‘Take Care’ at 9 — The Rap Side

“Since Take Care, I’ve been caretaking.” Just nine years ago, Drake released his sophomore album Take Care into the world and took his polarizing status a step further. It was an effort that felt much closer to home, especially after a lukewarm reception to debut studio album Thank Me Later. TML was star-studded much like all of Drake’s projects, but the range of producers lead to it feeling more all over the place than sonically diverse in a positive way. Alongside Noah “40” Shebib, T-Minus, and Boi-1da, The Boy crystallized his identity as the light-skinned lothario both men and women seem to dislike for reasons mostly having to do with themselves. Secretly, or not so secretly, they’re still listening and keeping tabs.

Take Care is the quintessential Drizzy album when you consider the hunger his rap side displayed on “Say What's Real” or “Ransom” while doubling as the Heartbreak Drake that gave us cuts like “Brand New” and “Bria’s Interlude.” It set the blueprint for the more concise follow-up Nothing Was The Same, where he embraced the unconventional nature of his Rap-R&B hybrid work and blurred the lines. This has always been his thing, but Take Care may be the most balanced and effective effort, even if it isn’t his personal favorite album. Salute to NWTS hive.

The debate of whether Drake has a classic is extremely tired, but this is among the few that often…