"Two Birds, One Stone My Aim is Amazing"

Speaking from the perspective of a longtime Drake fan, his stream of consciousness freestyles represent his best work. Thinking all the way back to So Far Gone with Say What's Real or even 9AM in Dallas, he's at his best when he's ripping off bars one after another and spewing his inner dialogue on the mic. To this date, he's always seemed to rise above all the disses and subliminal messaging that finds a way to leak out when success comes your way. That's what made all this Kid Cudi business that much harder to palate.

Let me explain. In case you missed it, Cudi checked himself into rehab soon after releasing a very candid post about his inner turmoil. With all the unchecked mental health issues we have as a society, it wasn't a surprise to witness the out pour of support in his decision to seek out help. Then Drake started releasing new music and in one of the four tracks he released that will be a part of his More Life compilation, he took some shots at Cudi. But he did so in the most Drake way possible, subliminally throwing shade at his mental health issues in the most even-tempered diss you'll ever hear. Below are the lyrics that are drawing universal ire this week...

You were the man on the moon
Now you just go through your phases
Life of the angry and famous
Rap like I know I’m the greatest
Then give you the tropical flavors
Still never been on hiatus
You stay xanned and perked up
So when reality set in you don’t gotta face it

It worth asking, was it bad timing for this particular release given the Drake probably didn't anticipate Cudi going into rehab right before the song being released? Was it kicking a man while he's down like everyone is claiming? Sure there's even more smoke given that Lupe Fiasco also aired Cudi out this week and now Kanye is being drug into the mess because his name is all over the production credits. I don't know what to believe, honestly. I'm a fan of all these artists' work, but Drake did cross the line by calling him out. Drake should know better than anyone too because he's one of the most transparent, introspective artist on the mic. My guess is there will be a mending of fences at some point, but it can't feel good that a few lines in the track is distracting from the overall point of the track. Hopefully when we get to hear additional tracks from More Life, they will have the same degree of thought put into them without the added negativity...#TwoBirdsOneStone

Drake - Two Birds, One Stone (prod by Noah "40" Shebib)

"If the Devil's in the Details, Then I'm Satanic"

If you thought Drake was going to let a full calendar year go by without releasing new music, think again. In a month's time he'll be releasing a slew of new tracks that will be surfacing on his More Life "playlist". It wasn't me that chose the word playlist either, take it from Drake himself...

“I’m off like mixtapes, I want to do a playlist. I want to give you a collection of songs that become the soundtrack to your life, so this More Life: The Playlist. Like I said, dropping in December. All original music from me. You might hear some tunes from the family on there. Just really excited. I had a great tour, I had a great summer. And most people would like go probably take a break, but for me I just want to get right back to it. Be with the people again." - Drake

So there you have it. It's not going to be mixtape, it'll be a collection or playlist of songs that will have some type of deeper meaning to your life. I'm not sold on that bar being reached with Sneakin', but it's a smooth Hip Hop track nonetheless. Featuring a noteworthy cameo from 21 Savage, it takes on much more of a steam of consciousness freestyle than a well rounded track. It's a fresh nugget worth a few listens, nothing more or less. At the very least, I'm excited to hear what will follow in December...#MoreLife

Drake feat 21 Savage - Sneakin'