Drake being a Scorpio obviously, (born Oct 24, 1986) released his fifth studio album “Scorpion” earlier this summer.  While the community is still raving about the album’s distinct reveals, pleasing nature, and off the charts replay value, it has a common theme in each of these songs that he can’t hide very well.

Now you may ask, “What is he hiding?” The world from his child? We already know that!

But he is hiding something you may have recognized (due to the editor’s notes on Apple Music) but never truly acknowledged:

Drake is now extremely vulnerable.

Let’s start with the editor’s notes.

Drake delivers a HILARIOUS "editors note" on iTunes: "DRAKE DOESN’T EVEN WRITE HIS OWN SONGS" 😂#Scorpion pic.twitter.com/1uNLz4RJtX

— DJBooth (@DJBooth) June 29, 2018

Do these notes mean Drake doesn’t care, or that he cares too much? Looking for answers to those questions are what make the album good, trust me.  

On “Scorpion,” Drake is seemingly trying to please everyone with a double album split into rap and R&B sides. Did he do this to put out more songs and make more money? Or, he could have done it to get out of his record deal as he infers on “Is There More” when he raps, “Soon as this album drop I’m out of the deal.” Honestly, it feels that he wanted to give people the sharp divide between both sides to get what they wanted. Notice there wasn’t any dancehall or Jamaican derivative flows to his album like we heard on “Views” and “More Life.”  

Instead, Drake raps about some topics in a very grown-up manner. On “March 14” he addresses and confirms the birth of his son with lines like:

“Yesterday morning was crazy

I had to come to terms with the fact that it’s not a maybe

That shit is in stone, sealed and signed

She not my lover like Billie Jean but the kid is mine.”

How is he handling it? Well, not so good.

On the same song, he talks about being a co-parent and wondering if he and the child’s mother can come together for his son’s benefit. He also wonders whether his situation is turning out to be like the problematic relationship between his own mother and father.  

Another takeaway from this album is how Drake now views his interactions with people, whether it be the women in his life or his rap rivals. Obviously, everyone wanted a Pusha T diss response, but instead, he addressed how deadly rap beef can get on “Survival” when he raps:  

“I’ve had real Philly n*ggas try to write my endin’

Takin’ shots with the goat and talked about shots that we sendin’

I’ve had scuffles with bad boys that wasn’t pretendin’

I’ve had too many nights to mention, that’s just the beginnin’

I’m pretty sure we got a label, I’m still independent

I fell back a hundred times when I don’t get the credit

Seen this movie a hundred times, I know where it’s headed

Realize someone gotta die when no one’ll dead it”

As usual, relationships are a recurring topic on this Drake album too. Songs like “Finesse,” “Summer Games,” “In My Feelings,” “That’s How You Feel,” and ”Jaded” are all representations of Drake’s mindset at the moment. It sounds like he is on the fence as he reminisces over past mistakes. Drake has encountered a lot of feelings with an even more abundant amount of females. It’s not healthy, but at least he’s opening up and doing it with a more mature narrative. We love songs like 2011’s “Marvin’s Room” but maybe we should fall in love with these songs as well. Why?

One, Drake sounds like he finally realizes that women are less responsible for his mistakes than he is. Two, he’s not only asking women if they love and need him, but he’s also starting to feel as if he needs them too. Three, he’s realizing that mutual respect in a relationship is more important than just a physical attraction. Four, he’s realized that he’s always tried to shoulder relationships by himself and now sees why these women have become less than themselves because of him.

That’s when you should fall in love with these songs.

Drake does pretty good with “Scorpion” for a double album, but it’s still too long. With the album having 25 tracks, it can get tiresome. The album could have been cut short by about eight songs, making the project’s odds of being great increase.

“Scorpion” is a story, as with most of Drake’s other albums. The stinger though, it’s a new and even more vulnerable Drake. Revitalized but still the same. Is it a classic? No. Close? Maybe a little. Are a lot of these songs a bop? Most definitely. What does this mean for the future? This Drake we have now being so conscious and aware still has a lot more he has to bless us with. It’s up to us to just wait and see how he grows more.

Vincent, 16, attends Westlake High School.