By Luis Diaz
Drake and 21 Savage’s album, “Her Loss” is the culmination of a dynamic that dates back to 2016. In 2016, 21 Savage was a young rapper with a lot of promise.
Drake at the time was arguably the most impactful rapper in the world. Eight years later, 21 Savage is a bonafide rap star and Drake continues to influence music.
Drake has received a lot of criticism for not rapping as much as he used to in his early days. “Her Loss” is a perfect piece of fan service that reminds listeners that Drake is a rapper.
In the first track of the album, “Rich Flex,” Drake and 21 Savage show the listeners the duo didn’t come to play.
The song is an introduction for what’s to come. Showing how the dynamic between Drake and 21 Savage is close to perfect.
The lyrics for this song show Drake and 21 Savage’s perspective on what comes with having fame and money.
This album isn’t a one-listen-and call-it-a-day type of album. The album is the type to be on repeat because there is so much to unpack, from the beats to the lyrics. Hearing it twice is recommended.
Drake raps about the ongoing debate surrounding women’s right to choose. He even throws a jab at politicians in “Spin Bout U.”
“Damn, just turned on the news and seen that men who never got it in school are making laws about what women can do,” Drake says.
“Her Loss” is fun and meets the audience needs. The album is a huge win because it blends the typical and atypical, with an outstanding performance from both rappers.
Throughout the album, both rappers sound like they’re in a competition with each other. This is in the listeners best interest and both rappers work to put out the best product they can.
Collaboration albums can live or die based on how well the artists mesh their sounds or philosophies.
This doesn’t feel false. The album’s thoughtful construction makes it feel like they recorded the album together. Drake handles the hooks and bridges through rapping.
While 21 Savage focuses on his ever-improving pen game on the verses.
The song “Treacherous Twins” might be the thesis statement for this album. The love Drake has for 21 Savage can be felt in this song.
Both men celebrate the deeply rooted friendship they have established. They both acknowledge each other as best friends which is extremely rare to hear in the music industry.
Drake and 21 Savage don’t hold back and throw jabs at rappers who they feel don’t deserve to be in the industry in the song “Privileged Rappers.”
“I hate a privileged rapper who don’t even know what it take,” Drake says on “Privileged Rappers.”
21 Savage’s flow really stands apart from Drake. Lyrics written by Savage are really clever. His presence is much needed in this album because it shows the difference between the rappers. But it brings them together and makes the entire production unique.
The top three songs are “Rich Flex,” “On BS” and “Broke Boys.”
“Rich Flex” is very shocking on the first listen because of the beat switch halfway through the song. Drake comes with full force at the listeners demonstrating his rap game is still on point.
“On BS” truly shines for 21 Savage. This truly feels like his vintage style with the lyrics and beat flowing really well together.
This song shows listeners that 21 Savage is not a rapper to mess with and how his pen game is on point. In a way it makes Drake look like a feature and the light shines on Savage.
“Broke Boys” comes from the understanding that this chemistry between Drake and Savage isn’t forced.
The album as a whole shows the strength of the pair, but this song is the final nail on the coffin. This can bring out the best strengths from both artists. The beat is very aggressive and packs a punch.
The beat is clean and simple paired with lyrics that are straight forward. The beat switch is strong from this album because it throws a huge curve at listeners and it only gets better from there.
Overall, “Her Loss” is solid in all aspects, from the production, to the pen game that 21 Savage demonstrates.
The album feels balanced and it’s a fun time from start to finish. The one downside is that the album cover is garbage.
The wait for the album was worth it, and it goes a long way in reminding listeners that Drake is a rapper at his core.
It also reminds listeners that 21 Savage just gets better with each new music release.