Drake, 21 Savage dazzle, puzzle on ‘Her Loss’

Drake is hip-hop’s copycat. And he’s pretty damn good at it. 

This time around, the rapper molds into his co-host, Atlanta rapper (well, London rapper, but that’s another story) 21 Savage. The 16-song, hour-long project entitled “Her Loss” is as dazzling sonically as it is puzzling lyrically. 

Drake and 21 Savage probably got together after the success of “Honestly, Nevermind” closer, “Jimmy Cooks,” and said “f**k it, let’s make a full album of it.” And, to be honest, I was expecting a project full of songs that sound the same. But I have to say, the two managed to put together a product that is an entertaining listen that doesn’t lose momentum throughout. 

Far away from the boredom and repetition of “Certified Lover Boy” or the unpredictable highs and lows of “Honestly, Nevermind,” this project is Drake’s most consistent since 2018’s “Scorpion.” 

Make no mistake, this is a Drake album first and foremost. The Toronto rapper has four solo songs to 21 Savage’s one. Regardless, the two have an equal share of highlights on the record. “Major Distribution” features energetic flows from both, “Hours In Silence” slows things down and has Drake’s best vocal performance and 21’s solo track “3AM on Glenwood” is smooth and vulnerable. 

Even with two rap superstars, the real MVP of this project is the production. Noah “40” Shebib, OZ, Tay Keith, Metro Boomin and plenty other high-profile names put together some mesmerizing, soulful, sample-heavy beats that compliment Drake and 21 well. 

Two other stars deserve a mention for their noteworthy performances on the project: Travis Scott, the only real feature of the album, steals the show on “Pussy & Millions” and Lil Yachty peppers a few songs with fun ad-libs and has multiple production credits, to my surprise. 

Despite the sonic successes, there are just too many lyrical mishaps to ignore. Some bars are questionably phrased, laughable in content or strangely salty personal attacks towards celebrities.

Naming the album “Her Loss” sets a general expectation for the lyrical content of the project. It’s not a breakup album, but rather a trash-every-woman-I’ve-ever-met-in-my-life album. I could see how it’s part of the appeal in some respects, but it goes too far in multiple spots. 

While it’s not the most direct dig, it’s not a stretch to say Drake is calling out Megan Thee Stallion when he raps “this b***h lie ‘bout getting shots, but she still a stallion.” There is definitely a gray area (Lil Yachty claimed it was merely a line about women lying about injections), but especially considering this is Drake, I don’t believe this bar was coincidental. If not, it’s a lame, uncalled for attempt to discredit a woman who is the victim of an alleged shooting. 

Next thing you know, Drake takes shots at Serena Williams’ husband, saying “Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie.” Out of left field. And of course, instead of taking the issue up directly with her husband, he has to direct the shot at the woman. It’s lyrics like this that distract from really solid performances, with this line on “Middle of the Ocean” a prime example. 

It almost seemed as if Drake wanted to make it up to women when he delivered probably one of the most disingenuous bars of 2022 on “Spin Bout U”: “Damn, just turned on the news and seen that men who never got pussy in school are makin’ laws about what women can do.” The sentiment is right, but putting that lyric in an album full of bars that degrade women isn’t going to make everything better. 

The other central lyrical motif isn’t a surprise to anyone who has ever listened to 21 Savage: violence. This project is loaded with enough bars about murder to scare Playboi Carti. 

Don’t get me wrong, I find 21’s bars about gang violence, however reductionist and murderous (ex: “How was they your opps and none of ’em died?”), hard-hitting — especially knowing that he has absolutely lived through it. Drake, on the other hand, doesn’t quite have that same reputation. When he raps about getting an opp killed, for example, it’s hard not to chuckle a little thinking of the Drake soft-boy memes that have been flying around the internet.

21 Savage has his fair share of weird lyrics as well, including but not limited to: “I like fried rice, you better cook like you an Asian.” “How you come over to the spot when you know it’s your time of the month?” “She pretty, she show off her toes.” Hearing those for the first time left me confused to say the least. 

Admittedly, there were a few hidden gems throughout the project. Lines such as “Harry Styles numbers, it’s a robbery, my n****s go in-Zayn to catch a body” are equal parts hilarious and creative. 

I recognize that sometimes, it’s not about what’s said in a song but rather how it sounds. If that’s how you roll, then by all means give this project a spin. That being said, if lyrics that irk you hamper your enjoyment of an album as a whole — well, I think I’ve given you a fair warning.