The highly anticipated album by Drake has finally dropped. Today I’m going to share my opinions of the album.
Context
Drake initially announced that the album was going to drop late July. Ever since, it has been pushed back and delayed up until he confirmed the official release date, October 6th. Drake is one of the most influential artist’s of our generation, claiming his spot as arguably the best rapper of all time. One of his biggest accomplishment’s is having 12 number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100. He has maintained a reputation of releasing some of the best rap music consistently throughout his career, so the big question is: Will For All The Dogs live up to his reputation?
Track List
- “Virginia Beach”
- “Amen” (feat. Teezo Touchdown)
- “Calling For You” (feat. 21 Savage)
- “Fear of Heights”
- “Daylight”
- “First Person Shooter” (feat. J. Cole)
- “IDGAF” (feat. Yeat)
- “7969 Santa”
- “Slime You Out” (feat. SZA)
- “Bahamas Promises”
- “Tried Our Best”
- “Screw the World” (Interlude)
- “Members Only” (feat. PartyNextDoor)
- “Drew a Picasso”
- “What Would Pluto Do”
- “All the Parties” (feat. Chief Keef)
- “8AM in Charlotte”
- “BBL Love” (Interlude)
- “Gently” (feat. Bad Bunny)
- “Rich Baby Daddy” (feat. Sexyy Red & SZA)
- “Another Late Night” (feat. Lil Yachty)
- “Away from Home”
- “Polar Opposites”
Initial Thoughts
When I listened to the entire album, at first I was slightly disappointed. With the amount of postponing, I was expecting a flawless album. I felt as if there were many “filler” songs, songs which make the album longer but not better. Drake stated that this album would be similar to “the old drake”. This announcement had many devoted Drake fans yearning for the release of the album. In my personal listening experience, For All The Dog’s was quite different from the “old drake”. I found that there were 2-3 songs which could be classified as the “old drake” while the other 20 songs were inconsistent and rather divergent from his classic style. Although listening to an album just once isn’t the most effective and accurate way to evaluate an album, it’s enough to create general ideas and personal opinions on it’s quality.
Best Songs?
There are a few songs that standout, however in my personal opinion, I think “8AM in Charlotte” is the best. This song reminds me of one of his top tracks, “Champagne Poetry” from the album Certified Lover Boy. I see this song as the perfect combination between rap and poetry. The lyrical aspect of this song is superb, with 4:26 of emotions and even some film references. Another aspect of this song which makes it stand out is the music production. Produced by esteemed producer, Conductor Williams, “8AM in Charlotte” is made up of graceful piano chords, soothing bass, and high hats. In the near future I can see this song being added to Drake’s impressive list of 12 number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Another notable song on this album is “IDGAF”. Featuring Yeat, a popular rapper of this generation, “IDGAF” stood out to me within this album. With a 1:05 long intro, this song suddenly catches the listeners attention at the beat drop, with Yeat beginning the song. Drake joins in at the song when Yeat says “I’m countin’ up money for fun,” to which people on social media have been joking about, saying he rapped at an “uncalled for” time in the song. Despite this amusing part of the song, both Drake and Yeat collaborated together to produce an enticing rap song. Because of the unnecessarily long intro, I limit my ranking of this song to an 8/10.
The last song that stood out to me in this album was “First Person Shooter (Feat. J-Cole)”. As soon as I saw the name J-Cole in the song title I had high expectations for the song. Of course, J-Cole came through with a masterpiece. Using a captivating sample, producer Tay Keith created an enchanting foundation for the song, setting rappers Drake and J-Cole up for success. This song is made up of 4 minutes and 7 seconds of exceptional lyrics, creating an exceptionally engaging song. I know that this song will remain on my playlist for years to come.
Concluding Thoughts
After listening to this album from start to finish a few times, I would rate this album a 7.5/10. While there are only a few out of the 23 songs which stand out, they are good enough to bring up the rating significantly. This isn’t close to being one of Drake’s best albums, but it is undeniable that Drake has once again proved his ability to produce some of the best rap music the world has ever heard. Following the release of this album, Drake stated that he will be “taking a break from music” to focus on his mental health. This has left thousands of fans (including myself) wondering if he will ever release music again. Until he does, he has left us with hundreds of amazing songs which will undoubtedly secure Drake a spot as one of if not the the best rapper of all time.
Stay tuned to the RoundUp for future album reviews!
