Drake 'Nothing Was The Same' Review Roundup: Critics Give Drizzy The Nod After New Album Leaks

Drake's hotly anticipated new album Nothing Was The Same leaked onto the internet last week and -because street dates and embargoes are for olds- the web at large wasted no time dissecting the Toronto MC's latest sadsterpiece. Two things they seem to agree on: NWTS is very Drake-y and very, very good. I've gathered the highlights below:

Rolling Stone:

"Wu-Tang Forever" might be the Drake-iest track ever, but Nothing Was the Same is full of runners-up. There's never been a hip-hop star quite like him - his taste in beats runs to gloomy synths rather than dusty samples, and passive-aggressively burning his exes (or himself) is his favorite way of bragging. This approach helped sell 2 million copies of his last album, 2011's Take Care, and he's not about to mess with the formula. A more accurate title for this album might have been Everything Was Pretty Much the Same: It's a brilliant summation of all the things you already love about Drake - unless you find him totally annoying, in which case it probably won't change your mind.

New York Times:

That may also be why Drake allowed few other people onto this album: it's a meaningful time to stand alone, on top. To the extent that other voices invade this record, they do so respectfully - Sampha's decaying pleas on "Too Much," Trae the Truth's Houston bona fides on "Connect," Jay Z's cool boasts on "Pound Cake," and that's about it. None of them disrupt Drake's effortless triumph over mainstream rap excess.

On his recent "5AM in Toronto," Drake gave himself an origin story: "My weight up/I refused to wait up/I started a new race." And that's true - by creating his own sound, and lane, he ensured no one could best him. And by being consistently innovative and great, he ensured that his outlier sound would take over hip-hop's center. He's winning under the new rules, and the old ones, too.

Complex:

As to the music itself, the rhymes are strong throughout-and they're Drake rhymes: self-centered, self-congratulatory, self-pitying, but strikingly insightful and clever and memorable. 

Stereogum:

So here we have a gorgeously wounded piece of work, intricately arranged to flow, about how the guy who made it is a hopeless and confused emotional oaf who can't find happiness even though he knows he has everything going for him. That's a complicated idea to get across, but Nothing Was The Same does it with slick panache. It's a deeply pretty album about deeply ugly ideas. And even if it's only barely a rap album, rap is more interesting with an album like this around. 

Vibe:

Drake definitely made good on his promise to show critics that his R&B posturing doesn't mean he still can't rap his ass off. Nothing Was The Same is an incredible RAP album. He's rhyming with purpose. 

The Drop:

But 'Nothing Was the Same' resonates in how relatable and accessible it all is because of Drake's impressive crafting of songs. The Jhene Aiko-featured 'From Time' maintains a level of earnestness and sweetness, which is hard not to feel sympathetic about. The sense of melody on the unfairly maligned 'Wu-Tang Forever' mixes chest-beating glory seeking with heart, and 'Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2′ reminds us what 'Nothing Was the Same' is at its core - a rap album. And a very good one at that. Drake's reaching for the crown, and if he has to be King Midas, so be it. 

Drake is currently in the middle of hyping Nothing Was The Same which drops September 24.

Let us know your thoughts on it in the comments.