Nothing Was The Same
| Drake
Nothing Was The Same
Nothing Was the Same is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on September 24, 2013, by OVO Sound, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Work on the record began in 2012 and continued through 2013. As an executive producer, Drake enlisted collaborators such as 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Jay-Z, Jhen Aiko and Sampha for guest appearances on the album. The album's production was primarily handled by 40 and other OVO Sound producers; including Boi-1da, Mike Zombie, Majid Jordan, Nineteen85 and Detail.- Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Pitchfork
His new album is a dimly lit affair, both morose and triumphant; as Drake albums go, this is the Drakiest.
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Billboard
Drake is confident.
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Genius
I think this album is slightly better than Take Care, which I consider classic, so lets get into this.
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Washigton Post
“Nothing Was the Same” is undeniably great — and undeniably familiar.
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The Gaurdian
Drake does the best job of being all things to all men.
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Variety
too many of these beats collapse in a waterlogged muddle, with Drake struggling to find a rhythmic foothold
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Consequence of Sound
It’s an exhilarating change of pace for the genre. Now pass the tissues.
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Spin
This is Drake at his best, when his innate pop skills combine with a mischievous desire to see exactly what he can get away with.
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Vulture
Today, it’s possible for the Greatest Rapper Alive and rap’s most clueless self-parodist to be the same guy.
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Boston Globe
He can make you uncomfortable, avert your eyes as if you’ve been caught eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation.
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Paste Magazine
On balance, though, we’d say that Drake’s recidivism has paid rich dividends. Nothing Was the Same is ugly, yes, but cathartic.
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Clash Music
Greatest rapper alive, Drake is not. But he remains an honest one. We’ll thank him for it later, no doubt
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All Music
Plus, there aren't many other rappers who do gloom as well as Drake and that's something worth supporting, if only because it's something different than the hip-hop norm in 2013.
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Napster
Drake will have to decide if he plans to usher in a new phase of artistic development, or if he'll remain content to refine his stylistic tics as he ages into a comfortable rap super stardom.
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The Line of Best Fit
Nothing Was the Same is different because Drake has stopped worrying so much about who he’s become and figured out who he is.
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Pretty Much Amazing
Nothing Was the Same is filled with beats that are a joy to listen to and Drake often has worthwhile things to contribute. But, more and more, his confidence is getting the best of him.
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Uproxx
Drake's pinings are an exposure of self and worth, elements of a truly successful rapper and this mostly successful album.
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Slant magazine
The album isn’t perfect, but it draws energy from that imperfection, further establishing a persona driven by Drake’s still-developing conflict between assurance and hesitation.
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Time
Drake Wrestles His Insecurities on New Album Nothing Was the Same
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XXL Magazine
Drizzy has shared another moment of his life, and now the only thing left to prove is if his crossover powers can last him a decade from now. Until that moment arrives, we’ll be waiting on it
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Tiny Mix Tapes
I find myself silently rooting for the guy, with a grin on my face and with his melodies stuck in my head
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The Communicator
Drake pushes new territory here with how bluntly confrontational and rude he can be — resulting in the most intriguing artistic development of Nothing Was The Same.
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Digital Spy
He hasn't messed around too much with its winning formula for his third opus Nothing Was The Same, which once again finds Drake delving into the past and searching for ways to cope with his superstar status.
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COOG Radio
In “Nothing Was the Same,” Drake sports a dark, introspective take on how he has adjusted to his fame.
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Vibe
Drake inches closer to that elusive classic LP distinction with a balanced diet of singing and 16s
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NY Times
The musical choices are familiar — hazy, often doleful post-soul and low-end-heavy hip-hop, largely moving slowly and with deliberateness.
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Chicago Tribune
Drake’s increasing mastery of not just rhyme, but tone and inflection is readily apparent.
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Idolator
Nothing Was The Same is literally nothing like the hungrier Drake found on his debut effort.
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Couch Sessions
Depth and substance is completely gone in modern music that it has to be made up and contrived to exist. Nobody does this better than Drake.
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Music OMH
But in the end, what really matters is that the superior Nothing Was The Same brings back the excitement of So Far Gone
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Refinery 29
Drake's Nothing Was The Same Is Filled With All The Feelings
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Neon Tommy
None of the music on the highly anticipated record is similar to what we have heard from the rapper before.
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The Needle Drop
Drake continues with his lyrical obsession with the tattered relationships of his past.
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Whip
The whole album gives off a chilled out vibe mixed with an eclectic array of Hip Hop, Rap, Trap, Pop, & R&B elements.
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WGMU Radio
No real hooks, few feature artists, and yet this album works.
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HipHopDX
Nothing Was The Same showcases new skills—trimming the unnecessary songs, and focusing on narrative details
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Free Beacon
Disappointingly, N W T S doesn't occupy the lush sonic landscape of "Take Care."
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The Drop
'Nothing Was the Same' is noticeably darker than its two predecessors -- 'Thank Me Later' and 'Take Care.'
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Las Vegas Weekly
Drake is as he as always been: responsible only to his emotions.
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Courier Journal
This album is for dark rooms and headphones. There are few hooks, almost no choruses, not much to sing along to.
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Ear Milk
"That's real," he raps with great conviction. Whether that is a mark of the music remains to be seen.
