Drake’s survival in the fittest surroundings is a testament to his power in the industry. He’s strategic and captures the moment like no other. Hate, love or like him, he’s leading the league in scoring and assist.
His new mixtape, Dark Lane Demos Tapes, is a project that gathers leaks, Soundcloud drops, as well as new tracks we have yet to hear. It’s a pristine version of what could have been done pre-Take Care album release phase. Years later, Drake gave us his Care Package project, feeling a project up with beloved songs that didn’t make Take Care’s album cut and songs that fans adored. Consider it Drake’s B-sided tracks.
This time around, Drake is giving us 15 tracks, featuring Playboi Carti, Future, Young Thug, Fivio Foreign, Chris Brown, Sosa Geek, & Giveon. A big part of why we love Drake is because
In usual Drake fashion, his project shines light on talented individuals that are worth the listen. Fivio Foreign (heard on “Demons”) has New York’s energy high as the recovery period of losing Pop Smoke still lingers. Giveon (heard on “Chicago Freestyle) is a R&B magician who’s vocals are hardly familiar and can stretch many ways. We’re also introduced — as a mass consumer — to Sosa Geek (heard on “Demons”) brings the feeling back to New York, just as Fivio does.
“Not Around,” a leak produced by Pierre Bourne, does not find placement on this mixtape. Instead, we’ll receive an updated version of the track, later down the line on his upcoming album. “Pain 1993” is a leak that features Playboi Carti and has been anticipated for a few weeks now. Hopefully this holds over Carti fans as he readies his Whole Lotta Red album.
“When To Say When” and “Chicago Freestyle” are the two tracks that got us excited for this surprise moment. Shortly after, leak after leak continued to hit the internet, providing additional talks about Drake’s music while most were forced to be quarantined. “Toosie Slide” took to the Billboard charts heavy, hitting the no. 1 mark and taking over TikTok.
Drake says he’s been recording music and hasn’t been this excited about recording for an album ever. Drake will be releasing his sixth studio this summer. The album is untitled, but Drake to his Instagram to announce the new mixtape and his upcoming album. On April 29th, it was the fourth anniversary of his album Views. Within the four-year span, he’s only continued to solidify his dominance on charts and presence overall. He’s been more vocal and appears more on social media more now than ever; signs of the time.
He doesn’t sound fatigue on the leaks. Some of the tracks are dated and some are new. He sounds rejuvenated, confident and not overly concerned with any competition. Instead, over the last few years, Drake has made peace with enemies. No longer anger, there’s a freshness in the releases, even sharing “Not You Too” with Chris Brown. This is just a warmup before we get his album this summer. The world may be going through a global pandemic, but the music seems to keep our spirits up, as much as possible.
