


On “HYFR,” Drake only focuses on his ex-girlfriends just for a moment before finally giving himself the freedom to have fun. This is Drake at his hungriest and we haven’t heard him like this since.

Weezy ultimately takes the lead here, but he gives his mentee the spotlight to show off his talents. Lil Wayne often brings out the best in Drake, and the potential that he initially saw in the post- Degrassi star is highlighted all throughout “Ransom.” Forget a catchy hook, this song is about straight bars. The one thing holding this back is the overt “hashtag rap” that will keep it stuck in the ‘10s era. After years of building his name with mixtapes and being part of the Young Money crew, Drake showed he had something to prove with “Over.” The Grammy-nominated lead single of his debut album Thank Me Later showed it was evident the road to superstardom would become crowded as hell: “I know way too many people here right now that I didn’t know last year / Who the f**k are y’all?” Atop a boisterous beat via and Boi-1da and Al Khaaliq, Drake affirms that he has his eyes set on taking over the game.
