Written by Alex Kehn
In early 2018, Drake released an EP entitled Scary Hours, which was a preview of his upcoming album, Scorpion. Scary Hours included one of Drake's biggest hit songs of his career, God's Plan, which worked phenomenally to assist in the hype surrounding Scorpion. On March 5th, 2021, Drake released Scary Hours 2, an EP that includes tracks from his highly anticipated upcoming album, Certified Lover Boy. Unfortunately, Scary Hours 2 does not excite me for Drake's LP that is slated to be released later this year.
Drake has been in a bit of a musical drought for the past several years, releasing 2 mixtapes that only feature older tracks, Dark Lane Demo Tapes and Care Package, as well as a lackluster album, Scorpion. Taking many years off from releasing new music is a formula that has worked for many artists in the past, including Bruno Mars and former Beatle, John Lennon. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Drake. Drake's return to releasing new music, in the form of a 3 track EP, falls flat and feels forced. After seeing the success of the first Scary Hours EP, it is absolutely no surprise that Drake took it upon himself to make a sequel. Unlike Scary Hours, Scary Hours 2 does not have a track that stands out. In fact, the tracks on Scary Hours 2 can blend together as one long, uninspired track if the listener isn't paying close attention.
Track Analysis:
All 3 tracks on Scary Hours 2, What's Next, Wants and Needs, and Lemon Pepper Freestyle, feel nearly identical to one another. Drake's cadence when rapping on each of these tracks feels prosaic seeing as he doesn't bring anything new to the table and resorts to his slow and somewhat boring flow. A strong sense of lyricism is not something that Drake has been known for since his early days as a rapper, but on Scary Hours 2 it feels as though he has hit an all-time low in terms of lyrical ability. On the opening track, What's Next, Drake rhymes you with you, and soul with soul, which is a sign of laziness in his songwriting. The chorus of What's Next relies on the word 'okay', and it feels almost as though Drake is a teenager freestyling for his friends, which is not good in this context.
On the next track, Wants and Needs, Drake essentially recreates What's Next, except this time there is a feature from Lil Baby, which does provide a breath of fresh air that the EP desperately needed. Lil baby is not my favourite rapper, but his presence on Wants and Needs is very welcome because without his feature, Wants and Needs would sound identical to What's Next, with the only difference being a very subtle beat change.
Lemon Pepper Freestyle wraps up Scary Hours 2, and it is undoubtedly the best track on the EP, albeit not because of Drake's role on the track. The track begins with a very good Rick Ross feature that lasts for the first minute and a half of the song. After Rick Ross delivers his verse, Drake returns to the track, once again bringing nothing new to the table in terms of his verses or his delivery. The beat on Lemon Pepper Freestyle is the most unique beat on the EP, implementing a soulful sample from the Danish duo, Quadron, which at least gives the track some form of musical depth that the rest of the EP unfortunately lacks.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Drake's Scary Hours 2 EP leaves much to be desired in every department except for features. Drake feels very formulaic throughout the EP and brings almost nothing new to the table. As a result of this EP being lackluster, to say the least, I do not have very high hopes for Drake's upcoming album, Certified Lover Boy, although only time will tell if Drake's new album will follow the same formula as Scary Hours 2. Overall I would rate this EP 3.5/10.
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