"0 to 100/The Catch Up"- Drake

"I go 0 to 100 n**** real quick," Drake repeatedly insists over the course of his sprawling new six minute track "0 to 100/The Catch Up". No matter which angle you consider the claim from, you see he's not lying. "0 to 100/ The Catch Up" is like Mystique from X-Men in rap form; consistently shape-shifting. The song roars out of the gate with low-end rumbles and unsettling guitar fragments with Drizzy saying "f*** it" to "being on some chill s***." A little more than 2 minutes later he's hitting the E-brake on the Maserati to park on the ethereal rap he and partner in crime Noah "40" Shebib have perfected over the last few years. Any drum-machine boom is replaced by a golf clap; nervous guitars tag out for tranquil synthesizers. 

But like I said, the song's rapidly mutating quality can be seen from any vantage point. In his lyrics, Drake crafts a panoramic vision where nightmares and dreams are on equal display. One moment he fancies himself rap's "Steph Curry," and the next he's recalling the time his absentee father neglected to pick him from his house. His attempt to turn it into a lesson about never asking for help flounders because he's noticeably shaken. Whatever chestpuffing he tries can't mask a shattered visage. 

Similar disappointment extends to friends who receive shout-outs for "holding down the set," only to be chastised for calling as soon as they need a favor. When Drizzy later admits to being uncomfortable with love that's "unconditional," puzzle pieces start falling into place. He's "too focused on people's feedback" and while he craves attention, too much of the wrong kind will make him wilt. He's still floating "somewhere between I want it and I got it." Though he claimed "nothing was the same" on his stellar third album it's clear that's untrue. The balance between "humble and self-aware" is impossible to find, but he keeps trying.




If his claims of spring 2015 popping with "PND droppin', OB droppin', Majid Jordan droppin', not to mention me droppin'" are to be believed, "0-100/The Catch Up" may appear on the new LP. Also, like a lot of Drake efforts any more this one is load with too many quotables for one write-up. My personal favorite is "f*** all that rap to pay your bills s***; I’m on some Raptors pay my bills s***," but I'd love to hear yours. So leave your own faves in the comments section below.