The Summer of the 6 God: ‘Dark Lane Demo Tapes’ Mixtape Review
Drake, photo courtesy of Republic Records
Rap’s biggest commercial superstar, Drizzy Drake, has been making lots of noise in 2020 as he prepares for the release of his 6th commercial album this summer. While hip-hop fans alike were aware of Drake’s recent spike in activity due to the viral hit “Toosie Slide” as well as recent SoundCloud freebies like “Chicago Freestyle” and “War,” no one was quite expecting Champagne Papi to announce the release of a surprise mixtape of leaks and throw-aways that would be available on all streaming platforms less than 24 hours after the announcement post.
Drake released Dark Lane Demo Tapes on May 1st, 2020 through OVO Records. The mixtape contains 14 songs with features from Playboi Carti, Young Thug, Future, Chris Brown and others.
Before diving into the music, it’s important to note where each track came from so we can conclude what this tape tells us about Drake’s sixth album. Four of the 14 tracks (“When To Say When”, “Chicago Freestyle”, “Desire”, & “War”) were released on SoundCloud over the past six months well one track was officially released by Drake on Spotify (“Toosie Slide”). Tracks “Deep Pockets” and “From Florida with Love” were initially recorded for Drake’s 2018 album Scorpion but didn’t make the final album and were eventually leaked in April 2020. Besides the two aforementioned tracks, we have every reason to believe that the rest of the music on Dark Lane Demo Tapes was recording for lucky album number six giving us a glimpse into what to expect this summer.
The first major takeaway from Dark Lane Demo Tapes is that Drake sounds hungrier than he has in recent memory. Something about Drake’s delivery sounds more urgent than it has in years - a welcomed deviation from the slew of complacent mid that he packed on 2018’s Scorpion. He displays this new drive on tracks like “When To Say When”, “Landed”, & “Losses” while also reminding us why we use to refer to Drake as a great rapper and not just a popstar. It seems like Drake is bringing back his long-winded, freestyle-esque tracks where verses are separated by brief pauses in the reflective bars if they’re separated at all. These instances where Drake accepts the challenge of bodying an entire song with no hook truly showcase Drizzy at his best as we remember that most of Drake’s most impressive tracks over the course of his career normally throw conventional song structure to the wind.
Photo: Splash News
Although Drake reminds us why he’s a great rapper through this tape of demos, he makes sure not to neglect his R&B fans on Dark Lane Demo Tapes. “Not You Too” features Chris Brown and showcases the two A-list artists trading sensual melodies over smooth ambient instrumental that are aided by a breath-taking synth slide halfway through the track. The song is classic singing Drake and is going to be played in idle cars with foggy windows for years to come. Drake doesn’t only make R&B for the bedroom though as the 7th track “Time Flies” sounds primed to be his next melodic hit and has the same addictive qualities as his 2018 viral smash “In My Feelings” without being half as obnoxious (please don’t turn this song into a viral trend).
Besides a very underwhelming Playboi Carti appearance, features pull their weight on Dark Lane Demo Tapes and even out perform Drizzy on certain songs, the first of which is the haunting “Chicago Freestyle”. On the track Drake calls on R&B’s next superstar Giveon who delivers a chilling hook that steals the spotlight and sets the tone for the track. Drake doesn’t go down without a fight though as the track showcases some of his most captivating writing and fascinating melodies. Every time I press play on “D4L” my day is made by Future’s “money counter” sound effects. “D4L” sounds like it was so much fun to record and the energy shines through making it one of the most infectious tracks on the tape. Fivo Foreign and Sosa Geek pop in for awesome guest verses on “Demons” adding something to the track that Drake simply couldn’t: Grit.
One of the most promising signs from Dark Lane Demo Tapes are the producers Drizzy chose to work with on the project. One of my biggest issues with Scorpion was boring production from Drake’s favorite in-house producer Noah “40” Shebib. Gone was the magic that the two shared during the Take Care days and all that was left was bland instrumentals that Drake tried to make work. It seems like Drake is taking a different approach to album number six as Dark Lane Demo Tapes has production credits from some of the most innovative producers in the game including Pi’erre Bourne, Southside, Cardogotwings, and OZ. The variation of production styles really seems to bring Drake’s music back to life in ways that I haven’t heard before. Hopefully Drake also embraced this collaborative attitude on album six, utilizing the surplus of gifted producers he has in his network to help lift him out of critical mediocrity and elevate back to the level he was on during the first half of his career.
It would be impossible to talk about producers on Dark Lane Demo Tapes without shining a light on veteran producer OZ who is having a moment in 2020. The beat maker already has three number one songs this year (“Life Is Good”, “Toosie Slide”, & “The Scotts”) and produced some of the best tracks on this new mixtape (“Time Flies” & “Losses”). OZ’s signature is a dreamy instrumental anchored by extensive hi-hat use, a style that gives Drake ample room to explore ear-worm melodies (“Time Flies”) or rattle off an emotional verse dripping in disdain (“Losses”). Oz’s outro on “Time Flies” is transcendent and gives the song a beautiful cherry on top that solidifies it as one of the best tracks on the mixtape.
The last two tracks on the mixtape house Drake flexing his versatility as he kills 6-minutes of UK inspired hip-hop that he’s dabbled with in the past but never fully dove into. As Drake successfully interpolates a European accent on “War” it’s hard not to see the potential for UK-Drake to become the multi-dimensional artist's third persona.
For being a mixtape full of loose freebies, Dark Lane Demo Tapes flows extremely well. Drake opens with three songs that flex his pen game and aim to intrigue fans of Drake the rapper before going into a four-song R&B run. Using “Time Flies” to fade back into rap, Drake then hits us with classic Drake bangers for the next five tracks before concluding the tape with his take on UK rap. Everything about the sequencing is perfect leading to Dark Lane Demo Tapes being more cohesive than the average mixtape.
Overall, Dark Lane Demo Tapes is a win for Drake fans everywhere. Not only did the six god gift us with a bunch of great new music to hold us over until his new album comes out, but even our favorite song on the project was consciously left off the album communicating that we should see an uptick in quality from this mixtape to the upcoming album. It’s hard for me to picture an album where songs like “D4L”, “Time Flies”, and “Demons”, are tossed to the side in favor of other tracks but believe me, that’s an album I’m VERY excited for.
Favorite TRacks
Chicago Freestyle (Feat. Giveon)
Time Flies
D4L (Feat. Future & Young Thug)
Rating: 8
Stream Dark Lane Demo Tapes here:
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