Drake performing at MGM Grand arena

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It’s like a storm cloud hovering above a victory parade or the taste of saccharine: sweet at first, but with a bitter tang thereafter.

This is the initial impression made by “Take Care,” the sophomore album from alternately brooding and braggadocious rapper/singer Drake.

At times, it’s Drake’s end zone dance, the sound of corks popping, of self-made promises being fulfilled.

“I swear, it’s been two years since somebody ask me who I was,” he peacocks on “Underground Kings” over a circular guitar line and a skittering beat. “I’m the greatest, man, I said that before I knew I was.”

But there’s also a more sobering side to seldom being sober.

“I might be too strung out on compliments, overdosed on confidence, started not to give a (expletive) and stop fearing the consequence,” Drake confesses on “Headlines.” “Drinking every night, because we drink to my accomplishments. Faded way too long, I’m floating in and out of consciousness.”

In many ways, sentiments such as these are predictable, a rising star struggling with the demands of his newfound status and wealth.

But for Drake, a 25-year-old Toronto native who’s already notched a dozen No. 1 hits on Billboard’s rap songs chart, a sense of dislocation shrouds the growing pains of success.

He sometimes sounds caught between two worlds, eager to enter hip-hop’s royal court, but not fully prepared for it.

Imagine being handed the keys to a Porsche having never been behind the wheel before.

“A lot of ‘Take Care,’ it’s down, you know?” says Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, on a recent conference call with journalists during a tour stop in Nottingham, England. “I think a lot of that had to do with being back home in Toronto and just trying to get reacquainted with a life that I had before and the difficulties with that, but at the same time, trying to express excitement and joy. I’m in a very, very different place than I’ve ever been.”

None of this is to suggest that Drake comes off as a mope on his most recent disc, which is ultimately more revelrous than reflective, even though there are plenty of unguarded moments.

That Drake is so candid about his feelings, his anxiety and his accomplishments, as he adjusts to fame’s learning curve is what separates him from so many of his peers – even when it makes him look like a jerk at times.

“Any piece of music that I put out, I’m proud of the emotion, something I went through in my life, and it’s not painful,” he says. “I mean, sometimes it’s tough to do songs like ‘Look What You’ve Done’ when my mom is at the show or my dad’s at the show. It gets kind of awkward for me to talk about such personal feelings in front of other people.

“But at the same time, it’s also a beautiful thing,” he continues. “I get the records to come to life and I know people are listening to what I’m saying. None of my songs are ever about pained emotions. I don’t live a sad, miserable life or anything like that. I’ve said that countless times over and over again. I’m a happy individual – I just don’t live like in a bubble. I try and really describe what’s going on around me, good or bad.”

And so on “Take Care,” Drake will be comparing his greatness to that of Michael Jordan’s on one track, drunk dialing an ex-girlfriend on the next just because he needs someone to talk to.

“Don’t have much to believe in,” he sings in a hypnotic lilt on “Marvin’s Room” over a spare, narcotic beat, reaching out to a former flame. “I need you right now. Are you down to listen to me?”

It’s a moment of vulnerability, in the face of a woman, whom Drake alternately praises and objectifies.

“Sometimes in the songs that I’m making, I don’t always necessarily say the most respectful things, but I think that real women just appreciate how candid and honest I am about the mind of the man,” Drake says. “It’s more about giving them insight about how a man really thinks. I definitely don’t sugarcoat it. Women don’t want to hear about the fairy tale.”

Drake doesn’t seem to want to hear about the fairy tale either, even though he’s well aware that he’s supposedly living one now.

He’s not sure exactly where he’s going, but he sounds confident that he’ll get there.

“Really, I think I like who I’m becoming,” he announces on “Crew Love,” though he’s not exactly sure who that is just yet.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at
jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.