Drake 'For All the Dogs' Album Review

Drake is undoubtedly one of the most famous rappers of all-time. He is also one of the most polarizing. The man has been around for over a decade, while releasing some of the best songs in that span. Even with the decade-plus of music, Drake still finds a way to get fans amped up for new material.

Drake earlier in the year announced For All the Dogs. This led to speculation over the months as to when it would be released. This caused high anticipation, despite the most recent albums not receiving the usual Drake fanfare. Nevertheless, Drake was able to generate hype with how proud he was of this upcoming album.

On October 6th, For All the Dogs was finally released with social media going into a frenzy. You can always expect fans to adore the album, and the other side to despise it. You can also expect a crazy amount of units moved by Drake. Despite the frenzy and money being made, the most important question will always be if the album is good?

Positive takeaways from For All the Dogs

One thing Drake is going to do is have hits. He is at over 10 number one songs and is continuing to break more records in the process. "Slime You Out" is easily a big hit from the album. Another hit could be on the horizon as "First Person Shooter" is a pretty good track that has great production from industry standouts, Boi-1da and TayKeith. Drake is solid on the track, but J. Cole went ahead and destroyed his feature.

J Cole is a monster when you reference features and provides a spark that other artists were not capable of. "First Person Shooter" is one of the few electric songs on the album; and with the combination of Drake and J Cole, expect this to skyrocket up the charts.

The best song on the entire project has to be "Members Only." That is the best Drake has sounded in years in my opinion. People talk about Drake's collabs with Future and 21 Savage, but PartyNextDoor brings a different element out of Drake. His style and writing ability is a big strength when it is time for a Drake collab. The feeling from this track is from Drake's Views era, which some can make a case that is the last time Drake was the most motivated.

Songs, such as "Amen" and "Gently", fit the mold of being a little bit unique compared to the rest of the album. "Amen" in particular is a really good song that shows a different side of Teezo Touchdown that I did not expect. However, the good did not outweigh the bad.

Negative Takeaways from From For All the Dogs

23 songs for an album is a stretch, but not a deterrent if the album is good. However, this album should not have 23 tracks. A lot of this album just feels the same and sort of blend together with his previous releases.

Drake is a megastar that knows whatever he puts out is going to draw in money. That does not mean we can be objective though. The album is lazy and dull for most of it. You can even hear that lazy, dull sound in his features.

21 Savage is usually ready to tear down a feature, but this feature on "Calling for You" has no life. Some tracks come off as Drake going through an identity crisis. "Daylight" and "IDGAF" are just awful. Both tracks are just hard to listen to, as Drake is chasing a sound that clearly does not fit him. "7969 Santa" might be the most boring song on the entire project. There is simply no life and just not needed.

There are the obvious shots at his rivals, such as Pusha T and Kanye West. There was also a random shot at Rihanna that came off as distasteful. Drake comes off as bitter throughout this album, despite the most successful rapper of this generation.

Drake stated that he is stepping away for the next year, which hopefully brings a new sense of motivation because this is not it. This era of Drake is a popstar that does not want to try and make music. We need to accept that Drake might never make an interesting album ever again.

Overall Rating for For All the Dogs

Overall Rating: 4/10

Best Tracks: Amen, First Person Shooter, Members Only, 8 AM in Charlotte

Worst Tracks: Calling for You, Daylight, IDGAF, 7969 Santa, All the Parties, Rich Baby Daddy