Drake’s new direction – deephouse – on Honestly, Nevermind is just a few minutes of fun ★★☆☆☆

honestly, nevermindthe Drake .’s seventh album, the most popular rapper in the world for years, was announced by the Canadian superstar herself last Thursday. One day before the release, which caused quite a stir in the hip-hop community. What he didn’t say is that he’s embraced a new genre. Hip-hop is hard to find on his new album, Drake’s new album contains house music. Deephouse, the kind that has actually been out of fashion for about twenty-five years, that is.

It seems as if he had agreed with Beyoncé – who this week also released a new single based on the house sound of thirty years ago – to bring something ‘new’. That’s exactly a few minutes of fun in Drake’s case. The producers (including the Dutch Vlado), led by Gordo in particular, let a beat simmer over which the recognizable Drake out of thousands drapes his somewhat plaintive vocal notes, often distorted by auto-tune.

It seems as if he has come trudging into the studio, dead tired, to make his contributions, he sounds so bored. It is also a kind designer housewhich only passes for hip in circles where no one has ever attended a real house party.

You don’t spring up at this droning Drake when in track 12, Tie That Binds, suddenly a nice piece of jazz guitar sounds. That appears to have been played by our own Ramon Ginton, known from Ronnie Flex among others. Ginton also gets producer credits and makes the nicest contribution to the album, which at the end may go into a hip-hop mode for a while, but can’t be saved by rapper 21 Savage either.