Best I Ever Had

So Far Gone Review
Category: Hip Hop

I laughed when I read the line "'So Far Gone' suggests what '808s & Heartbreak' would have sound like if Kanye West could sing." Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Kanye fan and appreciated the efforts of "808s & Heartbreak" but "So Far Gone", a mix tape from relatively unknown Aubrey "Drake" Graham, is fire from beginning to end.

Graham, a Canadian actor by day, has three self-published mix tapes to his credit under the name Drake but through some work with Lil Wayne, his latest "So Far Gone" has created quite the buzz and allowed him to reintroduce himself. "So Far Gone" features Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, Omarion, Bun B, Lykke Li and Peter Bjorn and seventeen quality tracks.

It's a mix tape you don't want to miss out on. Had O not sent me a text telling me about "A Night Off" featuring Lloyd (which I immediately listened to on YouTube) and requested more info (which was followed by a link to the download) I would have missed one of the best hip hop releases of this year. Yes, I said it - one of the best releases of the year! "So Far Gone" reminded me of the days of being able to listen to albums from beginning to end and with seventeen tracks, you get more than you get when you pay for an album (which is maybe 10 songs).

"So Far Gone" has what many albums are missing - originality and talent. Every track will quickly become a favorite. The album is smooth, rich and well produced. Drake mellows things out with tracks like "Bria's Interlude" and "A Night Off". Then he keeps it real with tracks like "Little Bit", "Best I Ever Had", "Lust for Life" and "Say What's Real". There's also club friendly tracks (however, trust me you'll never hear them in a club) "Unstoppable" and "Uptown".

Because of the robots that run the radio stations, you'll never hear these tracks on air but word is Drake, also known on his records as Drizzy, is in the beginning stages of working on his major label debut (due out at some point this year or early 2010) so perhaps that will lend some headway to providing a mainstream outlet.

For more info on Drake:
http://www.octobersveryown.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thisisdrake

To download:
http://www.octobersveryown.net/mixtapes/drake_sofargone.zip

"So Far Gone" tracklisting...


















# 1. Lust For Life
# 2. Houstatlantavegas
# 3. Successful (feat. Trey Songz & Lil' Wayne)
# 4. Let's Call It Off (feat. Peter Bjorn & John)
# 5. November 18th
# 6. Ignant Shit (feat. Lil' Wayne)
# 7. A Night Off (feat. Lloyd)
# 8. Say What's Real
# 9. Little Bit (feat. Lykke Li)
# 10. Best I Ever Had
# 11. Unstoppable (feat. Santo Gold & Lil' Wayne)
# 12. Uptown (feat. Bun B & Lil' Wayne)
# 13. Sooner Than Later
# 14. Bria's Interlude (feat. Omarion)
# 15. The Calm
# 16. Outro
# 17. Brand New