Final Fantasy

Drake gets really real, opening up about being a baby daddy and his other life problems in his latest release, the 25-track "Scorpion." In a first burst through the album, it seemed a big long and meandering, but a second listen to try and find tracks that I liked and didn't like, left me with a lot more likes than I first anticipated. First off, as always, Drake picked out some great beats. Second, I really enjoy that he opens up about his personal life, especially in the second half of the album. A song like "March 14" is so telling. Many people might call these problems of the rich, but I think it humanizes him more than anything. I also liked "Blue Tint," which most of the reviews that I've read since listening thought was a bad track, which is mystifying. Survival really kicks off the album with some solid Drake flare, and Final Fantasy really puts a stamp on a very strong album. Sure, there are some stinkers ("Summer Games," 8 of 10" and "Talk Up") to name a few, but you have to expect that with an album with 25 tracks on it. Where I put this in my rankings of the Drake catalog is ahead of "More Life" and album "Nothing Was the Same," but not as good as mixtape "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" or "Take Care."

Anyhow, I have several photos to share from various baseball action from the second half of June.