Music Review: Drake "Worst Behavior"

Drake

Worst Behavior

Album: Nothing Stays The Same

Year: 2014

          Drake calls out the people who didn’t believe in him in the foaming  “Worst Behavior.”

          Stretched beats open the single, setting an unwieldy tone.  When he visits his old neighborhood, he found he has friends who didn’t he had. Other people judge his music. They ask what he plans to do when he’s no longer famous. He says it’s not going to be a problem. He was handpicked for by his record label and groomed to be a star. (“Worst/********** never loved us/Fucka never loved us/You ain't know, now you know now/Still at it, scrub J's with a toothbrush/Shit/****** still playing my old shit/But your shit is like the police askin' us questions/*****, we don't know shit

Flexin'/*****, I'm just flexin'/***** never loved us/Do it look like we stressin'?/Look at you, look at you and look at you/Aww, I'm glad that they chose us/Cause man it's a mission, tryna fight to the finish/Just to see if I'm finished.”)

          In the chorus, he says he’s defending his career and has to rant about it. (“On my worst behavior, no? They used to never want to hear us/Remember? ********* never loved us/Remember? *********** !/Remember? ********** never loved us/I'm on my worst behavior! Don't you ever get it fucked up!/********** never loved us!/Man, ************ never loved us/Worst behavior! ************ never loved us/Fucka never loved us! Worst behavior.”)

                   He says the same people who criticized him now want to hang out with him. He doesn’t have to time to deal with them. They should telling him how they sorry they are. (“Hold up, hold my phone/********** never loved us/Fucka never loved us

Now you want to roll one/********* never loved us/So everywhere we go now, full cup/Always hated the boy, but now the boy is the man/*********, I done grown up/You know me? You know me?/I'm liable to do anything/When it comes to that you owe me/You owe me, you owe me/Bitch you better have my money/When I come for that shit like O.D.B.”)

            The chorus is sung again.

            He references Mase’s verse from Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” He adds he visits his grandma at the cememtary and asks her for guidance. Then, he returns home and is Drake the Rap Star again. He has friends with him inside his mansion. He says he smokes weed regularly. He thinks of his mom who is going to listen to his song and think he’s going to be on a downward spiral soon. He says he’s not the child star anymore. Regardless of what he does, he’ll be remembered for something all over the world. (“Who's hot, who not? Tell me who rock, who sell out in stores?/You tell me who flop, who copped the new drop, whose jewels got rocks/Who else making rap albums, doing numbers like it's pop?/Same old pimp, Drake, you know ain't nothin' changed/With these funny style ******, we done put on in the game/I just ask for some blessins at my grandmother's grave/And it's back to L.A., open the mail, starin' at the check/Enough to make you throw up, man it's gross what I net/I'm with my whole set, tennis matches at the crib/I swear I could beat Serena when she playin' with her left/Oh, where I reside it look like a resort inside/******, where your shit from? I imported mine/Bar mitzvah money like my last name Mordecai/Fuck you bitch, I'm more than high/My momma probably hear that and be mortified/This ain't the son you raised who used to take the Acura/5 a.m. then go and shoot Degrassi up on Morningside/For all the stuntin', I'll forever be immortalized/Yeah, back and forth across the border line/Hate to leave the city, but I've got to do the overtime/Gone all the time, even the important times/I should let you know ahead I'm comin' back on my worst behavior.”)

       In the final section, he confronts his detractors again. (“Remember? Remember? *********, remember?/Hold up, hold my phone, they used to never want to hear us/

Remember? ********* never loved us/Remember? ********, remember? Worst behavior.”)

               Drake’s raving rap blows off steam and cusses people, which goes on too long. While swearing can have an impact (Alanis Morrissette’s “Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?” gets right to the core of her jealousy and anger), Drake just says the words. It’s not until the third verse that he references Mase that the single actually does something. It’s then he makes his point. By then, it’s too late.

            There are plenty of pop culture references. For an early 2000s single, the O.D.B. reference would make sense. At that point, people would’ve remebered him from being on the Mariah Carey remix of “Fantasy” and storming the Grammy stage after Shawn Colvin won. Serena Williams is at least relevant, though. However, Drake mentioning Degrassi instead of hiding it is supremely awesome and human at the same time. Jimmy forever!

                    The  resentful  “Worst Behavior” should be put in the corner.