Drake was very busy this summer as he had one of the biggest tours with 21 Savage titled “It’s All a Blur Tour.” In June, Drake released a poetry book called “Titles Ruin Everything.” After the book came out, Drake announced that he had an album to go with the book. Then on Friday, Oct. 6, Drake released his eighth studio album “For All the Dogs”. This album was highly anticipated, even though his last album came on Nov. 4, 2022.
All of Drake’s fans were waiting for this album because of how much it was publicized. Drake had said he was going back to his old style of music, and many were excited when this news dropped. Drake made anticipation for the album shoot up more when he said it would drop during the summer then delayed it all the way until August. Then he delayed it again to Oct. 6 so that he could finish his tour.
When fans finally got the album, it was worth the wait. He opens the album with a song called “Virginia Beach” and to everyone’s surprise fans were greeted with a Frank Ocean sample. This song lets us know that we are in for another R&B album with heartfelt songs about failed relationships.
This is not all he had on the album though, as he also rapped on songs like “Daylight,” “Calling for you,” “First Person Shooter,” and “IDGAF.” Drake also came through with many features such as Teezo Touchdown, J. Cole, Yeat, 21 Savage, Yeat, SZA, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Chief Keef, Bad Bunny, his son Adonis, and Sexyy Red.
This album has a lot of highlights with songs like “7969 Santa” which is a song about his ex-girlfriend where he talks about how his feelings for her are long gone and he regrets the memories he made with her. One of the best moments on the whole album is his song with J. Cole “First Person Shooter”, where J. Cole and Drake go back and forth with each other and rap about the success they’ve both had and how they see each other as equals in the industry. J. Cole also raps about how he, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar are the “big three” in rap.
There were many surprises on the album as well like on the song “Daylight” where Drake takes an aggressive tone and talks about how he and his crew shot a man in the “daylight.” All of this is rapped over a dark beat, then out of nowhere the beat switches to a light beat, where Drake’s son Adonis raps over for the outro. This would later become the chorus for his own song called “My Man Freestyle.” Drake also surprised his fans on the song “Gently” featuring Bad Bunny where he raps primarily in Spanish about a girl he really likes and how beautiful she is.
Drake also uses the album to diss multiple people like Rihanna and A$AP Rocky. He also disses The Weeknd, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Budden, Pusha T. A Lot of these beefs Drake already had like his beef with The Weeknd and Pusha T, but other disses seemingly came out of nowhere.
There are some complaints about the album as there are some filler songs, but that is expected because there are 23 tracks, which are long, so it is normal that not every song will be a hit. It is not the best Drake album, not even close but it is still incredibly good and as a longtime Drake fan.
I incredibly pleased with the way it turned out. It has been almost the only thing I have been listening to since it came out. If I had to rate it, I would give it a solid 7.5 out of 10. It is my favorite album that has come out this year, and I would definitely say most people should give it a listen.
Austin Jackson is a first-year history education major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
