Drake is back raw, uncut, and emotional as ever with his second

album “Take Care.”

Drake is back raw, uncut, and emotional as ever with his second album “Take Care.”

The 25-year-old rapper clearly knows nothing about the sophomore album curse. The album embodies its title “Take Care” as Drake croons an interesting mix of cocky yet endearing lyrics like only he can.

Its becoming signature for Drake to take listeners through a impressively honest journey through his current state of mind. “Thank Me Later” was very much about the effects of the new found superstardom he was experiencing; now those feelings are not-so-new and he addresses the repercussions that come with fame throughout the album with lyrics such as, “I think maybe I was numb to it last year, but you know I feel it now more than ever.”

The album appropriately starts out with “Over My Dead Body,” a melancholy track in which he addresses the public’s expectations of him, other rappers, burdens that come with money, and more; he does the same more aggressively on the albums first single “Headlines.” Arguably Drake’s cockiest track, the quick-paced song is full of bars in which he allows himself to brag about, well, everything while simultaneously shutting down anyone who would tell him to do otherwise.

It would not be a Drake album without those infamous “3 a.m. confessions” type tracks. Whether he addresses just one ex-girlfriend or a slew of strippers we will never know, but his heartache certainly makes for great music. The summer blockbuster hit “Marvin’s Room” epitomizes that as Drake emulates the infamous and completely relatable act of drunk dialing. “Shot for Me” is the closest thing to a male version of Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,” as Drake boldly tells his ex that he made her, she will never have another like him and to cope with that pain she can take a shot for him.

My personal favorite moments on the album are the passionate yet cold “Doing It Wrong” and “Good Ones Go Interlude.” The emotion on those tracks is so evident anyone who’s been through anything remotely similar cannot help but feel his pain. “Look What You’ve Done,” where he gives listeners rare look into his family life. And “Lord Knows” featuring Rick Ross Drake delivers some of his strongest bars on that song. It is a certified radio hit.

There are a number of great collaborations on “Take Care.” My most anticipated collab was with artist/producer The Weeknd. He and Drake’s styles compliment each other very well and the OVOXO duo doesn’t not disappoint, delivering a notable theme song for “crews” everywhere. Other notable collaborations include Rihanna (Take Care), Andre 3000 (The Real Her), Stevie Wonder (Doing It Wrong), Nicki Minaj (Make Me Proud), and Lil’ Wayne (what song wasn’t he on?).

Drake has delivered one of, if not the, best album of the year. The question now is how much the album leaking – a whopping nine days early – will affect his record sales. There are a few tracks on the deluxe album that did not get leaked such as “Hate Sleeping Alone,” “The Ride,” and “The Motto” that those who choose to buy have to look forward to.

Don’t get me wrong, this album isn’t 100 percent perfection, there are a couple moments where the album drags, and as I mentioned before, Lil’ Wayne appears a few too many times. However, all in all, Drizzy did not disappoint. But don’t take my word for it, take Drake’s, “Listen, enjoy it, buy it if you like it….and take care until next time.”

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• Sylvia Obell, Managing Editor