Video: Three Drake Albums, Three Songs of the Week

Iceman centers on vengeance, retributions, and recriminations, with “Make Them Pay” combining vitriol and sensuality while targeting Clipse, DJ Khaled, and Rick Ross through charged wordplay. The track uses samples from Deniece Williams’ “Free,” K-Dee’s “The Freshest MC In the World,” and Mic Geronimo’s “S’s Real,” linking it to ’90s rap and West Coast history. Maid of Honour’s “Stuck” is up-tempo post-’80s electro with echoes of Ralph Tresvant and New Edition, plus Maurice Starr energy. Drake’s standout quality is harmonizing across disparate generations, regions, and perspectives, including New Orleans bounce influences.

"Make Them Pay to me is actually kind of the most vitriolic, even if it is kind of the most sensual song on the record. Clipse are catching heat here. DJ Khaled, on the receiving end of some really savage lines. And also Rick Ross, who is the victim of a very, very charged bit of wordplay. The sample is Free by Deniece Williams. Now I'm old enough to remember when Free by Deniece Williams was a real go-to sample in '90s rap."

"The Freshest MC In the World by K-Dee. Which in my mind is a sleeper West Coast classic, which I think is meaningful here. S's Real by Mic Geronimo. This is something that real rap heads, a contingent that often derides Drake and often says, This guy's not really 'bout it, this is Drake playing their game. This is what everyone was expecting from Drake after the last couple of years. Iceman is the album where he gets everything off his chest. Nothing left on the table. But he actually released three albums."

"Next, let's talk about Stuck from Maid of Honour. I'm hearing a lot of Ralph Tresvant and New Edition. In this vocal, it's up-tempo, it's post '80s electro. It's giving Maurice Starr. And then right before the end, he sort of closes out with this bounce shot out. It's a very famous tagline from New Orleans bounce records. The thing about Drake that makes him so special is he knows how to harmonize them across disparate generations, disparate regions, and disparate points of view."

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