Drake has been seen either gambling or making additional music after the collaborative album with 21 Savage on “Her Loss.” Drake finalized the month of September with his “It’s All a Blur” tour, and decided that October would be the month he released his highly anticipated album “For All The Dogs.”
“For All The Dogs” brings together sounds from all of his previous albums, such as the most recent hit, “Honestly Nevermind” or something more generational, similar to “Take Care.” Drake pulls in artists from all sorts of genres, with arguably the most shocking being SZA.
“For All The Dogs” boasts 23 songs, with “Virginia Beach,” “Bahamas Promises,” “What Would Pluto Do,” ”8am In Charlotte” standing out as the most compelling and diverse cuts on the album.
The album begins strong with “Virginia Beach,” sampling Frank Ocean’s interstellar voice within “Wise Man,” which first debuted in the early 2000s. “Virginia Beach” has memorable lines, with Drake engaging with stellar wordplay in multiple lines.
Drake compares someone in his past love life to the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia by calling them “pretty but rough, just like Virginia Beach.”
In “Bahamas Promises,” Drake talks about how his Bahamas trip is ultimately ruined due to broken promises and poor communication. Drake notes this song towards someone named “Hailey,” which was a failed relationship. “Bahamas Promises” describes Drake’s versatility in every which way. Drake continues to flow and use vocals throughout the song, whilst continuing to tell a short story ahead of time.
“I know that you’re not for me, Hailey. You’re livin’ in my mind for free.”
Hailey, the person Drake directed this song towards, is constantly within his mind, although they aren’t healthy for each other. Despite this, they still communicate discreetly.
“What Would Pluto Do” refers to Drake’s successes in life and overall completion in the album, but is also often known for his successes and bounces between relationships. Drake flows over “What Would Pluto Do” by rapping over a melodic beat and having Lil Yachty repeat adlibs. Versatility strikes again in this song, with Drake constantly showing how he can not only rap but also express vocals throughout his songs.
“8am in Charlotte” is one of the most noticeable songs within “For All The Dogs”. Drake describes how he is a long-running artist in the music industry, and even takes it further by mentioning a couple of names in this song. “8am in Charlotte” compliments Drake’s style of music in a stunning way, similarly sounding like previously made records, from his generational albums, “Take Care” and “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”.
“I feel like if Mike switched out the glove for the pen, like..”
Drake refers to the infamous boxer, “Mike Tyson,” and with Tyson being considered an overall legend, Drake considers himself as just an equal legend, in the music industry.
“Gently” is one of the most recognizable songs throughout “For All The Dogs,” standing right beside “Slime You Out” featuring SZA, which was the first single released for the album in early September.
With “For All The Dogs” being expected to be the fourth biggest album opening this year, Drake shows his adaptability throughout the whole album. Although this may not be Drake’s best album, “For All The Dogs” stands tall based on samples, flows and the diverse features gathered within the album. Drake’s ability to constantly pump out songs full of quality is admirable, especially with him being a long-running artist in the music industry.
“For All The Dogs” is a masterpiece within itself, Drake shows how versatile he is, jumping back and forth between different songs that have different vibrant features.
