Written By: Nate Cardenas
10 years ago today, the world was introduced to the emotional, heart on his sleeve wearing, Drake with his sophomore album, ‘Take Care’. At the time, Drake was a star on the rise following the release of his debut album, ‘Thank Me Later’, people started to take note and realized he was on the cusp of something great.
In an era where hip-hop music was no longer only consisting of tough-guy rap, Drake helped usher in a new era of hip-hop that provided lyrics that were open and personal. Earning both critical and commercial success, ‘Take Care’ was an instant classic and gave the world a whole lot of emotions mixed into the album. From celebratory bars on songs like “HYFR” to self-reflecting ballads like ‘Over Your Dead Body”, this album had it all. The album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart and eventually went on to be 2x platinum.
Outside of Drake giving some of the best bars and lines, he has ever delivered, the album features an all-star cast of guest features from the likes of Andre 3000, Nicki Minaj, Rhianna, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and more. Providing a blend of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Pop that was at such a high level that not many artists can do, let alone with their second major studio release.
Some highlights on a highlight-filled album include the voicemail confession “Marvin’s Room”, the club anthem “Headlines”, the spacey love song of “Crew Love” featuring The Weeknd, and the smash hit “Take Care” featuring Rhianna.
Looking back on this album, you could say that this was Drake at his Drake-iest in a sense, or at least this is the beginning of it. As someone on the outside looking in, we get to see (or listen) to Drake just realizing his potential and fame right before he obtains an unrelatable level of wealth and notoriety. As we get further from the initial release, this album continues to stand the test of time as the launch pad that catapulted Drake into mega-stardom.
