BY: JOSEPH DEBELL, OPINION ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
photo courtesy of @champagnepapi on Instagram
stars courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
On Drake’s new album “For All The Dogs,” he is less interested in perfecting a sound and is more concerned with giving his audience every kind of Drake.
Since his two previous albums were detours in sound, “For All The Dogs” is him getting back to what makes Drake, Drake. That is, he is creating unnecessarily long projects but with more of the creative lows in his career thus far. He does this by lacing the almost hour-and-a-half-long LP with moments that create discussion, such as name drops and subliminal lyrics. He narrates how his previous lovers are boorish, akin to most ex-boyfriends in an Olivia Rodrigo song.
Drake continues on this LP to make a record that is polarizing and difficult to sum up. The non-starter songs have different reasons why they are unpalatable. The album’s highlights stand out for various reasons, too. However, the central motif for the record’s problems and successes is its lyrics.
These ineffective lyrics are front and center in bloated and messy songs, such as this “obese men” lyric on the song “All The Parties (feat. Chief Keef).”
“We coppin’ cars like policemen/ We heavy guys like obese men.”
Others just tend to be insensitive. The most prominent example is in the interlude “BBL (Brazilian butt lift) Love – Interlude.”
“They say love’s like a BBL, you won’t know if it’s real until you feel one/ Can I feel it? Can I feel it? Can I feel it? Can I feel one?”
In addition to those monotonous and eye-rolling choices, the record’s best moments are bogged down by grating lyrics on the songs that would drive replay value.
Take the opener, “Virgina Beach” , as an example of this. Unlike other Drake openers, this song goes in an R&B route. It samples Frank Ocean’s “Wise Man,” combining perfectly with the dark and atmospheric production. Drake is more focused here as he passionately sings about a previous relationship.
That’s until we get these two lyrics.
“You keep talkin’ ‘bout some, ‘Period,’ but where you ‘bout to end the sentence at?
“He gon’ find out that it’s on-site like W-W-W/ On site like dot-com, put a baby in you, a hot mom.”
These types of puns and ineffective similes make it feel as if I’m in the waiting room for the next lousy lyrics during songs that are structured and performed well.
The song “8am in Charlotte” is Drake’s best effort on the LP. His delivery and pen are more sovereign than ever. Drake is resourceful and calls on Conductor Williams to produce an instrumental that allows Drake to exude artistic confidence.
Drake has been public about the break he wants to take after this record, and I suggest he takes as much time as he needs. However, when the “One Dance” singer decides to return, I hope it’s not with another long-winded, complacent and paint-by-the-numbers offering.
Best Song: “8am in Charlotte”
Worst Song: “All The Parties (feat. Chief Keef)”
debelljb22@bonaventure.edu
