Song of the Week: Drake Surveys His Empire on “8am in Charlotte”
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The post Song of the Week: Drake Surveys His Empire on “8am in Charlotte” appeared first on Consequence.
Song of the Week delves into the fresh songs we just can’t get out of our heads. Find these tracks and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Drake returns with his new album For All The Dogs and the laid-back, infectious single “8am in Charlotte”
Eight studio albums in, Drake has no problem taking his time and offering a long exhale. While much of his new album For All the Dogs features signature Drake motifs — expensive beats from regular collaborator 40 (Noah Shebib), lines that depict an icy distance between Drake and everyone else, pitched-up soul samples and clever wordplay — “8am in Charlotte” is delightfully singular.
“8am in Charlotte” is produced by regular Griselda collaborator Conductor Williams, who has worked with artists like Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy. Built upon a two-chord piano loop and a sparse, muted drum beat, “8am in Charlotte” evokes the kind of morning rumination that its namesake suggests — Drake utters his verses like he’s surrounded by plush blankets and throw pillows, his wandering, intimate raps delivered without urgency as he surveys the last 15 years as an increasingly dominant figure in hip-hop.
The minimalist production suits Drake well, who sprinkles For All the Dogs with similar piano-led moments of reprieve. And while the sentimental tones of both the piano and the track’s looped gospel sample suggest seriousness, Drake never loses his sense of humor — standout boastful lines include “Walk in Chanel, they like ‘How the fuck you need more Chanel?’,” “Things get kinky after 15 years of dominance,” and in the final verse, “You forced a lot of fake love when real ones stood in your face/That’s why you got deserted by your n****s like pudding and cake,” which comes in a long section taking shots at Kanye West.
As Drake has assumed his royalty status in music over the last decade, he increasingly takes on the persona of “Savior Drake,” as if he feels a responsibility to the set an example for his peers and show them how to achieve the excellence he’s fostered. “8am in Charlotte” revolves around this persona, and despite Drake’s lack of urgency, the pressure he feels is gnawing at him (there is always something gnawing at him). “Preachin’ to the dogs ’bout wantin’ more for themselves/ It’s weighin’ heavy on my moral scale” he says in the first verse, later on proclaiming that he’s “preachin’ to the dawgs about cleanin’ they images.”
But sometimes Drake’s air of indifference helps his moral quandaries land. Midway between the second and third verse, he emerges with an impromptu spoken section: “Like, don’t even worry about it, like/ You can hit me back whenever, or/ Or don’t, you know?/ It is what it is, I guess.” It’s a string of phrases that falls right in line with Drake’s emotionally hesitant, aloof nature, like the title of his previous album, Honestly, Nevermind. But Drake has never been one to put all of his cards on the table, and he would rather assemble a type of mosaic like “8am in Charlotte.” It’s the latest “time stamp in a city” offering from the Toronto rapper, but this time, Drake is stuck within his own moody grey areas, unable to tell us whether the glass is half-full or half-empty.
— Paolo Ragusa
Associate Editor
Honorable Mentions:
Daisy the Great — “Time Machine 2 (featuring illuminati hotties)”
Alongside their brand new EP Tough Kid, Daisy the Great have teamed up with illuminati hotties — the project of Sarah Tudzin and a former Consequence CoSign — for the fuzzy, electrifying “Time Machine 2.” Though the track originally appeared on Mina Walker and Kelley Nicole Dugan’s breakout sophomore LP as Daisy the Great, All You Need Is Time, Sarah Tudzin’s unmistakeable confidence as both an instrumentalist and producer elevates “Time Machine” to riveting heights. But even with such a rousing backdrop, at the center of both the song and Daisy the Great’s sound are intimate vocal harmonies exuding warmth. — P. Ragusa
Tkay Maidza — “Out of Luck (featuring Lolo Zouaï and Amber Mark)”
Former CoSign and expert banger-architect Tkay Maidza has joined forces with Lolo Zouaï and Amber Mark for the effortlessly groovy “Out of Luck.” It’s fitting that she’s recruited the two hybrid pop artists for “Out of Luck,” given that both Zouaï and Mark specialize in extra-funky, potent R&B jams, and “Out of Luck” finds all three artists blending in and out like circles in a venn diagram. Though each vocalist is undeniably in their bag, it’s the throbbing bass line in “Out of Luck” that’ll have you lightly intoxicated and falling deeper and deeper into each seductive verse. — P. Ragusa
NNAMDï — “You Can’t Tell Me Shit (featuring Big Baby Scumbag)”
NNAMDï’s new track “You Can’t Tell Me Shit” seemingly has a very niche audience — people who like to have fun. If you hate fun, look elsewhere, because NNAMDï and Big Baby Scumbag came to play and play hard. Their respective verses are energetic, boisterous, and will have you jumping before they complete their first couplet. Top it all off with a skittering, bouncy beat, and you, my friend, have a capital “B” banger on your hands. — Jonah Krueger
Joanna Sternberg — “Neighbors”
Three months out from their excellent sophomore effort I’ve Got Me, Joanna Sternberg is back with a brand new single, “Neighbors.” A piano-led ballad detailing lived experiences with social anxiety, “Neighbors” is yet another helping of immaculate writing and delicate performance from Sternberg. Fans of the folky, confessional tunes found on the artist’s first two records will find just as much heart, personality, and empathy in this Randy Newman-inspired ditty. — J. Krueger
Yasmin Hass — “Cleo”
After a string of delightful releases over the last two years, London singer-songwriter Yasmin Hass has finally announced her debut EP, Worst of Me. Along with it, she’s shared “Cleo,” a meditative-but-powerhouse ode to the anxieties of her 20s, deftly produced by Ed Thomas and The 1975’s Ross MacDonald. Though she’s shown off her spectacular voice in previous singles, “Cleo” sounds more like the emergence of a star than ever; she channels the frenetic energy of these big feelings while also keeping the track focused and lightly restrained. — P. Ragusa
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Song of the Week: Drake Surveys His Empire on “8am in Charlotte”
Paolo Ragusa
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