By James Goldberg
With the long wait for Drake to release a new album, and with a delay in the release, we finally got it. On Oct. 6, 2023, Toronto superstar rapper Drake released his latest album “For All the Dogs” at midnight. It was originally scheduled for release on Sept. 22.
The postponement was due to Drake deciding to complete his album and cancel his remaining “All a Blur” tour dates in order to do so. I had tickets to his tour’s closing show in Columbus, Ohio on Oct. 9 and hope that Drake will follow through on his promise to complete all tour dates. Follow-up reviews to this album’s songs will include reviews of live performances, too.
For Drake fans, this 23-track album, as predicted, did not disappoint. For others, the range of styles he has incorporated may (or may not) have something for everyone. The songs clearly express Drake’s thoughts on women and wealth but also offer looks into his mind about choices and struggles he has endured. The songs touch on a variety of themes.
“For All The Dogs” did not disappoint me. The hype around the album was high due to the postponement of the original release date, making the excitement well deserved. The album definitely resembles a part of Drake that we saw more commonly on his earlier albums. At a total time of one hour and 25 minutes, the album could’ve been shorter so one can listen to it without having distractions pop up and get tired of listening to the same artist. His album with my preferred run time of more around the one hour mark is “Honestly, Nevermind.” I did enjoy the album but found it difficult to sit and listen through as there were many “dead parts” to the album where it is just the beat lacking lyrics or a hard, catchy melody.
Aubrey “Drake” Graham starts off the album with “Virginia Beach,” opening references to a past Drake partner, and how he was told that he could have treated her better. He (no surprise) does not take that sort of accusation lightly and exclaims “that’s crazy” in response. The song continues with argumentative lyrics between them. I found Drake's voice and the beat on this song to be almost soothing.
A surprise on track #5, “Daylight” is that Drake’s son Adonis was featured toward the end of the song. Mentioned in “TSU” when Drake says, “I got like 4 on the wrist, and an adorable kid.” While his child may be adorable at 6 years old, I do not feel that Adonis belonged on the song. He doesn’t have the same musical talent that Drake possesses. While not head over heels with Adonis's feature, this was definitely the right album for him to be featured on if Drake wanted it to happen.
Drake has featured artist Yeat on Track #7. This is the kind of song that was needed on the album. It gets you up and moving: perfect for occasions where you need high energy music. Also featured is 21 Savage teaming up with Drake again since they had their album together almost a year ago. 21 Savage did a great job picking up and carrying the song he was featured on since Drake didn’t perform his best on this track. The beat doesn’t change between Drake and 21 Savage’s parts, though credit goes to 21 Savage's voice here.
Drake, at 36 years old, has grown in popularity to be a standout rapper who has built an empire making the best of his talents and smart approach to producing relatable music. With his “For All the Dogs” album, he has captured an audience who can relate to life experiences through his music.