Reviewing Drake’s latest: ‘More Life’ is an identity crisis

An identity crisis has never sounded so good. At this point in his career, Drake could rap the alphabet and it’d chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

While “More Life” is described as a “playlist,” I’ll call it for what it is: an album. It has its highs and lows, but there were a lot more lows than I expected from someone of Drake’s caliber.

“Free Smoke” is a strong start to the album and one of the better rap performances on “More Life,” but it’s not an indicator of the rest of the album. With Drake tapping into sounds from the U.K., Jamaica, Texas, Georgia and Canada, “More Life” feels like a trip around the world. It’s no secret Drake is a wave rider: If there’s a new trend in hip-hop or an artist on the rise, chances are Drake will adopt it or collaborate with the artist.

Another decent rap performance from Drake follows with “No Long Talk,” which is nearly ruined by Giggs’ verse, which could’ve been left off. Any critiques I have of “More Life” are put to the side when “Passionfruit” comes on. Simply put, this song is a gem and easily one of the best songs Drake has ever made.

My opinion of “More Life” may seem all over the place, but so is the album. Even though “Passionfruit” is amazing, it is a prime example of what Drake’s problem is: He has no identity.

Sure, Drake can rap, sing, make dancehall records and take almost any style and make it his own, but as a fan, I feel like I don’t know who Drake is. Many artists will explain that they use music as their outlet to express themselves, but Drake constantly switching styles makes his music and personality feel forced, and it doesn’t seem genuine.

“Gyalchester,” “Portland” and “Sacrifices” are all bangers and definite highlights of “More Life,” but the second half of the album makes it unimpressive. “Nothing Into Somethings,” “Teenage Fever,” “Lose You” and “Can’t Have Everything” are all forgettable and sound like throwaways forced into the tracklist.

As a whole, “More Life” is a decent album, but with Drake being as successful and talented as he is, “decent” isn’t how any of his projects should be described.

Ever since Drake’s beef with Meek Mill, his rap has sounded defensive and overly aggressive, almost like he’s trying to prove to the world he can rap when we already know he can. It seems like almost every rap verse has subtle disses toward either Meek Mill or Tory Lanez.

Musically, Drake doesn’t have an identity, and it’s very apparent. If you’re looking for the album version of the movie “Split,” “More Life” is just the album for you.