Aubrey Graham, popularly known as Drake, is one of the biggest and most influential artists of this generation. With albums like “Views,” “Nothing Was The Same,” and “Take Care,” Drake has one of the most impressive discographies in the history of Hip-Hop. Despite the mainstream success, other rappers and fans have tried to discredit his success by bashing him and his music.
Recently, Drake engaged in a diss war against Kendrick Lamar, a rapper who he previously worked with. “100 GIGS” was released with a bunch of behind-the-scenes videos of his life, and it is his first serious release since the feud. With it being a moment for him to make a statement, he is aiming to come back into the game after a battle that many would say he lost. The EP features 6 songs, with 4 of them currently available on streaming services and 5 available on his 100gigs.org website.
“Circadian Rhythm” is similar to a lot of recent Drake rap, with a combination of a tough beat and a few punchlines that may fly over your head in each verse. One that sticks out is, “How many funeral dates did they plan and I dodged it like the truck?” In this line, Drake references that he has beefed with many artists in the industry he once collaborated with. Some of these artists include Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, and Future. There are many more, but those are some of the most popular. Along with reference to his beefs, he also uses wordplay with “dodged it like the truck,” which refers to the popular automobile company Dodge. Overall, this song isn’t anything spectacular, but it’s very catchy and something the casual listener may add to their playlist.
“It’s Up” is seen by many as the face of this EP, as it has features from rappers 21 Savage and Young Thug. Drake starts the song off with an intro that gives the vibe of a slow song filled with punchlines, but after a sudden beat change and a Young Thug chorus, the song’s mood goes from chill to hype. In the 2nd verse of the song 21 Savage says “No rap cap come out my mouth, made a couple songs, think he hot now, hit his *** up, he think he Pac now, broad daylight, he got shot down.” This line seems to be a diss towards rapper Kendrick Lamar who has been in an active feud with Drake for the better part of this year, but Savage’s manager Meezy claims that the lines were not a diss towards any specific rapper, but fans have found that hard to believe for a multitude of reasons. First, he says “made a couple songs, think he hot now” which conveniently applies to Lamar as he has released a few songs this year dissing Drake. The other part of the line is in reference to Tupac “2Pac” Shakur’s “Hit’ Em Up,” one of the most well-known rap disses in history. This connects to Lamar as 2Pac was one of Lamar’s favorite musicians growing up. Even if the line wasn’t a diss, most fans including myself agree it was a great song by all parties involved, and it is a must listen if you’re a Drake fan.
“Housekeeping Knows” ft. Latto and DJ T-Time is just a club song. It’s not meant to be hyper-analyzed, it isn’t supposed to be impressive, and it’s just something that you listen to at a party, or when hanging out with friends. This flow of the song reminds me a lot of “Rich Baby Daddy” from his 2023 project “For All The Dogs,” which is known to have a good mix of party songs and songs that you will want to sit down and listen to, similar to this ep. Latto does alright, I’m just not a huge fan of hers, but if you like her music then you’ll likely love her verse on the song. This song is not a personal favorite of mine, but I also wouldn’t skip it if I heard it on the radio.
“Blue Green Red” is catchy but emotional, much less optimistic than most modern Drake songs. The song features Drake rapping in a little Jamaican Patois along with English. “SOD” (Stacks On Deck) is the only song that was never released on any streaming platforms due to an inability to get a sample clearance. The song shows how Drake can go from a tough, lyrically advanced artist to someone who can make a song that is just catchy. The song was leaked onto Twitch streamer Kai Cenat’s stream, and it originally features a verse from Lil Yachty, but Drake removed it for unknown reasons. “SOD” is available on 100gigs.org, but “Blue Green Red” can only be found from random people who release it on different platforms like YouTube, Soundcloud, etc.
Drake finishes the EP with “No Face,” a song that’s gritty and lets you know that while he can make songs that have nice melodies, he also makes songs that show that he can rap in a traditional hip-hop style with the best of the best. One lyric that stands out is “My therapist put in a thirty-day notice ‘cause I keep on takin’ ‘bout beefin’ and business and money and women, there’s no diagnosis.” This is meant to show how much he has going on in his life while still getting bigger and bigger. The song is rich with many different lines that will make you want to think and analyze everything he is saying.
Overall, Drake wasn’t trying to make an ep that was going to change the world, he wasn’t trying to make a huge impact on his legacy, he was just trying to remind the audience that there’s a reason why he’s as big as he is, and this is especially relevant with his active beef with Kendrick Lamar. Drake does a great job at coming back into the game unaffected by the past few months with “100 GIGS,” and now has the fans anxiously waiting for what he will release next.
4.5/5
