R&B/Hip-Hop

21 Savage and Drake have proven to be fruitful collaborators over the past few years, but after getting an album’s worth of songs that are much better than this one just under a year ago, “Calling For You” feels flat. With a voicemail interlude that ends with “That’s on you, it’s on you/ Sorry for your loss,” the Her Loss connection is too overt to make this song feel a part of the For All the Dogs world. Not to mention that neither rapper fills up the sparse production with interesting or innovative bars; it’s more of them reminiscing on past romances and throwing general shots and unspecified opps — which, again, we just got from this exact pairing last year.

Lil Yachty has had a banner year across genres, and this new record with Drake probably would have been better off just being his and his alone. With a shimmering beat punctuated by fuzzy synths and an eye roll-inducing hook — “It’s just another late night with my b–ch/ Just another late night with my b–ch / And I hate to even call her a– my b–ch / ‘Cause I love that ho, don’t even make no sense, man” — “Another Late Night” struggles to leave a lasting impression that transcends the 22 other songs it has to share space with. Not bad, but not that memorable either.

For All the Dogs features some of the worst hooks of Drake’s career, and “Fear of Heights” is chief among those lackluster offerings. With a beat that pulls from the high-octane thrill of rage rap, Drake throws subliminals at past flings and peers alike. The issue here, and across a number of the album’s tracks, is that Drake’s voice is so bereft of energy that the song begins to drag, despite boasting verses that are actually some of the most interesting on the whole record.

“Amen” — the first of two Teezo Touchdown collaborations on For All the Dogs — is something akin to Drake’s version of “Ciara’s Prayer.” Over an arrangement that opens with a prayer from Teezo, churchy piano keys, and doo-wop-adjacent harmonies, Drake prays not for gratitude, but for God to not expose him for doing his girl(s) wrong, even as she prays for him while he’s on the road.

This long-awaited collaboration is really a moment of victory for Yeat above all else. The 23-year-old Cali rapper brings Drake into his realm for a raucous bass-heavy anthem of, well, giving no f—ks. Because of their wealth, talent, and fame neither Yeat nor Drake feel the need to waste energy thinking about those who are beneath them. To nobody’s surprise, Drake doesn’t sound awkward or out of place alongside Yeat — but this is Yeat’s moment, and he takes his golden opportunity and runs all the way to the bank.

Instead of remaining in the “opposites attract” realm that the title suggests, Drake takes things even further and spends this song playing armchair psychiatrist as he lambasts a former flame for blocking him “unprovoked.” Now, realistically, Drake probably did something to deserve that, but that’s not the focus here. Drake is convinced that “propaganda” is the reason she’s walking away from the relationship, and he’s using some of his corniest lines to date to convey his feelings about the whole situation: “You tried to grease me, but we’re not in Mykonos/ I don’t get hurt much, but I’m not invincible/ Bidin’ my time with you, then things got political.”

You can rarely go wrong with Drake and PND on the same track, and “Members Only” is a solid addition to their lexicon. Deep in the murky R&B vibe of PND’s solo work, the pair’s chemistry is as vibrant as ever. Their languid rap-sung cadences overlap with each other like a multi-layered cake, with each tier providing a new shade of nuance for the song. Unfortunately, “Members Only” is marred by lyrics that are childish and lazy: “Say you started datin’ girls now, say it to me with a straight face/ Oh, now it’s girls/ I wanna know all of your kinks.”

Between “Gently,” “Slime You Out,” and Travis Scott’s “K-POP,” there seems to be a trend of the year’s biggest names of music collaborating on some of the most boring and predictable songs they have to offer. With a thumping dembow riddim in the background and ample X-rated Spanish-language lyrics from both Drake and Benito, “Gently” isn’t necessarily a bad track, but it certainly isn’t as catchy as “MIA,” nor is it particularly memorable in the context of the full album. Collaborations between artists of this caliber should be especially fearless because, more often than not, they don’t have to seriously worry about the immediate commercial success of a left-field song because their fans will always give anything a listen. Unfortunately, Drake and Bad Bunny decided to play it safe.

It’s quite funny to reflect on the initial reception of “Slime You Out” — which ended up debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 regardless — given that the song is far from the worst offering on For All the Dogs. Take from that what you will, but there are at least some real stakes and tension in this SZA-Drake duet in comparison to some of the album’s other collaborations. It’s still miles away from the surefire stunner that a SZA-Drake duet should be, but it’s not a complete waste of space.

