Drake is arguably the most influential rapper of this generation — he remains relentless in his musical efforts even after almost 20 years in the entertainment world. With his albums “Certified Lover Boy” and “Honestly, Nevermind” coming out earlier this year, the recent release of “Her Loss” on Nov. 4 completes Drake’s impressive discography of fourteen albums. 

This album differs significantly from his previous studio album, “Honestly, Nevermind”. In “Honestly, Nevermind”, Drake focuses on an EDM sound with dance rifts on songs like “Falling Back” and “Overdrive”. However, he strays away from this with his new album, using “Jimmy Cooks” from “Honestly, Nevermind”, as inspiration for the sound of “Her Loss”. 

On the new album, Drake pairs well-thought-out rap sequences with groovy beats and samples. For example, Drake samples Daft Punk’s “One More Time” on “Circo Loco” to achieve this electronic, but still R&B-like feeling. This type of sound is a key characteristic of many of Drake’s recent releases. On “Certified Lover Boy” the most notable sample was “Way 2 Sexy”, which took inspiration from Right Said Fred’s 1991 hit “I’m Too Sexy”. 

This newest album, “Her Loss”, is a collaboration with Drake’s friend and colleague, 21 Savage. These two have developed a special relationship since their first collaboration on “Sneakin” in 2016 and have since collaborated three more times. Aside from their obvious talent, the pair has developed a real friendship over the years that the album emulates. Specifically, “Treacherous Twins” outlines their friendship and dedication to one another. Drake writes that they “used to have nothin’ to [their] names,” then continues to say to 21 Savage that “when I need a friend, you my only friend”. Initially, this song seems romantic. But with further analysis of the lyrics, it is obvious how this friendship means a lot to the both of them. 

Although 21 Savage is featured on the album, many critics claim that the album “is too much Drake and not enough 21 Savage”, which affects the album. To many, the album “sounds like a Drake album,” according to DBK News. However, this is not a problem for a lot of fans like myself. The album resonates with many themes of Drake’s eighth studio album “More Life”, which topped the US Billboard Hot 200 and set streaming records when it came out. The EDM and R&B beats make this album easy to listen to. I am not tasked with deciphering well-crafted bars. Instead, I can sit back and relax to a well-produced album. This new album is not currently on either the Billboard Global 200 or the Billboard Hot 100. It is also important to consider that this album was released about two weeks after the highly-anticipated release of “Midnights” by Taylor Swift, which is setting records on both streaming services and the Billboard charts.  

In the past, Drake has released albums almost every year — sometimes even twice a year, but each album does not usually reap the same success. However, the size of Drake’s discography is still impressive and should indicate the level of success he has already achieved in the music industry. 

Overall, this album feels like a passion project from Drake — he got to work with one of his best friends in the industry. Although this may not be a defining album for Drake’s catalog, it is still full of catchy beats and melodies that will take audiences through to the new year.