It’s 2019 and it’s very clear that the streaming era is in full effect. With the rise of streaming platforms over the last couple years, many artists have been re-releasing select older music onto these services (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) that wasn’t previous available. Artists including Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, and many more have released older mixtapes on the services for instance. Drake is just the latest major artist to follow this trend, releasing his 2009 mixtape So Far Gone for the first time commercially.

Should I listen to it?

Yeah you may be a Drake fan, but have you actually listened to So Far Gone? I wouldn’t blame you if you haven’t, as the project wasn’t widely available before this. It’s also 10 years old so the younger generation may be completely lost on it. The project was Drizzy’s third mixtape, following 2006’s Room For Improvement and 2007’s Comeback Season. It is often viewed as the moment where people really started to take him seriously as an artist.

As I re-listened to So Far Gone today, I realized that the project is actually very good given the contexts surrounding the time it was recorded and Drake’s versatility as an artist. Admittedly there are some corny bars here and there, but his rapping and singing is exceptional for the most part.

Standout tracks

Even if you haven’t listened to the original So Far Gone mixtape that contains 18 tracks, you’ve probably heard a few of the bigger tracks off the shorter EP version including “Successful” and “Best I Ever Had”. But given that the full project is now available, I’d suggest checking out these standout tracks and the project as a whole if you like what you hear.

“Houstatlantavegas” – Drake

This track is honestly in the conversation as one of Drake’s best ever. His singing really stands out as well as his rapping. The story that he tells is also very engaging and relatable for a lot of people. This is a personal favorite of mine from the project.

“November 18th” – Drake

At this point, you’ve probably heard of Drake’s famous series of songs that include either a date or a place. This is one of the first instances of that series, and it is definitely one of the best. This song features heavy use of Houston-style chopped and screwed vocals as well as a mixture of singing and rapping. It is iconic among Drake fans, and for very good reason.

“Say What’s Real” – Drake

Drake over a classic 808s & Heartbreak Kanye West beat? Yeah you read that right. Drake absolutely rips this beat apart while spitting some of the realest bars of his career thus far, talking about things such as how he feels and how he thinks his career will pan out. We’re lucky to have this track included on the project considering the beef that Kanye and Drake have, so enjoy this one while it’s available.

Final verdict

Clearly So Far Gone is a great project and it’s up there with Drake’s best so far. It played a large part in shaping Drake into who he’s become and how far he’s come in the past 10 years. If it isn’t obvious yet, give this project a listen and take a ride back to 2009 courtesy of Drizzy Drake himself.