Drake Doesn't Bring Substance In "Scary Hours" EP

Drake might be the world's signature hip-hop artist, but if you look beyond the hype, there often times isn't a lot to find. Drake doesn't bring substance in his Scary Hours EP, using the drawn out beats and uninspired lyrics to keep riding his hype train.

The beats on the EP are at least promising. 'God's Plan introduces the two-track EP, the liquid, bouncing synth swirling and giving the song a pretty cool vibe. The beat itself isn't anything new, but it does have its little intricacies throughout the song that prevents it from getting stale too quickly. It progresses little by little, and while it's nothing special it's at least not using a basic formula. The beat of 'Diplomatic Immunity' is less diverse but overall more effective with the sparkling orchestras that add drama behind the swooning trumpets. It's dramatic but not trying too hard, sounding nice in the background.

Message-wise however... there isn't much to behold. 'God's Plan' is about the future, but in a bit of a woe-is-me kind of way. It has some more humble sentiments, though: "Hope I got some brothers that outlive me / They gon' tell the story, shit was different with me." There's nothing too major said in this song, and the flow is admittedly pretty lazy. 'Diplomatic Immunity' is much more catchy, and while its flow is a bit more driven, it still doesn't get much across. He takes stabs at Joe Budden and DJ Akademiks ("I’ve seen buddin' careers turn to sit around and talk about other careers, judgin' their peers / Knowledge from niggas who did not contribute to none of this here") and even delivers some banging lines on this one, especially "Violatin' the Treaty of Versailles, champagne is the alias, but no cease and desist in I / I refuse to comply with regulations, I listen to heavy metal for meditation, no silence." A much more solid song, but nothing too impressive all the same.

Drake doesn't bring substance in his Scary Hours EP, continuing on the stale-pop, undriven sound of More Life. There's a bit more going on here, but nothing major, keeping Drake on his safe and undaring road. He's going to need to start changing things up, because he's losing sight of quality over quantity.

Favorite Track: Diplomatic Immunity

Least Favorite Track: God's Plan

Rating: 65 / 100

Stream or buy Scary Hours on Apple Music, and listen to our 2018 Playlist: