Drake- Thank Me Later

Drake’s debut LP Thank Me Later—delayed more than once and lustfully hyped—sounds so effortful that you half-expect your iPod to be sweating when “Thank Me Now” drones to a close.

It’s a funny thing to say about a hip-hop album: in a genre that spawned the mixtape-a-day mythology and freestyling off the cuff, too much time lavished on one release almost seems counterintuitive. But Thank Me Later isn’t even necessarily hip-hop. Equal parts R&B and rap, Drake takes Kanye’s 808s and Heartbreak, Thank Me Later’s most necessary prerequisite, and sews onto its tortured auto-wail the self-laudatory spitting of a Tha Carter or Blueprint.

Each aspect of Thank Me Later gleams from the hours of time spent on it. The beats are its most unequivocal success: with a heavy presence from fellow Canadian Boi-1da, and significant contributions from heavyweights 40, No I.D., Kanye West and more, each song sports a boisterous electronic swagger that fits the defiant introspection like a fitted shirt.

Not a complete vocalist, Drake is nonetheless the best equipped of hip-hop’s new guard, balancing a capable flow with lyrics that oscillate between shopworn clichés and piercing one-liners. Jay Electronica or Freddie Gibbs could spit shapes around him, but they don’t have the tunes or the crossover appeal, and despite his technical and verbal shortcomings, Drizzy still makes the likes of Kid Cudi and B.O.B. look like clowns.

Most importantly, nobody offers hooks like Drake. Single “Over,” a masterpiece of sneering bombast, sports the album’s most gargantuan chorus: “I know way too many people here right now that I didn’t know last year/who the f*** are y’all.”

Thank Me Later leans impressively little on guests for a debut, and those who do show up bring their best. Perfect marks go to Nicki Minaj (“Which bitch you know made a million off a mixtape?/That was just a keepsake”) and Jay-Z, who seems revitalized by Drake’s youth and produces a verse better than anything from Blueprint III on “Light Up.”

This all has about as much spontaneity as a campaign speech, but the polish and Drake’s evident loving labor make up for it. Fans should be thankful for the pushed-back release date, because these days, there’s nothing more unexpected than a young gun living up to expectations.