So this is a bit of a shameful confession. Drake has been my most streamed artist for the last 4 years now. Maybe it's the fact that I spent a massive chunk of my life in/around Toronto and the surrounding areas that causes his music to resonate with me. Maybe it's that deep down I'm emotional and vulnerable like Drake is, which makes his lyrics hit close to home. Or maybe it's just the fact that he makes genuinely good music.
Whatever the reason is, I decided to put this fandom to the test and try to determine what I think is the best Drake song through the use of a tournament style bracket. I put over 230 songs head to head over the span of the last two weeks and have finally narrowed it down to the Top 4. I can confidently say that any song in the top 54 of this bracket are absolutely sensational and I wouldn't fault anyone for including them among their personal favourites. That being said my Top 4 consisted of "Jungle" and "Star67" from If You're Reading This It's Too Late, "Marvin's Room" off of Take Care and "Jaded" from Scorpion.
This has been quite a while in the making but here we go, finally we're about to crown a winner of Aubrey's Arena. Let's get into it.
Jungle vs Marvin's Room
I don't remember if it was on Twitter or YouTube or the genius.com comment section but I read someone say that "Jungle" is Drake's second version of "Marvin's Room" so it's almost poetic that the bracket ended up pitting them against each other in the semi finals. I'm not sure I entirely agree with the commenter, but I do see the similarities between the tracks. Both feature downtempo instrumentals and Drake at his most vulnerable. He sings about heartbreak, his insecurities, and longing for a woman from his past. I genuinely feel this is when Drake is at his best, when it's him being emotionally expressive on a beautiful beat by his go to producer 40.
I don't think it's a stretch to say that "Jungle" has the better instrumental. The sample from Gabriel Garzón-Montano's song "6 8" that forms the base of the track is a perfect slate for Drake to recount a past relationship he had with a woman from the Lawrence Heights neighbourhood in Toronto, the nickname of the neighbourhood which the track's title is a reference to. The crisp percussion throughout continually drives the song forward while the rest of the minimalist production keeps the mood thoroughly melancholic. With three complete verses of somber and introspective lyrics, "Jungle" has rightfully earned a spot in the Top 4 of this bracket.
"Marvin's Room" is undeniably a staple in Drake's discography, and rightfully so. The vulnerability and sensitivity he shows on "Jungle" is on full display and even magnified on this track as he structures the song around a late night drunken call he made to a former partner. Once the opening voicemail ends and the percussion and synths start to swell you know exactly what type of song you're in for off of the production alone. Drake's now iconic opening lines of "cups of the rosé / b-tches in my old phone / I should call one and go home" perfectly sets the scene for what's in store on the rest of "Marvin's Room". Drake is hurt and even disgusted on this track and every single line on this song just oozes with these feelings which is just further exemplified by the tone he uses in his vocal performance. This isn't a song I listen to frequently, but the countless listens I went through while creating this bracket has firmly solidified this as one of the best songs in Drake's entire discography.
Not particularly difficult to tell by how I wrote about these songs but "Marvin's Room" clearly is the winner here. "Jungle" is fantastic, but everything he does on that song is surpassed by "Marvin's Room" in my opinion.
Winner: Marvin's Room
Jaded vs Star67
These two songs might be a bit controversial to even have included in a Top 4 list of Drake's discography. Neither of these tracks are in the top 75 of most streamed songs as both are buried somewhat in the middle of their respective albums which are relatively lengthy themselves. Both tracks feature Drake reminiscing and expressing negative emotions about two completely different things but the end result is two phenomenal tracks.
In prior articles I mentioned how I feel like "Jaded" might be the pettiest song in Drake's discography. The entire premise of the song is summed up in the title. Drake is jaded and the topic is a past relationship as it often is. The song is brutal. Every listen has me wondering exactly what a certain then 21 year old R&B singer from slightly north of Birmingham did to inspire the lyrics. This song like many others that made it far in the bracket have Drake's lyrics and delivery pushed to the forefront thanks to the choice of production. The beat is quite bare and has nothing more than some whining synths, a hi-hat, a kick, some 808s, and some absolutely incredible Ty Dolla $ign backing vocals. Drake's vocal performance is filled with hurt and resentment which is capped off by the second verse where he goes on a lyrical tirade attempting to justify why he feels the way he does. After the onslaught he sings "most of things I don't wanna say" but judging by the fact he recorded and released the song confirms that is in fact a lie. Drake might be at his best when he's at his pettiest and boy oh boy was he petty on this one.