To commence For All the Dogs, Drake pens an ode to archnemesis Pusha T’s hometown of Virginia Beach as he waxes poetic about the city’s “pretty but ghetto” girl and the varying effects they have on his mind and heart. Bogged down by a clunky chorus and more corny bars — “He gon’ find out that it’s on sight like W-W-W/ On sight like dot-com, put a baby in you, a hot mom” — the intro starts to flounder, but 40’s skittering production keeps things engaging.

Between a nifty sample of Chief Keef’s seminal “I Don’t Like” and a surprise interlude from Teezo Touchdown, “7969 Santa” synthesizes myriad elements to explain some of the ethos behind the album’s title. On the one hand, this record is for all of Drake’s dawgs — that is to say, his homies and longtime supporters. On the other hand, the new album is also (and arguably primarily) for all the dogs — as in the womanizing Peter Pan syndrome-scarred bachelor characters he assumes throughout the record.

The song itself is solid — BNYX’s production is stellar and the Snoop Dogg radio host bit at the end is dope — but Teezo’s interlude steals the show. His interlude isn’t life-changing, but it is particularly funny because he makes what sounds like wolf howls right after hammering home the whole “dog” theme of the album.

Prior to the release of For All the Dogs, Drake announced that he and Nicki Minaj would have a song together on the record. The song never materialized — and we still have no explanation as to why — but “Daylight” offered something of a consolation prize. On this track, he interpolates the same Scarface speech that informed the bridge of Minaj’s “Chun-Li.” Unlike Minaj’s, Drake’s villain era feels quite forced, but that doesn’t negate Southside’s ominous oscillating synths and a cheeky response to those BBL accusations and, more importantly, those XXXTENTACION conspiracy theories — “TBS think that I bought the body/ Internet swear that I bought the body/ Take more than that to go pop somebody.”

When we’re talking about “the Old Drake,” “Bahamas Promises” is it. Back in the spirit of “Marvin’s Room,” Drake pours his heart out over a plaintive piano-backed beat as he works his way through an emotional stream-of-consciousness verse. In the final line, Drake perfectly recreates the energy of “old Drake” — vulnerable, but ultimately self-serving. “Promise I won’t cause a scene/ I got too much respect for me,” he croons.

For All the Dogs shines brightest when Drake escapes the trappings of actual misogyny and properly taps into the comedic aspect of his ever-evolving ostentatious artistic persona. From giving lavish gifts to plastic surgeons while on tour to rumors of him going under the knife, Drake’s brand has become increasingly infused with the contemporary BBL craze. Here, he compares a BBL to love, saying, “They say love’s like a BBL, you won’t know if it’s real until you feel one.” If that’s not one of the most utterly ridiculous lines of the year, you’d be hard-pressed to find something more unserious. But that’s the beauty of the interlude: Drake finally allows himself to play into his persona on a character level, instead of worryingly muddying the lines between his actual person and how he presents himself in the music.

For their first collaboration in a decade, Drake and J. Cole tackle the “Big 3” debate that has dominated hip-hop conversations since they and Kendrick Lamar entered the ring in the early 2010s. Now a decade-plus into their respective reigns, both Cole and Drake adopt an attitude of elder statesmen, but they still have some skin in the game. “Love when they argue the hardest MC/ Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?/ We the Big Three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammed Ali,” Cole spits.

Over the subtle-yet-triumphant instrumental — which features production credits from Tay Keith and Boi-1da, among others — the two stars dig into their braggadocious bag, yet it still feels like they’re holding back ever-so-slightly. However, Drake did offer this nice sequel to his infamous “more slaps than the Beatles” line: “What the f–k bro? I’m one away from Michael/ N—a, beat it, n—a, beat it, what?”

Not only does Chief Keef appear on For All the Dogs via a sample, but the “Love Sosa” rapper also appears on “All the Parties,” a Boi-1da- and BNYX-helmed joint that finds Drake doing his usual reflections on his success and how he moves in the music industry. It’s a two-part track that’s anchored by Chief Keef’s chorus in the first half, in which he references the classic “Love Sosa” and provides a sing-songy cadence to counterbalance Drake’s rap-heavy verses. The beat switch, however, is the real star of the show. The song assumes a more atmospheric, synth-y tone that allows the space Drake to vent about his frustrations with the permanence of death as it relates to dynamics in the rap game. “And I wish I could dead all the beefin’/ And I wish I could dead all the dissin’ deceased friends/ I wish we could be friends/ Probably sound like I’m preachin’.”

