Canadian rapper Drake pulled a Beyonce and dropped a surprise mixtape February 13th titled If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late. The mixtape, which debuted at at No.1 on the Billboard 200, consists of 16 tracks and features artists such as Lil Wayne, Travi$ Scott, and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
While this may not be an album full of radio-friendly Top 40 radio hits, it offers a dark departure from Drake’s last album Nothing Was the Same. Lyrically, Drake seems more confident and in your face than ever before. In the song No Tellin he spits “Please don’t speak to me like I’m that Drake from four years ago, I’m at a higher place.” Drake also takes this opportunity to call out fellow rapper Tyga for allegedly dating 17 year-old Kylie Jenner on the last track of the mixtape, 6pm In New York. “Oh you tried, it’s so childish calling my name on the world stage/You need to act your age and not your girl’s age.” Needless to say, Tyga was less than pleased and has denied any romantic involvement with the underage Jenner.
Bottom line: Die-hard Drake fans will love this mixtape, and non-believer will be convinced after hearing tracks such as “Know Yourself” and “Madonna” that Drake is a force to be reckoned with.
IYRTITL has sold 535,000 copies its first week. Drake’s fourth studio album, Views From the 6, is due to be released later this year.