First, he was lesbian, now he’s bisexual. Toronto rapper-songwriter, Drake made headlines with the release of his 8th studio album, For All The Dogs.
First, he was lesbian, now he’s bisexual. Toronto rapper-songwriter, Drake made headlines with the release of his eighth studio album, For All The Dogs. The highly anticipated album comes after a world tour.
Originally set to release on Sept. 22, the album release changed to match the end of Drake’s tour on Oct. 6. During the tour, Drake promised that For All The Dogs is meant for his long-time fans. It has 23 songs and boasts an array of A-list features such as Teezo Touchdown, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Yeat, SZA, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Chief Keef, Bad Bunny, Sexyy Red, and Lil Yachty. The album also features an interlude track from the late DJ Screw, an excerpt from Snoop Dogg, and a verse from Drake’s son, Adonis.
J. Cole and Yeat featured some of the most exciting verses on “First Person Shooter” and “IDGAF”. However, it was Teezo Touchdown and SZA who stole the show with vivid vocal performances on multiple tracks throughout the album. The long-awaited collaboration between Drake and Lil Yachty met heavy expectations on “Another Late Night”.
The production on this album is better than any of Drake’s work in the last few years. OVO producers looked into bringing back classic sounds while still adapting to the new era. Drake’s staple sped and pitched-up soul and R&B samples laid over luscious piano chords, heavy trap drums were present to compliment some of the features. And, of course, Drake’s singing was back, but it was actually bearable this time.
Thematically, the album does not draw on any deeper meaning or concepts. It’s a Drake album. The main themes are hoes, baby mamas, money, ridiculous flexing, and reminiscing about life before the fame. It is a recent reflection on life from the biggest artist in the world, and that’s where its value resides.
Lyrically, the album is fun and light-hearted. Drake is an entertaining MC, to say the least, with hilarious bars like “Feel bi, cause you’re one of the guys, girl” on “Members Only”. People on Twitter are pointing to lyrics on “Fear of Heights” as alleged Rihanna disses; his use of the word “anti” is pretty damning evidence for the theory. However, sub-disses like this are not worthy of any serious attention. Another notable lyric is from “All The Parties”, where Drake shouts out Toronto rappers Pressa, Duvy, and the deceased Smoke Dawg. The bar is interesting because some of the rappers he mentions are known for their opposite affiliations. Drake addresses this later in the song when he says,
“And I wish I could dead all the beefin’
And I wish I could dead all the dissin’ deceased friends
I wish we could be friends
Probably sound like I’m preachin’
The city might sleep in some peace then
But it’s not realistic.”
Overall, the album sits in the middle of Drake’s discography in terms of quality. It is not game-changing like “Take Care” or “Nothing Was The Same”, but nonetheless, it is fun and will probably be the only thing you hear for the next couple of months. It is his best body of work in the 2020s and like all Drake albums, it grows on you slowly. Drake has said that he is going to be taking a long break from music and this is a good note to end on for the time being.
