Drake’s new album was not all bark and no bite as “For all the Dogs” was released Oct. 6. His desire to give his fans new music that resembles his older music from his albums “Thank me Later,” “Take Care” and “Nothing was the Same” was what brought back his R&B style. During his It's All A Blur tour, Drake announced that he was fed up with his fans asking for “that old Drake man,” so he promised to bring the old Drake back to life, doing exactly that.
Because Drake kept delaying the release date, expectations were that much higher for the album. But with collaborations with other R&B artists such as Bad Bunny and SZA, it was almost impossible to disappoint. The 23-track record had 514.01 million on-demand official streams in its first week, making his album hit No. 1 on the 200 album chart. Through the heartbreaking lyrics that Drake sings, fans relate more to this album than the dance techno era of music that he was stuck in with “Honestly, Nevermind” or “Her Loss.”
Fans demanded for the old Drake to come back because his songs began to lose meaning. Drake is known for his catchy rap verses that sum up his experiences with women or hardships he has had, messages that were lost after “Certified Lover Boy” dropped. His new album has confirmed that he has rebounded not just with his music, but within himself.
His first track “Virginia Beach,” starts off the album with a fiery comeback to his past relationships that yearned for better treatment. The viral lyrics, “I could have treated you better that’s crazy … NO,” ties back to the heartache and guilt he specifically raps about in “Marvins Room” from the album “Take Care.” The song is meant to replicate Drake’s self-realization that the problem within his relationships was not his fault, which is what resonated with fans, especially during heartbreak season.
Drake’s collaboration with R&B artist PARTYNEXTDOOR on the song “Members Only,” raps about trust and loyalty within a relationship, which relates back to their last collaboration, “With You” on his album “Views.” He refers back to his past relationships and expresses his desire to move on to another exclusive “member,” which is another woman who gives him passion and support.
His fiery attitude, though, in this album is no coincidence because he talks about a woman of his past being with one of his good friends in “What Would Pluto Do.” Drake uses the planet Pluto to compare his success rate since Pluto is the smallest but most beloved planet in the solar system. This song is meant to be an ultimate confidence booster because people might see him as Pluto due to his other albums receiving hate, but he is “still the man” that his fans praise.
Drake’s brotherhood with another R&B artist, J. Cole in the song “First Person Shooter,” has fans raving. Because J. Cole has supported Drake since his rise to fame, both R&B artists have grown closer throughout their music careers. Both artists have similar styles of music, as J.Cole brings out the old Drake in their collaboration as they compare their success to a “first-person shooter” video game. While J. Cole’s music career took off after he went on tour with Drake, it is clear that he brings the best out of Drake.
Even with Drake’s undeniable confidence, he openly admits certain flaws or times of embarrassment in his relationships in the song “Drew A Picasso.” Drake is even more of a credible artist as he describes his battles of not being able to let go of a relationship he values so much. His vulnerability is what fans are used to listening to in his albums, which is what he exhibited in this solemn song.
The past is written all over his album as he collaborates with singer-songwriter SZA, who was in a relationship with Drake in 2008. Their partnership for the song stirred up controversy as “Slime You Out” was released as a single to later launch his album and get fans excited.
Their back-and-forth history was finally put to an end, but the irony of creating a song about ongoing toxic exes remains. Both artists have similarities in their music such as SZA’s 2017 album being named “Ctrl” and Drake having a song called “Controlla.” Despite the weird coincidence, SZA and Drake are partners and nothing more; however, bringing up the past seemed to help bring Drizzy back to who he was and who fans have been asking back for.
