Celebrate ‘Her Loss’ with these hip-hop collab projects


Drake and 21 Savage announced that a collaborative project is going to be released back in October, using the music video for the song “Jimmy Cooks” as their way to announce it. (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Drake is one of the biggest names in music and 21 Savage is a juggernaut in the rap world. That’s why when the Canadian superstar announced that the two would team up for a full-length album, “Her Loss,” in his music video for “Jimmy Cooks,” it grabbed the rap world’s attention. With Drake and 21 Savage dropping their collab album Thursday, hip-hop fanatics have gone into a frenzy. Why not look back at some collaborative efforts that were big for their time or might have gone unnoticed? 

“What A Time To Be Alive”

Why not start the list off with Drizzy, considering he’s the main focus of the rap game for many and some people’s G.O.A.T. Back in 2015, Drake and Future linked up to come out with “What A Time To Be Alive.” This album was one for the ages considering that both artists were at the peak of their careers, with Drake coming off of “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” and Future coming off of one of, if not, his best work to date: “DS2.” It produced one of the jams of the summer back in 2015, with “Jumpman” consuming a lot of play time on the radio and people’s speakers. Other hot tracks include “Diamonds Dancing,” “Digital Dash” and “30 for 30 Freestyle.”

“Without Warning”

And now let’s mention 21 Savage and his collaborative effort with Offset, “Without Warning.” The Georgian duo might not have actually collaborated throughout the entire project, with each stealing their own moments. 21 Savage owning “My Choppa Hate Ni**as*” and Offset went off on “Ric Flair Drip.” While the 2017 project totaled only 10 tracks coming out to 33 minutes, there’s multiple tracks to go back to like “Ghostface Killer.”  

“Revenge of the Dreamers III”

While this may not be a textbook collaboration project, this is one of the best projects that features a whole record collective and their affiliates. J. Cole’s Dreamville label worked together to create an 18-track long album full of rap’s more established stars and some of its up-and-coming prospects back in 2019. Some of its highlight tracks include “Under The Sun,” which contains J.Cole, Lute and DaBaby, “Costa Rica,” which showcases nine, yes nine, artists on a 3-minute-37 second track – insanity – and manage to make it sound good and “Sacrifices,” the final track of the album which is a heartfelt ending to the project featuring Johnny Venus of EARTHGANG, Smino, Saba and a crooning J.Cole. Overall, it was one of the better drops of 2019 which also saw “IGOR,” “The Lost Boy” and “Psychodrama” come out that same year.

“Escape From New York”

Taking it to the East Coast, specifically Brooklyn, NY, “Escape From New York” had a good amount of tracks that might have flown under some people’s noses in 2019. The hip-hop supergroup, Beast Coast, which is an amalgamation of three other rap groups, Pro Era, Flatbush Zombies and The Underachievers,  released a 13-track long project that embodies a modern form of east coast hip-hop. Standout tracks for this project include “Left Hand,” “Problemz,” “Distance” and “Last Choir.” 

“Madvillainy”

This one’s a throwback and a half and one that many may not have checked out, but MF DOOM’s 2004 collab project with Madlib, “Madvillainy,” is one to look into. The late rapper provided one of hip-hop’s best projects that didn’t go mainstream. Madlib’s main focus on this project is his production throughout the album. And, MF DOOM delivers his bars as usual which is always a treat. Tracks to listen to are “Rhinestone Cowboy,” “All Caps,” “Accordion” and “Eye,” which is a track that focuses on the feature Stacy Epps.

“Watch the Throne”

This one’s a classic. That’s all that needs to be said. Kanye West and Jay-Z’s collab album, “Watch The Throne,” showcased the pair’s chemistry. The two have years of experience working together, with their relationship dating back to 2000 when Kanye was producing beats for HOV. For the New York legend, it was an album to remind the public that he still had it in him. And for Ye, it’s a year after arguably his greatest project to date, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” so he was still at his creative peak. Some standout tracks from this project include “No Church In The Wild” which features Frank Ocean, “Ni**as in Paris,” “Otis” and “Made in America.”

And as this is coming off the press, all there is to say is that 21 Savage brought Drizzy out with some absolute tunes. A very happy Friday y’all.