Drake and Future are obviously a dynamic duo, but “What Would Pluto Do” proves that the “Wait For U” rapper’s presence can still pull some great material out of Drake — even if he isn’t actually on the track. Over a beat accented by twinkling piano and steady percussion, Drizzy makes Pluto a stand-in for Jesus. While Jesus would likely give Drake advice that amounts to him moving with grace and respect, when it comes to Pluto… “What would Pluto do? He’d f–k the ho, so I did it.” And it’s really as simple as that. With a crisp, effective hook and immersive production that gives Drake the space to place with comedy and vulnerability, “What Would Pluto Do” is an easy standout. (And now we wait for the inevitable remix.)

Unveiled less than 24 hours before the album’s full release, “8am in Charlotte” is a worthy addition to Drake’s timestamp songs collection that also honors Griselda’s impact with soulful production courtesy of Conductor Williams. With three meaty metaphor-packed verses that feature Drake standing staunchly in his rap bag, this, in many ways, is the proper return to “old Drake” that he promised so many months ago.

It certainly does say something that this Drake-less interlude is a better song and more enjoyable listen than several of his own songs on this album. A heartfelt tribute to the late DJ Screw, “Screw the World” effortlessly transports us not just to Houston, but to a time when Drake used to properly build worlds within individual records. Here, he gives DJ Screw’s flaming freestyle all the space it needs, a moment of much-needed reprieve from the album’s obsession with Instagram-ready Drakeisms.

For All the Dogs is an interesting album, for the simple fact that for all of the album’s journeys into hot new sounds across the marketplace, the album doesn’t really feature the undeniable pop-facing hooks of, say, Scorpion or Views. Luckily, Sexyy Red is on the case. The St. Louis rapper blesses “Rich Baby Daddy” with yet another earworm hook and a guest verse, while SZA stops for her second and final guest appearance on the album. With infectious production that heavily nods to Miami bass, this is the song of the summer that we deserved — from Sexyy’s “Looking for the Hoes” interpolation to an outro from Drake that basically cements him as the ultimate rich baby daddy. Song of the Fall, perhaps?

“I can’t picture you with him/ That’s just so embarrassin’/ I want to diе, to die,” just might be the most relatable Drake has ever been. Again, when he leans into the innate melodrama and theatrics of dynamic relationships, he excels. “Drew a Picasso” features production credits from a slew of collaborators, all of which contribute to the song’s subtly tenebrous tone — the perfect backdrop for Drizzy to sort through his confusion, hurt and frustration over a relationship too dysfunctional to last.

“Tried Our Best” is classic Drake — a song that sits perfectly between rap and R&B, lyrics that offer a vivid, insightful look at the complexity of a relationship marred by miscommunication and unforeseen incompatibility, and ethereal piano-anchored production. “There’s no ribbon given to anyone that you dealt with/ No badge of honor, no ceremony or benefits/ I gotta start us up a support group with a membership,” he sings — biting lines that, of course, absolve of his own accountability for the relationship’s demise. Sure, he’s telling a one-sided story, but he’s aware of that and he’s doing it well. All of this combined with a Frank Ocean allusion (“The girl that the boy cherishes workin’ late night at the Pyramid, and it ain’t right”) that connects “Tried Our Best” to the Ocean-sampling “Virginia Beach,” and you’re left with a winning record.

As the penultimate track on a 23-track album, “Away From Home” fought an uphill battle to emerge as the crown jewel of For All the Dogs. The first verse of this track — which boasts production credits from Lil Yachty and BNYX — finds Drake shedding the glided costumes of celebrity and wealth and returning to the headspace of his come-up days sleeping in his car and funneling the heartbreak of rejection into determination to achieve his dreams. For a few minutes, the hunger of “old Drake” actually does reappear, and that resilience makes his voice sound alive in ways that simply feels DOA elsewhere on the record. The rest of the song traces his dual life and career journey since those days, offering a legitimate full-circle moment for an artist who so often feels like he’s either running away from who he’s becoming or running in circles trying to figure out what’s next.