Awe and disappointment rattle my body as I listen to the most distressing album of the year. Drake, the man who created such cultural phenomena such as “One Dance,” “Rich Flex,” and “Passionfruit” has just dropped an album two weeks after its original release date which certainly disappointed.
Although containing masterpieces like “First Person Shooter” and having notable features such as J. Cole, SZA, and 21 Savage, “For All The Dogs” has been one of my most discomforting albums to sit through this year. From ruining songs like “Daylight” by encouraging nepotism through featuring his own six-year-old son, to maintaining repetitive beats and similar flows in all of his songs, Drake ruined his shot at another Grammy for Best Rap Album.
My strong discontent with this album comes from nothing but a place of love for Drake. Drake has been my top artist so far this year, so to see him have such a fall from grace is nothing but disappointing. Intellectually advanced lines like “I’m auntie like your daddy sister” on the song “Fear of Heights” are some of my strongest points of disappointment with Drake.
In one of Drake’s Instagram posts on Oct. 7th, Drake’s caption stated “I am a top tier lyricist,” but this album has done nothing but prove the exact opposite for me.
Drake has been a strong presence on the rap scene since his hit single “Best I Ever Had” in 2009, so to see him drop such a lackluster album without sustenances hits does nothing but create a poignant environment for me, because although this album was so incredibly mid, it still has its bangers, but can a few bangers justify such a mundane album? For me, this 23-song album does not have enough bops to justify having so many bad songs, so in conclusion, I am giving this album a strong 3/10.
