Pops Culture

By: Papa Minnow

The BOY is back! Since the easing of restrictions we’ve come to learn that Drake has been adventuring “in the Missoni room, at the Byblos,” wherever that is, and has now released three albums in 14 months.

Coming off his unacclaimed experimental dance album Honestly, Nevermind, the self-proclaimed “6 god” gets back to his rap roots, and teams up with an inspired 21 Savage to deliver a concise and exhilarating album titled Her Loss. 

The duo have previously collaborated on several songs before, including the most notable song from Drake’s previous album, Jimmy Cooks. So it wasn’t an unnatural union for these guys to join forces on a full length project. 

Despite the album’s acclaim, Her Loss opens up with Rich Flex, a very convoluted song that doesn’t do the album justice as an introduction. Listeners are met with a mini monologue, then a beat switch, followed by a quirky but catchy Drake hook (that’s still stuck in my head), into a 21 Savage verse that gets cut off right as he gets going, for a short interlude that leads to Drake doing his own rendition of T.I’s 24s.

Much like that run on sentence, it’s a lot to digest on initial listens and it would have been cleaner if 21 had a full verse before Drake’s homage. But it’s not all bad, there are enjoyable moments to be had here, especially all the memes that spawned about “21, can you do something for me?” 

Following the intro, the first half of the album is a bit of a mixed bag. Major Distribution and On BS are forgettable for different reasons. 

Drake’s vocals at the start of Major Distribution are off putting, but 21 Savage’s flow and verse is immaculate with lyrics such as “Shoot his feet, got him doing dances/Wiggin n***as like I played at Kansas,” and “My n***as go in-Zayn to catch a body/we was face to face, you could’ve shot me,” immediately after saying he does Harry Styles numbers. 

On BS, we get the duo rapping together and going back and forth with each other. It’s not a bad combination, but there isn’t much to keep listeners coming back to this song after a few listens, especially with that wack ass French monologue.

BackOutsideBoyz is where the album turns for the better and almost succeeds in not falling off until the end. The production and lyrical content start to excel.

It’s also the spark of controversy, as Drake takes two shots at rappers: the first shot recalls a fight with artist DRAM and Drake’s security, and the second shot at an unknown 10 out of 10 female rapper that sounds better on mute. 

The internet believes that rapper to be Ice Spice, given the recent interaction between the two, however, Toronto’s “First Lady” has often been ridiculed for this exact sentiment and it’s far more befitting of her music than Ice Spice who had a summer smash. 

Circo Loco also saw its fair share of drama when Drake raps, “this, b**ch lie about getting shots, but she’s still a stallion.” A triple entendre that references women lying about getting ass shots, a model by the name of Elke The Stallion, and the infamous incident with Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez.

While many of Aubrey’s Angels have come to his defence on the matter, there’s no denying what Drake’s intention was here. He’s a rapper, and one of the most meticulous when it comes to his brand and his pen. 

Every line matter in rap, so there’s no doubt this was a shot. It just wasn’t worthy of the outrage on the internet considering the art is for sport.

Regardless of pettiness, the music is undeniably good. Stand outs include Hours In Silence, which should have had the first two minutes become its own song for four minutes, Spin Bout U, Jumbotron Shit Poppin, Circo Loco, Travis’ verse on Pussy & Millions, More M’s and Middle of the Ocean.

The latter being the upper echelon of quality. There is no better Drake than when he gets to barring up the world with elegant eloquent raps over a slick beat. 

To cap it off, he gets busy with a ton of wordplay over the AZ Mo Money Mo Murder sample and a masterful rhyme scheme. 

“Sidebar Serena, your husband a groupie/He claim we don’t got a problem but/No-boo(Nobu), it is like you comin’ for sushi/we might pop on ‘em at will(wheel) like Suzuki/Kawasaki, sushi, sake, the money grow on trees like shiitake/They tired to get spicy with me, so(miso), I wonder how they gon’ stop me/I’m really on a roll like hamachi/The fuck would y’all really do without me?”

The one gripe I have with Her Loss is that there wasn’t enough 21 Savage and it treads more towards a Drake album with 21 sprinkled about. Savage only starts off three songs, not including 3AM On Glenwood, throughout the whole project. 

Despite the minor appearance on the album, he still holds his own and 21 Savage’s presence has time and again proven to bring out the best in Drake. He’s inspired the 36-year-old rapper to deliver on one of his best albums in years with grade A rapping and delivery.

13-out-of-16

FEATURED IMAGE VIA: https://www.reddit.com/r/Drizzy/comments/yle158/my_take_on_the_cover_art_for_her_loss/