Drake has been on top of the rap game for a few years. He continues to rise with the recent release of his newest album, More Life.

The project was produced by OVO Sound and features multiple contributing artists, including Kanye West, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Travis Scott. Because of the various appearances by other artists, Drake and 40, the producer, decided to label it a “playlist by October Firm” rather than an album.

Being a crazed Drake fanatic, I had high hopes for this project, and, let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Drake’s sound has changed over the years, with a dramatic change from strictly R&B when “So Far Gone” was released, moving into a little more aggressive rap style in “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.” This album changes more with a nice variation of harder rap, slow R&B and upbeat sounds that you can dance to. The variation throughout the entire playlist kept me interested.

My personal favorite song on the album is “Since Way Back,” a collaboration with fellow OVO artist PARTYNEXTDOOR. Not only is this my favorite rap duo, but the whole song just speaks to me as it is very relatable. Mostly it reminds me of old school Drake and that warms my heart. The chorus is on point with a killer beat.

Drake is a lyrical genius when it comes to getting a point across and finding ways to sneak in a joke. He even jokes about drunk texting J. Lo in the opening song “Free Smoke.” Honestly, Drizzy kills every hook and constantly speaks the truth, while still maintaining the intention of producing music that is relatable to his audience. That is what sets him apart from the rest.

What really got me was the reference he made in “Jorja Interlude” with Stevie Wonder’s harmonica solo that appears in Drake’s “Doing It Wrong” from the album “Take Care.” Hearing this is what made the album special. Any avid Drake fan will catch a small detail like that and appreciate it.

Since the release of “Views,” Drake has been getting a lot of criticism on the path he takes in order to get the max streaming numbers. More Life’s negative reviews come from most saying that 22 songs is too long for an album. But he defends that by explaining that it is a playlist, and he wants to give the contributing artists the credit they deserve. It was a team project, and Drake acknowledges that it is not a solo album. These aspects add to the criticism, as he has been accused of “scheming the system,” but these numbers have to show for something, right? If people were not interested in what one of the most popular artists today had to say, they wouldn’t listen. The ability to stream free music has helped thousands of artists all over the world, so why are we dogging on Drake for taking advantage of this ability, as if he were the only one doing it?

Overall, this album is definitely worth listening to. Its good music and smart lyrics deserve to be appreciated.