For fans of Big Brand Content disguised as entertainment promotion you couldn’t escape Offset, Westside Gunn pretended to be from Atlanta, Veeze expanded his Album Of The Year contender with an equally stellar deluxe treatment, MIKE dropped 2 jaw dropping projects within the last 6 weeks, and Ken Carson found the best beats in the universe and set them on fire in front of our faces (derogatory). But it’s time for everyone to look in the mirror and remember the kind of world we live in. One where art is a springboard for alternative entertainment, playlisting is key to survival at the top of the pops, and all discourse is good discourse. Insert Drake breaking out of a run since the pandemic that has garnered more side eyes than any 3 year stretch before it. Dark Lane Demo Tapes was the last rap project from Drake where inspiration felt natural for more than 2 tracks at a time but even it held the stomach churning “Crank Dat” style record in “Toosie Slide”. Her Loss and Certified Lover Boy had immense highs but some of the lowest lows in his storied catalog, and while Honestly, Nevermind is still incredible, it’s just not a rap album. 2023 saw a poetry book and a country spanning mega-tour with 21 Savage stuffed with surprise guests filled his usual content requirements while new music was sparse. J Hus and Central Cee got the UK variant of the Drake Stimulus Package, BNYX laced him with his most infections single since “Laugh Now, Cry Later” in “Search & Rescue”, and boy did he try his damndest to sound menacing on Travi$’ “Meltdown”. All of these songs are good, but comedic coming from the (probably intentionally) biggest walking punchline rap has had since Ma$e retired for God. The memes fly in by the dozens; floating towards a pie like a Looney Tunes character, contemporary Disney Channel animations of him joyfully interrupting Yeat, AI created photos running from horror movie cryptids. Separated from it all the music still stands out not just comparatively to mainstream releases, but to all hip-hop.
It’s structured like every Drake album has been since Views; enough core Drake songs to keep his Day 1 fans interested, a few sonic experiments, a couple features with friends, and an R&B track or two, eye popping uncredited voices sliding in. “IDGAF”, the long rumored Yeat collaboration is just a watered down Afterlyfe deep cut clunked up by someone with zero ties to the sound trying to smash a square peg into a triangular hole. Ghost Town DJ's Miami Bass classic has its drums ripped for the future roller rink classic "Rich Baby Daddy". Each Teezo Touchdown and Chief Keef entry slide perfectly into place whether it be as a sample, hook or background vocals. Sade and Snoop Dogg handle the BARK Radio interludes, Cash Cobain brings sexy drill mainstream to mixed results, and for whatever reason traditional “bars” and inquisitive schemes have regained his interest again. Punchline rap styles have either faded to the most skilled underground artists (shoutout Your Old Droog) or still forcing eyerolls when checking in on veterans (this is a PSA to get Lil Wayne to stop making full solo songs). In a world where Detroit rap is slowly taking over with their ostentatious punch-ins, quality rap couplets are making a full comeback. “8AM In Charlotte” is the glaring example of this, where Drizzy taps Griselda workhorse Conductor Williams just weeks after North Carolina/Drake’s stylistic forefathers Little Brother do the exact same. Timestamp songs have always been lyrical highlights full of target barbs at eskimo brothers or entertainers who have disrespected him personally, but for once a stream of 1-2 combos just exists for the fun of it. “First Person Shooter” is a throwaway made listenable if not only by the novelty of 2 all time legends being on one song together and acting as a maybe top-20 feature of J. Cole’s career. Even Yachty in his new Concrete Boy-arc pushes Drake with comedic barbs about Billie Eilish and off brand lean.
Introspective storytelling from The Boy has always been masterfully one sided, lacking any context for what the opposite party or 10,000 foot view of the situation appears. These detailed renditions of heartbreak and frustration have always been his superpower, but he’s become more linear again. Whoever broke his heart recently has sparked a consistent focus that’s been lacking since Nothing Was The Same. Where Take Care had tones of regret and just plain pain underlying the songs, For All The Dogs is Drake at his most spiteful. Immature lashings of a person freshly scorned, not allowing himself anytime to process but rather just let the feelings guide the songwriting. “Bahamas Promises” is a 3 minute croon about a ruined vacation, “Drew A Picasso” holds the refrain written by a million teenage girls of “so embarrassing I want to die”, and “What Would Pluto Do” becomes a mission statement of following in the footsteps of “Toxic King” and rap partner Future. Despite all the crudity of these tracks, when played amongst the entire peak Drake catalog they fit right in. All are highlights within the last 5 years and included in the run from “7969 Santa” into the outro (after swiftly deleting the Bad Bunny song not only from my Apple Music, but my memory) that is by far the best act of sequencing in his career.
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