Drake is not the best rapper on the planet and any avid music listener can confirm Drake fails to impact the genre like other rappers. However, he has been one of the most consistently listened to artists in the past ten years. He makes music that everyone — rap fan or not — can listen to and enjoy. Radio and club hits are his forte, writing one liners and melodies so catchy that they live in our heads forever.
With “Her Loss,” Drake delivers what we expect from the artist of the decade. The album has sixteen total tracks. Though marketed as a “joint” album, it’s more in the realm of a Drake project with 21 providing verses where he saw fit. The strongest tracks are “Rich Flex,” “Major Distribution,” “Treacherous Twins,” “Pus— and Millions” and “Jumbotron Sh– Poppin.”
The album follows two lackluster efforts by Drake in “Certified Lover Boy” and “Honestly, Nevermind.” While “Honestly, Never Mind” was an experimental house album that had little success, “Her Loss” sees Drake returning to his rap roots.
The first two songs “Rich Flex” and “Major Distribution” have the ever-so-popular beat switches, propelling the tracks to enjoyable listens. While we get the typical Drake verse with references to his success and riches, 21 adds depth the way he always does on features.
“Treacherous Twins” sees Drake singing during the chorus and providing melodic rap flows that hit well most of the time.
“Pus– and Millions,” though stuck with the worst name on the project, has the best performance from Travis Scott, the album’s only featured artist. Scott takes over the track with yet another beat switch and flows through effortlessly.
The last impactful track “Jumbotron Sh– Poppin” easily has the best production on the album, with Drake and 21 providing strong verses that fit so well in a unique, but strong instrumental.
Of course, the joint album has weaknesses. Besides Drake overshadowing 21 in verse lengths and overall input in the project, the album feels more like a mixtape than a project. Again, we shouldn’t expect artistic endeavors from Drake, but the lack of substance in the music holds his legacy down. The album is a good rap album, but it stops there.
Aside from the generic weaknesses we see from most of modern Drake, it is still his best endeavor in over three years.
Sam Bailey, a junior accounting major, had positive feelings about the album.
“I liked the album. Half the songs are easy saves. I just didn’t like the overuse of samples,” Bailey said.
Nathan Steinman, a sophomore majoring in business analytics, liked the album but pointed out the overwhelming similarities between songs.
“[I] can’t really differentiate between each song — not because they sound the same, but because Drake isn’t that original anymore,” Steinman said.
The album is good and each song will easily get 50 million streams in a month. The production is incredible with all the beat switches and easy flowing instrumentals. Though it lacks depth and an overall cohesive structure with originality, it’s the best we can get from Drake.