In the last couple of weeks, hip-hop icon Drake released his most recent mixtape "Dark Lane Demo Tapes". Sit back and picture a compilation of tracks that feature and compliment multiple different types of hip-hop, from melodic rap to Brooklyn drill rap, to British drill rap. On each different category and track, Drake lives up to the standards. He implements quality yet fitting sound, an effortless flow, and audible stories.
THE SOUND
"Dark Lane Demo Tapes" has a sound that truly fits the vibe of the mixtape. This is a mixtape that reflects on different feelings and emotions that compliment and reflect Drake personally, emotionally, and professionally. It is meant to have a multitude of diverse sounds. In order to make this happen, Drake worked with multiple different producers and rappers from different places around the world. This tape features an impressive lineup of producers like MexikoDro, Pierre Bourne, AXL Beats, 808Mafia, and more. "Chicago Freestyle" is a track that has a melodic R&B-infused sound with a vibey feel to it. It has listeners feeling like they met a lover in Chicago and are nostalgically thinking of them. This track fed into an emotional reflection of Drake. It features singer Giveon whos melodic voice perfectly compliments the vibe of the song with the repeated hook "2:30 baby, won't you meet me by the bean." Drake crafted this song perfectly as we would expect from an artist who has mastered melodic and emotional music. The previously released "Toosie Slide" was widely known by people around the world before the release of "Dark Lane Demo Tapes" due to its perfect sound for the viral dancing social media network TikTok. During this COVID-19 time, Toosie Slide has become one of the biggest songs for TikTok dances. The sound is pretty mainstream and is not necessarily much more than a dance-worthy "feel-good song". Since Drake tends to release projects with a diverse multitude of sounds, it is okay for him to add basic "feel-good songs" like the previous song "Nice For What" on his album "Scorpion". Another "Dark Lane Demo Tapes" track with a distinctive sound is "Pain 1993" which features rapper Playboi Carti. This track is a melodic song that fits into the Soundcloud rap spectrum of rap. It was previously leaked onto Soundcloud as one of the many Playboi Carti leaks. It features a signature Playboi Carti voice with his infamous "baby Carti voice". Along with a melodic R&B infused track, a "feel-good" track, and a Soundcloud rap track, Drake fed into both of the Brooklyn and British drill rap trends with the track "Demon" that features Brooklyn rappers Fivio Foreign and Sosa Geek, and the track "War". Drake did a phenomenal job creating a compilation of diverse sounds. Therefore, in regards to the sound, "Dark Lane Demo Tapes" receives a 10/10 on the Intersect 1-10 rating scale.
THE RAPPING
Just as there is a diverse multitude of sounds that "Dark Lane Demo Tapes" presents, the tape presents a diverse multitude of rap flows. This is not only on Drake's part, but it is truly possible because he features rappers like Young Thug, Future, Playboi Carti, Fivio Foreign, and Sosa Geek. Each rapper did there part by simply staying in their own lane and rapping in a way that fits their personal brand. This attracts not only Drake fans to the mixtape but also the fans of all of the featured artists. When it comes to Drake, however, he really knows how to slow it down on melodic tracks like "From Florida With Love" and speed it up on drill influenced tracks like "War". However, some of his features did not really impress most of Drake's fans. For instance, his song "Pain 1993" that features rapper Playboi Carti left people disappointed at Playboi Carti's verse due to what they refer to as his "played out baby voice". Perhaps, Drake could have left Carti off of the song, as that is what the majority of his fans are saying on social media. But, regardless of the features, Drake's flow is very mobile and it shows on this tape. Because of this, the rapping receives an 8/10 on the Intersect 1-10 rating scale, with two lost points due to the viral disappointment by Playboi Carti's feature.
THE ART BEHIND THE MIXTAPE
When you hear the mixtape title "Dark Lane Demo Tapes", what do you picture? I picture a compilation of feelings and emotions that are perfectly scrapped together. That is exactly what Drake did. We must remember that this is a mixtape, therefore it is more informal than a studio album. Drake lived up to this perfectly informal tape in a phenomenal manner. He took us through sad emotions, smoke-worthy vibes, party-worthy turn-up tracks, "feel-good" vibes, and aggressive drill tracks. He did this all very well. However, it would have been super cool if it went in a particular order that told a story since most of the tracks due tell stories themselves. Therefore, the art behind the mixtape receives a 9/10 on our Intersect 1-10 rating scale.
MY FAVORITE TRACKS ON THE MIXTAPE
Time Flies, From Florida With Love, Pain 1993, Demons
APPLE MUSIC'S TOP TRACKS ON THE MIXTAPE
Chicago Freestyle, Not You Too, Desires, Pain 1993
"Dark Lane Demo Tapes" was a wonderfully crafted mixtape. Drake definitely did his job. On our Intersect 1-10 rating scale, "Dark Lane Demo Tapes" receives an overall score of 9/10. Listen to the mixtape below.
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