alive, Take Care, Nothing Was The Same and Thank Me Later. He has been pretty consistent these past seven years. And this holds true even with something like More Life, which is not supposed to be considered a proper album but a collection of filler stuff while he is getting ready for his next one.

More Life is pretty loaded for a filler. It is over an hour-long and has 22 cuts peppered with big-name collaborators and lots of samples.  Think Earth Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie, Kanye West, etc. The only obvious sign that it is not a true album is the variety of materials that went into it. Drake toyed around with rhythms, experimented with house, R&B, Caribbean beats and others and then blended them with his usual rap. The result is a lush, smoothly flowing package, relaxed, indulgent and fun. He makes you wonder what his next album will sound like.

More Life by Drake includes Free Smoke; No Long Talk; Passionfruit; Jorja Interlude; Get It Together feat. Jorja Smith & Black; Madiba Riddim; Blem; 4422 feat. Sampha; Gyalchester; Skepta Interlude; Portland feat. Quavo & Travi$ Scott; Sacrifices feat.  2 Chainz & Young Thug; Nothings Into Somethings; Teenage Fever; KMT feat. Giggs; Lose You; Can’t Have Everything; Glow; Since Way Back feat.  PARTYNEXTDOOR; Fake Love; Ice Melts feat. Young Thug; and Do Not Disturb. Warning the album is quite explicit.

Here now is the Top 20 listing from The Hot 100 chart: Shape of You by Ed Sheeran; That’s What I Like by Bruno Mars; Something Just Like This by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay; I Feel It Coming by The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk; iSpy by KYLE feat. Lil Yachty; Bad And Boujee by Migos feat. Lil Uzi Vert; I Don’t Wanna Live Forever by ZAYN and Taylor Swift; Tunnel Vision by Kodak Black; Paris also by The Chainsmokers; Passionfruit by Drake.

Rockabye by Clean Bandit feat. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie; Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt; Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry feat. Skip Marley; Love On The Brain by Rihanna; It Ain’t Me by Kygo x Selena Gomez; Bounce Back by Big Sean; Stay by Zedd & Alessia Cara; Mask Off by Future; Say You Won’t Let Go by James Arthur; and Closer by The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey.

And the Top 20 albums are: More Life by Drake; Divide by Ed Sheeran; Tremaine The Album by Trey Songz; Beauty And The Beast (2017) the motion picture soundtrack; Hardwired…To Self-Destruct by Metallica; 24K Magic by Bruno Mars; Moana, the motion picture soundtrack; Rather You Than Me by Rick Ross; FUTURE by Future; Starboy by The Weeknd.

Culture by Migos; American Teen by Khalid; Stoney by Post Malone; Trolls, another movie soundtrack; HNDRXX by Future; I Decided by Big Sean; Hamilton: An American Musical by the Original Broadway Cast; Views, also by Drake; The RCA-List, Volume 4 by Various Artists; and Wildhorse by RaeLynn.