Drake’s eighth album replays themes and styles. But is it his best or just what we’ve come to expect?

On Oct. 6, the 6 God himself released his eighth studio album For All the Dogs. 

The packed album has 23 songs and contains features from artists such as Teezo Touchdown, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Yeat, SZA, PartyNextDoor, Chief Keef, Bad Bunny, Sexyy Red and Lil Yachty. With the album coming in at just under 90 minutes, listeners can expect that classic Drake sound, along with other interesting features; but there are also a few skips leaving fans wondering about Drake’s creativity.

As Drake enters his 14th year on the rap scene, with many iconic classics under his belt, it is difficult to put a description on his newest album. His 2011 release Take Care, ultimately his career-making album, displayed multiple sides of young Drake, including his heartbreaks over girls and the lavish lifestyle of a superstar. His 2018 release Scorpion had the entire world rapping “God’s Plan” for a summer. His 2022 release Honestly, Nevermind explored an experimental house music side of Drake that we’d never seen before. And his other 2022 release Her Loss, with superstar rapper 21 Savage, flaunted Drake’s more misogynistic impulses. 

However, it’s difficult to characterize For All the Dogs. We see collaborations with young rappers like Yeat that force him to go out of his comfort zone by experimenting with newer styles of rap. On the track “Gently,” featuring Bad Bunny, we get to hear Drake slip in and out of Spanish, sounding like the Puerto Rican superstar’s goofy sidekick. And on Drake’s solo track “8am in Charlotte,’’ we hear the classic Drake we all know and love: 4 minutes and 27 seconds of Drake rapping nonstop over a soft beat with an angelic sample in the background.

In this album, we get to see Drake take digs at other artists, as well as at his exes. On the track “Fear of Heights,” Drake raps, “Yeah, and the s*x was average with you/Yeah, I’m anti ’cause I had it with you,” referring to his past relationship with singer Rihanna and referencing her 2016 hit album Anti. 

This is a common theme we often see Drake display. In his 2020 feature on the song “Mr. Right Now,” by his partner in crime 21 Savage, Drake couldn’t help but bring up a past relationship, referencing R&B star SZA saying, “She said she wanna f*** to some SZA, wait/’Cause I used to date SZA back in ‘08.” 

Drake also took shots at NBA stars, making references to players like Devin Booker and Dillan Brooks. On the track “Daylight,” Drake raps, “My doggy got booked for actin’ like Book,” likely referring to Devin Booker’s reputation for having a loud mouth, especially in times when he shouldn’t be talking. On the song “Another Late Night,” featuring rapper Lil Yachty, Drake openly disses NBA player Dillon Brooks, saying, “Shawty ran some Dillon Brooks, can’t believe this n**** talkin’,” referring to Dillon Brooks’s posturing that got his team eliminated from the NBA playoffs last year.

In addition to celebrity disses, Drake also had a few questionable lyrics throughout the album. On the track “Daylight,” where he collaborated with his six-year-old son Adonis, Drake raps, “I’m tryna f*** all the b*****s that look like my ex,” leading fans to question why he would include his six-year-old on a track with such strong sexual content.

While I enjoyed the shots Drake took at other celebrities, I felt as though the album wasn’t very exciting – it almost felt dry to me. As far as the music, I did enjoy this album, but that’s what you’d expect from a Drake album, right? You expect there to be at least a couple songs at the top of the charts. You expect there to be features by rap stars, new and old. 

However, this is getting boring, almost predictable. How many times can Drake flaunt his success over others? How many times can Drake flex his wealth? How many women can Drake thirst over? Besides the classic Drake sound that we’ve heard many times before, most of this album wasn’t very new-sounding. I felt as though, for some of the solo songs, I was only listening to it because I wanted to finish the album completely, not because I loved the song. As much as I would like to say that this album is a 10/10 and deserves to be Album of the Year, I have trouble even picturing that in my mind, as this album failed to really impress me.

For these reasons, it’s difficult to recommend this album. These songs are similar to past Drake hits, with clever bars and the classic Drake flow. However we fail to see a jump in his music. How many years can Drake last making the same music over and over again? Well, we already partially know the answer to that: at least 14. Drake has been at the top of rap game for more than a decade now, and he shows no signs of stepping out. While his music might not be the newest sounding or experimental, he remains at the top of the charts, year after year. But is Drake at the top of the rap game? Is this the best Drake, the best artistry, that we can see? 

The real question is: Is Drake already at the top, or can he keep climbing?

Article by Alex Doig