This is where things start to get difficult. In case you missed what exactly is going on here, check out the post I wrote earlier to explain everything about Aubrey's Arena here.
First seeded "One Dance" lead the group with 2.56 billion streams while "Draft Day" comes up at the bottom with just 18.9 million streams. I'm just going to get right into it, here's how the initial bracket started off:
Round 1
(8) Too Much vs (9) Wu-Tang Forever
This is a brutal matchup to start off the Top 54. "Too Much" features an absolutely sensational hook from Sampha while Drake raps about the pressures and stresses of being the biggest artist in the game and simultaneously dealing with his family issues at home. "Wu-Tang Forever" on the other hand, has Drake paying homage to a legendary rap group while providing a dense verse with an incredible rhyme scheme. Both of these songs are standouts in his discography and would likely crack the top 30 if I was doing a track-by-track ranking but there can only be one that advances.
Winner: (8) Too Much
(4) Energy vs (13) Fucking Fans
We've got Drake with two completely different personas in this matchup. Truthfully, I find myself singing the hook of "Fucking Fans" way more than I care to admit. It has a great beat switch and has Drake getting incredibly introspective on the back half. That being said, it simply can't match the aggression and energy of "Energy" which reaches a highpoint at start of verse three just as it feels like the song is coming to a close.
Winner: (4) Energy
(5) Back to Back vs (12) Lord Knows
"Oh man. Oh man, oh man." I can't downplay how big of a moment "Back to Back" was living in Toronto at the time. It dropped just days before Drake's annual OVO Fest and almost immediately had the whole city's attention. It was mentioned on the news, played on the radio, and was so popular that it had my mom quoting lyrics back to me. The song is chock full of quotable bars and effective put an end to his little squabble with Meek Mill. No disrespect to "Lord Knows" at all which is a fantastic song in its own right, but "Back to Back" just has to take this one.
Winner: (5) Back to Back
(7) Pound Cake / Paris Morton Music 2 vs (10) Cameras / Good Ones Go
Another clash of two incredible songs in Drake's discography. Drake obviously comes correct on "Pound Cake" which can only be expected when you get a Jay-Z feature. That being said, Drake does take a back seat on the first half of this song letting Jay truly be the star of the show. Drake does make his return on the second half of the track but you can't deny that Jay-Z may have had the bigger impact. Conversely, "Cameras / Good Ones Go" has Drake all on his own with just a minor vocal contribution from The Weeknd. It almost feels unfair having both of these songs combined into one track but I digress. The scene Drake captures on "Cameras" and the emotion packed into "Good Ones Go" makes this tandem a clear winner in my eyes.
Winner: (10) Cameras / Good Ones Go
I absolutely adore the synth and minimal sounding percussion on "Teenage Fever" that Drake uses to tell the story of his high profile relationships, not to mention how meta the use of a pitched down Jennifer Lopez sample is on a song that potentially might be about her. The song is overall just sensational and expertly showcases Drake's capabilities as an R&B artist. "Draft Day" also features a high profile sample, making use of Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop" as a backing throughout the song. Drake lets off a single verse that stretches over two minutes long making mention of his wealth, weaving in a clever egg themed string of bars, hitting on Jennifer Lawrence, and sending shots at some of his contemporaries. This is also a really close one but the combination of Drake's vocal performance and smooth instrumental gives "Teenage Fever" the edge here.
Winner: (3) Teenage Fever
I feel like "Feel No Ways" captures Drake at the peak of his pop era. The beat is nothing but fun, Drake's lyrical performance matches that vibe and overall is just a wonderful feeling song. "Fancy" on the other hand is also a great song in its own right. Drake's first verse might be a a product of its time, but the beat switch into the interlude and then into his second verse provides a glimpse into his future as an artist as he carries this tone and mood forward into his next album. If we could chop "Fancy" in half at the 2:43 mark I would have definitely crowned it the winner of this matchup, but since that's not the case "Feel No Ways" comes out on top in this one.
Winner: (6) Feel No Ways
Round 2
(1) One Dance vs (8) Too Much
The trifecta of "One Dance", "Work", and "Controlla" was a cheat code for all DJs in the summer of 2016. On "One Dance", Drake borrows elements from dancehall and afrobeats; enlisting Nigerian artist and producer Wizkid for both a vocal and production contribution. There's no denying how massive the impact of "One Dance" was as it served as an introduction of a "new" sound to the masses. That being said, listening to it again in 2023 I can't help feel that the song feels a bit flat and lacking a certain "wow" factor, especially compared to some of Drake's more recent attempts into other "non-rap" genres (yes I'm talking about Honestly, Nevermind). I think it's for that reason that despite the impact, I don't think I have this song being better than "Too Much".
Winner: (8) Too Much
(4) Energy vs (5) Back to Back
Both of these tracks definitely fall into the same lane and feature the same "brand" of Drake which makes sense given they were released just months apart. This might be a controversial opinion, but when comparing these two songs "Energy" with its multiple audio layers that weave in and out, menacing keys, and hard hitting percussion just feels bigger sonically than "Back to Back" does. It might just be a side effect of Drake wanting to appear unbothered by the whole Meek Mill situation but his vocal performance doesn't sound nearly as impassioned on "Back to Back" as it does on "Energy". "Back to Back" may have been a moment, but overall I think "Energy" is the better song.
Winner: (4) Energy
(2) Nice For What vs (10) Cameras / Good Ones Go
This is another case of a pop smash being pitted up against a deep cut. "Nice For What" reached a peak of number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified 5x Platinum by RIAA. All of that being said "Nice For What" is a great pop hit but in the grand scheme of Drake's best songs it's not one I would consider to be specifically remarkable. That's even more obvious when pitted against a song of the quality of "Cameras / Good Ones Go". There's a clear winner in this one.
Winner: (10) Cameras / Good Ones Go
(3) Teenage Fever vs (6) Feel No Ways
If "Energy" vs "Back to Back" was a matchup of Drake's angry and aggressive personas, this one is a matchup on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. "Teenage Fever" features Drake talking about finding a flame in a new situation while "Feel No Ways" describes the exact opposite, with both tracks peeling back the curtain a bit and providing a lyrical depiction of Drake's love life. I really enjoy both of these songs but I have to give the slight edge to "Teenage Fever". The overall package of the song just feels more impactful with Drake delivering one of his best vocal performances absolutely packed with emotion over what I think is one of the best R&B beats in his discography.
Winner: (3) Teenage Fever
And this is where this bracket stops, we've got our Top 4 from Group 1!
Comments