8.
ARTS & CULTURE
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It's not innovative, but Drake and Future's new project is worth a listen
RYAN WRIGHT
@ryanwaynewright
Drake has had a busy 2015. He released his platinum album "If You're Reading This It's Too Late," made his Meek Mill feud the subject of memes across the Internet and now he's collaborated with Future for an 11-track mixtape, "What a Time To Be Alive," that dropped on Sunday night.
that dropped on Sunday night. This project comes as quite a surprise — no one knew about it until the two began posting cryptic messages on social media hinting at the project.
Drake and Future have collaborated a few times in the past, but if someone would have told me a month ago that this project would come out, I would have called them a filthy liar.
That being said, this isn't something you listen to if you want to hear deep, thought-provoking commentary from two of today's top minds, but it's a fun listen. This is primarily because of incredible production from
Metro Boomin, who produced seven of the project's 11 songs. This is a Drake and Future project, but Metro Boomin absolutely steals the show with his hard-hitting, grimy production.
On this record, Drake and Future aren't making sappy music that'll make you want to drunkenly text your ex at 4 a.m. This project has music that'll undoubtedly be played in strip clubs across the country (also because of Metro Boomin's production). And I mean that in the best way possible. The lyrics are fun and braggadacious, backed by great production. And that's OK because the duo didn't aim to change the sound of music with this project.
Despite this being a collaborative effort between Drake and Future, it sounds more like a Drake album that Future is featured on in every track (besides the last two, which are solo tracks by each artist). Drake does most of the heavy lifting in this album with his confidence, energy and overall
showmanship - a problem that has often plagued collaborative records.
2011's "Watch the Throne" had this problem as well. Kanye West carried that album while Jay-Z took a backseat. However, this still comes as a bit of a shock because Future's recently released record "Dirty Sprite 2" was sensational.
The mixtape's second track,
"Big Rings", is notably one of the worst songs Drake has been involved with in years. The chorus is excruciatingly awkward while the verses aren't much better.
Drake and Future are an unlikely pairing. One artist is a middle-class guy from Toronto while the other is a trap rapper from Atlanta. Nevertheless, the two come together for a pretty solid project. What a time to be alive.
— Edited by Maddy Mikinski
In a Nov. 30, 2014 file photo, rapper Drake attends an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors, in Los Angeles.
JAE C. HONG/AP PHOTO
Ryan Adams's full-album cover of Taylor Swift's '1989' differentiates itself from its namesake
JARRET ROGERS
@JarretRogers
On Sunday night musician Ryan Adams released the highly anticipated and widely discussed album, "1989," which is his take on Taylor Swift's "1989" from last year. In August, Adams (known for his songs in the early 2000s, such as "When The
Stars Go Blue") announced he was working on a track-for-track cover of Swift's 2014 album. Fans got a preview of the album when Adams' version of the song "Bad Blood" debuted last Thursday on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio.
While the songs are Swift's, don't confuse Adams' "1989" with a typical cover album.
Adams is not taking exactly what Swift did and simply adding his voice. For his version of "1989," Adams transformed the music by taking Swift's perspective and incorporating his own sound and experience.
The music comes from guitars and pianos, making the songs feel different, and there are some minor lyric
changes. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Adams said it was never his intention to change the intent of Swift's songs.
Adams reimagines an already great album and adds another face to his extensive discography. For Swift, Adams' album is a great way for "1989" to live on. When her perspective
grows old, you can escape into Adam's voice, which picks you up and takes you on a completely different journey than Swift's.
What does this mean? It means Adams thought about the album in a different way than Swift. He didn't just rework it to make it sound like him; he went deeper and did what he could to
make it feel like him.
Taking Swift's music and making it his own could've easily been too daunting for Adams—considering the love of the original "1989." But, on his version of the album, Adams takes songs and is bold until the very end.
Edited by Colleen Hagan
In this Sept. 17, 2015 photo, singer Ryan Adams poses for a portrait in New York. Adams released an album covering Taylor Swift's entire "1989" album. Swift released the original album last October.
DAN HALLMAN/AP
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