It's kind of refreshing that "Star67" is the one song in this Top 4 that Drake doesn't have a woman as the focal point. Instead he uses the track and it's multiple different musical sections to address a few different topics but the core is focused around scamming; both phone scams he committed with his friends in the past and the scam that his label owner Birdman was pulling on both himself and Lil Wayne. The song is segmented both lyrically and tonally into three distinct sections. In the first, Drake comes across angry and aggressive as he flexes his wealth, playboy persona, and most importantly opens by asking "where the check though" as presumably confronts Birdman for over $50 million in missing money. Verse two then shifts into Drake reminiscing about his time "workin on the phones" with his friends with the title of the track referencing the *67 that can be dialled before making an outgoing call in order to make it appear anonymous. He talks about phone scams and justified the activity in order to help support himself and his mother despite making money off of Degrassi. The song wraps up with an intoxicated feeling and another beat switch as Drake talks his mixing of drugs and how he's always felt like this lifestyle of success was destined for him.
It's a bit more difficult to compare these songs because of how different they are and the fact that I really enjoy them both, but I'm leaning slightly towards "Jaded" between the two. It's got more of an emotional impact to it and has Drake offering some of his most honest confessions on the back of a failed relationship out of any song in his expansive discography.
Winner: Jaded
3rd Place Match: Jungle vs. Star67
I never would have guessed that out of all of the music Drake has released, the bracket would produce not one but two songs from a commercial mixtape that was released as a surprise. I'm going to use this opportunity to say that in MY opinion, song for song If You're Reading This It's Too Late is one of the best releases in Drake's discography. "Energy", "10 Bands", "Know Yourself", "No Tellin", "Madonna", "Wednesday Night Interlude", "Company", and "6PM in New York" are all superb songs and I think a lot of people aren't quick enough to mention this project amongst the best of them.
When it comes to deciding between "Jungle" and "Star67" I don't think the decision is too difficult. "Jungle" is far and away the better song in both production, delivery and songwriting. However, in the grand scheme of things, I am very happy that "Star67" made it as far as it did here as like the rest of the mixtape, deserves a lot more recognition than it currently has. Listen to verses two and three the next time you're on a late night drive. It's marvellous.
Winner: Jungle
Championship Match: Marvin's Room vs. Jaded
Beneath the surface of rap beefs and veiled threats, amidst the exuberant displays of wealth, status, and power, and the constant mentions of his lust for women, Drake reveals himself as an emotional person seeking genuine love. However, when his pursuit of love fails, he is deeply and genuinely affected. This raw vulnerability is evident in both of these songs, where Drake's reaction to romantic failure is dramatically different in each case.
On "Marvin's Room" the overall sentiment can be described as remorseful. He raps about still wanting this woman despite her having moved on and settled down with a "good guy". This longing can be summed up with a line on the final verse where he raps "Talk to me, please, don't have much to believe in / I need you right now, are you down to listen to me?" He's not over this woman, he wants her back but deep down he knows he can't have her. So rather than accepting this reality and moving on, he tries to wedge himself into the situation all driven by a late night and slightly too much alcohol.
"Jaded" on the other hand features none of the positive longing that is present on "Marvin's Room". Drake is scornful and even borderline angry at what went down in the failure of this relationship. Don't let the singing, Ty Dolla $ign background vocals, and beautiful instrumental fool you, this is certainly a diss song. With lyrics like "You played me, you played me / Lowdown, dirty, shameful, crazy" it's impossible to deny the fact. What makes me laugh though, is the fact that Drake still manages to offer praise in the midst of all this and talk about all of the things he could have done to improve the life of this woman had she stayed with him. As they'd say in the U.K, "mad ting innit".
Both of these songs are incredible which is why they ended up in the top two. However, "Marvin's Room" is certainly the unequivocal song when it comes to emotional delivery and summing up who Drake is as a person in musical form behind the mask. It's for that reason that it's without much doubt the winner of Aubrey's Arena.
Winner: Marvin's Room
That's all folks.
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