So Far Gone

iTunes Review

Canadian newcomer Drake is a cross between Kanye West and Lil Wayne and it’s hard to imagine a more crowd-pleasing formula for a new artist. So Far Gone delivers on its promise as one of the most eminently listenable rap albums of 2009. Drake isn’t as audacious as Wayne or Kanye, but he is better than either at adapting unusual rap perspectives to the context of a smooth pop song. “Houstatlantavegas,” “Successful,” and “Best I Ever Had” are cooing and hypnotic, spiced just enough by rhymes like this one, from “Successful:” “That’s word to Toronto / So high up, I got birds in the condo/ Ha, ain't that a female dog / Ask her who I am to her, and she yell ‘God.’” Drake’s sugarcoated background as a child television star is counterbalanced by a supporting cast of street rap heavyweights: Lil Wayne, Bun B, and Young Jeezy. It remains to be seen if Drake will outgrow his influences — particularly Wayne — but So Far Gone shows an effortless charm that will go a long way in setting Drake apart from the bombastic techniques of contemporary hip-hop.