This Is Our Jam: Drake, “Marvin’s Room”

In a review of The Weeknd a few months ago, I discussed R&B’s recent shift from the glamorization of sex and partying to a new focus on the emptiness that that lifestyle brings. Specifically, if sex and drugs won’t do it for these new R&B stars, what will? With Drake’s new track “Marvin’s Room,” we may have an answer. Released for free with a beautiful video accompaniment on his October’s Very Own blog, the song recounts one night at a club that leads to a drunk phone call with an ex who’s now “happy with a good guy.” As Drake sing-raps over the hollow, minimal beat, his staid delivery feels bleak and uncharacteristically naked. "Marvin's Room" touches on the typical Drake-isms (being famous, being sad because he’s famous, being drunk, being sad because he’s drunk), but strips off his usual pretense and swagger. By the time the track is over, it’s clear that what Drake wants is the same as everyone else: “Someone to put this weight on.”