Cole, I can see. I can feel Cole tugging but it doesn't come as natural as it did for Blu on BTH. To me, at least.
Today's Drake? Not at all. What I hear is someone who is confused on his identity (Blu & even J. Cole are never confused on their identity, but how they are identified within the world) and deflects that onto his music.
That probably makes no sense, but I will say that I heard some of what you're talking about on his older shit. Not on Take Care (or Thank Me Later), though. The last song I identify it with is
I guess my initial post should have read "I don't hear a trace of it left in Drake's music"
I agree. I especially loved HFC.
We don't know the FULL circumstances, and probably never will. So as far as I'm concerned, I still patiently wait for BTH2. I talked to Blu & Exile at Rock The Bells and they said they're working hard for it.
I say Drake knows exactly who he is with Take Care. He even said Take Care was the record he wanted Thank Me Later to be. He knows he makes songs for strippers to cry to. It is his lane and he feels comfortable within it.