DJ Drama’s third album, Third Power invites an odd paradigm. Littered with dated synths and hi-hat infestations, this twelve-track offering revels in the spirit of 2007 where balling beyond boundaries was the base minimum, even for middle America. The Aphilliates artist bogarted airwaves with his Gangsta Grillz series throughout the aughts, blasting the careers of staple collaborators Lil Wayne, Rick Ross and T.I. into new respectospheres in the process. Third Power harnesses the same formula, only with rising names like J. Cole, Big Sean, Freddie Gibbs, Wiz Khalifa and Wale in place instead. In a sense, it’s an attempted shout to the future despite production feeling more past than present.
Young Chris, Meek Mill and Freeway team-up to drop platitudes on “Lay Low” 
(produced by Cardiak), as do Fabolous, Roscoe Dash and Wiz Khalifa on the Drumma Boy-produced “Oh My.” “Like Lebron / I’m taking my talents down to South Beach,” Fab kicks on the latter, opening with one of rap’s most overused similes. “Undercover” boasts a supremely lazy J. Cole appearance and a Chris Brown verse describing how his handcuffed tryst tells him he “…can give it her rough / But [he] better not get violent,” immediately inciting horrible images of his angry recent history. And as much as Young Yonny’s raucous “Self Made” backdrop undoubtedly wallops any speaker system in existence, Red Cafe and Yo Gotti’s commonplace commentary falls forty-yards short of compelling.
While Third Power continuously basks in the trite, at its best, it’s an undeniable listen. Crooked I owns one of the LP’s few truly interesting stanzas on “Take My City” – a chant worthy ode to hometown pride featuring B.o.B (produced by Nard & B) that feels as if it could’ve landed on T.I.’s Paper Trail. Akon and Giorgio Tuinfort’s funky chords and handclaps raise “Locked Down” (featuring Akon and Ya Boy) above the loquacious synths and snares drowning the bulk of the album and “Everything That Glitters” (featuring Pusha T and French Montana) benefits from a faultless hook and a welcome injection of introspection. Even Gucci Mane surprises on the Drumma Boy-produced “Me & My Money” – running an extended metaphor where cash is his girlfriend. For Rodrick Davis standards only, it just may be his best rhyming appearance yet.
“Never See You Again” is TP’s ultimate standout. Wale drops mack mode-laced quotables, while Talia Coles‘ soulful vocals float like frankincense over Dawty Music’s flip on Bob James’ “Take Me To The Mardi Gras” (or the beat from Run DMC’s classic, “Peter Piper” as it’s better known in Hip Hop circles) layered lovely with futuristic blips and electronic inflections. It’s a progressive blend of sounds and genres and generations – loaded with replay value, ready-made for respect and mainstream access.
And that’s the odd paradigm invited by Third Power. Track-by-track, sonically it’s redundant, rollicking a few years too late. But in its entirety, it is cohesive, rocking righteously in any party, club or car, even with it’s striking limitations. For everything TP lacks in avant-garde creativity, it supplements with the quintessential, adding up to an absolutely enjoyable collection of cliches. It may be out of touch, but it’s still good.
“Albums” like this are completely antiquated. Nobody’s buying compilations anymore. Not with artists like Kendrick Lamar out there.
Best of luck Drama, your deal is done.
This shit is garbage.
NICE MIX.. CHECK OUT SOME OF MY MUSIC
MILITARY SERVING OVERSEAS WITH OTHER DREAMS
_SaLuT3_
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Lay Low and Self Made are nice songs 🙂 3
dat rating is too high..Dis albulm is garbage but there r two songs worth listening too if u have never heard them b4…Lockdown & Oh my(radio hit)
FUCK DX. How could you give this a 3.5 and DiS a 4? DiS is at least a 4.5 and this shit is a 2. Balancing it out so I’ll rate it a 1.
DJS STOP MAKING ALBUMS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!! THERES GOOD PEOPLE ON THIS BUT THE SONGS ALL SUCK WAY TO FUCK UP PEOPLES NAMES DRAMA QUEEN 2/5 NO HIGHER NO LOWER
THIS NIGGA IS WACK, HE DOESN’T EVEN SPIT IN ANY TRACKS
AND YOUR JUST AS WORSE
why the fuck does he have an album!? he doesnt have any verses and doesnt even produce the majority of the tracks!? the fuck does he do?!
all the worst albums this year have been made by DJs why is that you think with all that star power and producers making beats it would be fire but its just a flaming piece of shit
I actually enjoyed this album, the track list appears underwhelming but there are some surprises and I like many of the beats
U ENJOYED DRAMAS DICK IN YOUR ASS
lol @ LAME’s comment
Yeah, what he said
wtf ?
lol
I Listened becuase its drama and i wanted to see who he featured..half the tracks shouldnt have made the cut. It should have been a new unheard young jeezy song and alot more should have been different..this isnt good enuf
I agree fully….Dj Drama, i really don’t know what made him think “Hm, Aight, this album is complete and it’s gonna go hard.”
I truly hate this album.
Listened to this on Spotify…wtf HHDX, your reviewer is an idiot. This album was not marginally worth a listening to, and like detroit said half of these songs shouldnt have made it on the album. this sounds like a bunch of throw away songs on a mixtape deal. Weak and disappointing
I don’t understand this. So they reviewed this a 3.5 and gave J. live and j. cole a 3.5. so basically they’re saying that this wack ass album is just as good as the j. live and j. cole albums? doesn’t make any sense, some explain that to me.
they need a reality check or they need to check reality one or the other
I make beats using DUBTurbo. They have every sound, chord, key, drum pattern, pitch, tone you can think of..literally check it out here(copy & paste link)—>HERES THE CORRECT LINK http://dubturbo.com/go.php?offer=idvision1&u=http://www.dubturbo.com/index_29.php
dum ass djs makes the beats of course dey nt goin rap n the shidd gosh ppl so fuqin stupid n this ablum is horrible
This album is absolute garbage..nevermind that it has a very impressive guest list because it doesnt matter. I hate the production and the same old subject matter…although if there were some descent beats to overshadow the suspect wordplay then that wouldve at least made it a little better. “Oh My” & Remix im feelin tho…FREDDIE GIBBS COLD DAY IN HELL-now there is something u need to cop
i thought this album was absolutely TERRIBLE. wtf is wrong with the music of today????? 3.5 stars???? if i could vote for 0 stars, i would.
2/5
khaled album is for the radio & drama is for the hood you make your choice
Some wack songs & some great songs 2.5/5 resp. – 3/5
I’m on the run, I can sense the Power rising. I hope I make it home before I Black out.