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The 405
Nothing Was The Same is a moody record, like a bottomless pit of violent and vocal hormones during puberty.
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The Star
It’s the internal push and pull struggle of finding some meaning within the transience.
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Noisey
"NOTHING WAS THE SAME" IS PRETTY STANDARD DRAKE, BUT PRETTY STANDARD DRAKE IS EXTREMELY TALENTED
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Rap Reviews
Drake is just fine on his own
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Bearded Gentlemen Music
When Nothing Was The Same, is good it’s exceptional though.
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Bona Fide Magazine
His “softness” is just too pronounced to ignore. But it’s also why Nothing Was The Same will undoubtedly be one of the best-selling records of the year
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Void Magazine
All of the singing performances, which are not done by Drake, are radiant and alluring.
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Zalebs
The greatest success of NTWS is that Drake has now managed to balance his weakness (his emotional aura) and his strength (His ease of always telling the truth) and combining the two into one strong point which has resulted into this album NTWS.
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Under the Gun Review
In fact, the focus of the album seems to be on his love/hate relationship with success, and how no matter what he achieves there is a part of him deep down that still feels incomplete.
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NY Daily
Drake also retained his trademark sung-rapping style. Only in this context, it's even sexier.
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Tampa Bay
Drake's 'Nothing Was the Same' cements his position on top
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The Review
The album has moments of greatness, but for the most part it’s non-memorable and not one that will be on repeat on my iPod.
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Afterdark
The imagery of the opening passage correlates fittingly with the albums title - it shows growth, excitement and also a nostalgia.
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Joonbug
In the end, we are more than satisfied with the album and will have it playing for a good while. Overall we'd give this album an 8 out of 10.
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News OK
For as long as Millennials treat self-awareness as virtue, he’ll be the generation’s biggest pop star, contradictions and all.
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Ear Buddy
It’s debatable whether or not Drake really started from the bottom, but he has definitely ended up at the top.
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SQ Magazine UK
Brash yet still confident enough to wear his vulnerability on his sleeve for the world to see.
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The Daily Beast
Drake’s ‘Nothing Was the Same’ Is Good, But Not the Great Album We Were Hoping For
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Renowned for Sound
It appears that it is the instances where Drake chooses to reveal his most personal issues that make for the best songs
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Spectrum
And as I've said before, Drake does a phenomenal job when he chooses to utilize his singing voice
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Rant Entertainment Media
From top to bottom the album just feels "cheap" and repetitive.
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SFC Today
Drake polishes his talents on this album.
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34 street
On tracks like “Connect” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” he shows off a newfound vocal confidence that sounds mature and in control.
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Jakob's
What a comeback
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USA Today
Drake may never match Jay's regal ease, or his wit. But Nothing finds the younger rapper asserting his own angsty authority with increased confidence.
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Hello Beautiful
Drake’s ‘Nothing Was The Same’ Isn’t A Classic, But A D*mn Good Attempt
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You know I Got Soul
Sadly, Nothing Was The Same is more of the same – the album swings from incredible to insomnia at a moment’s notice.
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The Sputnik
R&B fans and Rap genres unite in a soul filled way making Nothing Was the Same worth a thorough listen.
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Rap Dose
Regardless, OVO’s Orchestrator has managed to do it better than most, if not all.
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Tell Tales On Line
He is who he is, no one compares and Nothing Was The Same justifies just that. Drake deserves the huge hype he is receiving.
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TKC100
With a little bit of the old and a little bit of the new, Canadian rapper Drake turned in another stellar album.
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Graeme ONeil
Drake is an artist that I continue to appreciate his talent, but wish he delivered better material.
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Recommended Listen
The undisputed consistency about Drake is his thirst for creating sophisticated fashion concepts in his music.
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Just a Guy
Again, it is hard to simply jump into this pool of music and the preferred form of entry is a slow walk from the first track unto the deep end of the last.
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No Fillers
Nothing Was The Same is every bit as excellent and culture-shifting as Take Care, but more focused and polished than ever before.
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The Peach Review
Drake is a storyteller. Storytellers in music connect with people and that is how they earn a lifetime residence in music.
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City Paper
As a rapper, Drake is still stiff and rehearsed
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Female First
Drake manages to deliver an exciting R&B record that dips into multiple genres with ease and style
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Acclaim
Nothing Was The Same will not be remembered as Drake’s greatest album.
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The Lariat
Drake continues to do what he does best all throughout Nothing Was The Same.
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Best in the Mix
Of the three albums he has released, this is definitely the best one and I highly recommend that copping it.
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Planet Ill
Nothing Was The Same is his claim to 2013’s mainstream MVP.
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High Snobiety
As a complete work it doesn’t disappoint and narcissism is the fuel to Drake’s fire that we’ve always enjoyed.
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The Sil
You may remember Nothing Was the Same for the beats or for some interesting wordplay,
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Montreal Gazette
Album number three, and Drake shows no signs of fading.
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The Wrangler
This album seems as if he put little to no effort in making the songs.
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Dummy Mag
The emotional rapper's new album is "nothing for the radio", as he takes himself more seriously than ever before.
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Reflector
I think that I’ll go ahead and call this one a classic.
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