Her Loss - Drake & 21 Savage

REVIEWED: November 12, 2022

The moment we’ve all been waiting for. The highly anticipated Drake and 21 Savage collaborative album. Let’s get straight to the point. Did I enjoy it? Yes; but It was a very average album. It isn’t bad, but it was difficult for me to remain engaged at points. I derived general enjoyment from it, and there are a few songs I added to my playlist. This is not necessarily a negative aspect, but I feel like the album was oversaturated by Drake; in the actual collaborative songs, he had the equivalent of more “screen time” and he had four single tracks compared to 21 who only had one. Most of the solo Drake tracks on this project are pretty forgettable, with the collaborative songs being the most memorable for me. I wish it was split more evenly and didn't feel like a Drake album featuring 21 Savage. I was a little underwhelmed by the features. There was only one listed feature from Travis Scott.

This project was produced by Lil Yachty and a major point of contention, the album cover, was selected by him. It received a lot of backlash. I was personally apathetic towards it; I didn’t like or dislike it. There is AI software gaining popularity on TikTok and Instagram, and it is frequently used to create concept art of expanded album covers. I have seen this done before for the following albums: MM…FOOD, Madvillainy, good kid, m.A.A.d city, The Slow Rush, and Currents. I feel the expanded version of Her Loss looked much better. It had more of a vivid setting and wasn’t as zoomed in. I liked it more than what we actually got. However, I don’t think the official cover is as bad as everyone is making it out to be. I feel it is very in line with the theme of the album. 

In terms of a three-album run, Drake’s discography progresses from Certified Lover Boy to Honestly, Nevermind and then finally Her Loss. CLB was very underwhelming to listen to for the first time because of the number of filler tracks. Despite this, the hits were strong and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Honestly, Nevermind was short and sweet, and I liked that because there was less opportunity for filler and unnecessary tracks. I didn’t really listen to it again that much, although I did add a few songs to my summer playlist. There is nothing wrong with the experimental dance approach Drake took on Honestly, Nevermind, but in terms of replayability for me, my most-listened genres are hip-hop and R&B, so it lacked some long-term replayability. Her Loss was a much more appropriate length than CLB. However, in general, it didn’t have that much replayability for me. I think in terms of production quality by Yachty, and the album rollout, it is better than Honestly, Nevermind and CLB. It has less filler, gets straight to the point, and fulfills a genre I enjoy more than Honestly, Nevermind. 

Regarding 21 Savage’s three-album run, this has to be the worst of them. In comparison to i am > i was and SAVAGE MODE II, there is not even a debate about where his lyrical abilities shine brighter and his overall talent was given more of a focus. I appreciate what he brought to the table here, I just wish that we were able to hear more from him and see all of his growth since the last project, another collaborative album with Metro Boomin in 2020.

In general, it was a pretty mellow listening experience. I was listening to it on the way to school. I wasn’t shocked by any of the lyrical content; it was pretty expected. It is the best in the past three-album run in terms of what Drake has been putting out. However, in terms of other 2022 album releases, and how my music preferences have shifted, it sags a little bit. Drake and 21 Savage did a great job all in all. I think all of us were expecting a little more because in their past collaborations like Mr. Right Now, Jimmy Cooks, Knife Talk and Sneakin’, we were blown away. I guess we expected the entire album to feel like these hits. Also, there was an instrumental snippet included at the end of the Jimmy Cooks music video that was circulating on TikTok, and I expected them to use that, so I was slightly disappointed in its lack of appearance.

In the rollout or build-up for the album, they stirred their fan base with a fake press tour that pulled out all the stops, including a Vogue cover, an appearance on the Howard Stern Show, NPR Tiny desk performance, COLORS show, and an SNL performance. I think in terms of quality it was an entertaining listen, but because of the excitement built up by the rollout, most people’s expectations were not fully met. I enjoyed the listen because I am a fan of both artists. I would recommend this album to any individual Drake or 21 Savage lovers, or anyone looking to integrate more mainstream rap into their playlist. Thank you so much for tuning in, see you guys next week!