On Oct. 6, singer-songwriter Drake dropped his newest album, For All the Dogs. The album has 23 tracks and spans a lengthy time of 84 minutes. For All the Dogs features artists that Drake worked with on past albums and mixtapes, like J. Cole and 21 Savage. For fans who missed Drake’s old style of music, this album features a few songs that prove to be similar to some of his previous albums. However, as a whole, the album falls short of the “old Drake” that fans have been craving.
Drake first released the album’s lead single, “Slime You Out” featuring SZA on Sept. 15. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, solidifying Drake his 12th U.S. number one single. On Oct. 5, Drake released another single, “8AM in Charlotte,” and revealed the rest of the album’s tracklist on Instagram.
Fans who awaited Drake’s newest release have had mixed reactions. Some loyal Drake fans think that For All the Dogs has a quality similar to his previous albums, but lacks enough originality to capture listeners’ attention. Other fans welcome it, saying they are happy that the “old Drake” is back. Both sides agree that Drake’s output of music is admittedly incredible and garners respect in today’s music industry scene. However, with Drake producing so many albums, some fans feel that his latest music sounds like copy and paste of his debut albums.
For All the Dogs’ top streamed song is “Slime You Out” featuring SZA, which debuted at number one and has been welcomed by fans. The track opens with Drake’s slow build that is saved by SZA who pulls the song into her typical R&B sound and leaves room for Drake to close the track out with a bang. Though this song definitely doesn’t feel like the typical Drake that you can dance to at homecoming, it masters an R&B style and soft lyricalness that may feel more approachable to those who are not big fans of rap.
“First Person Shooter” featuring J. Cole takes the spot as the best track on the album. The style of “First Person Shooter” appeals to a larger audience, not only hardcore Drake fans. The track opens up with J. Cole rapping and a verse from Drake’s five-year-old son Adonis, who also drew the album’s cover art. It begins slowly as J. Cole and Drake find their rhythm, and they start building off each other throughout the track. “Don’t even pay me back on none them favors, I don’t need it,” Drake raps to close out the song. Drake’s casual confidence in his lyrics shines through in “First Person Shooter,” but the assist from fellow rapper J. Cole ties the track together to claim the best song on the 23-track album.
“I hope I can strike up more emotions for you. Maybe this year- I might get bored and make another one (another album). Who knows?” Drake said in an interview with Rolling Stones magazine.
Fans look forward to Drake’s next album, which will hopefully be a step up from For All the Dogs and connect with a larger audience, not only devoted Drake listeners that are fans of typical rap music. Overall, the album earns 3/5 feathers.
