SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says Drake latest project “may have just saved hip-hop” in his For All The Dogs review.
When the clock hit midnight, hoards of Drake fans all of the world were left refreshing their favourite DSP so they could get their latest Drake fix. That’s when word spread that the album wouldn’t be dropping until 6:00am. On October 6th. Very 6 God of him.
Then came the sound of the pitter patter of footsteps running down the stairs like Christmas morning as For All The Dogs finally arrived.
Now. this album is very important for hip-hop which, aside from Doja Cat‘s “Paint The Town Red”, has struggled to secure a #1 record in 2023.
It’s also important for Drake. Her Loss was both critically acclaimed and loved by fans, and widely regarded as one of his best albums to date, but fans and critics are divided on his latest two solo projects Honestly, Nevermind and Certified Lover Boy. Would we be getting a Her Loss or an Honestly, Nevermind?
While I’m sure Drake puts a lot of thought into his albums, a few of his albums felt like more of a collection of hits than a thoughtful body of work. Not so, with For All The Dogs. Based on the title alone, it wouldn’t have seemed out of line to think we’d be getting some of that womanizing and toxic content that would make Future proud. While we get a little taste of that on What Would Pluto Do, the album touches on a variety of topics, from beef to love. You know, the typically Drake stuff. And that’s where the album shines. After Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss, it’s refreshing to have a whole album of Drake being Drake; nothing more, nothing less.
At 23 songs, one may wonder whether this album would be another Scorpion―a good album weighed down by a lot of fillers that don’t need to be there. Fortunately, that’s not the case. Going through the album track by track you get the impression that Drake isn’t just trying to make hits just to break more records; he really has something to say and you really need to sit down and go through the whole album to take it all in.
There are some big moments on the album. There’s Adonis‘ surprise feature on “Daylight”. Lebron James’ statement that his son, Bronny, is already better than some NBA players is fitting here. That Adonis verse is vibey.
There’s also the Snoop cameo on “7696 Santa”. “First Person Shooter” featuring J Cole is a moment on its own as two of the best rappers of this generation go bar for bar. This is this generation’s equivalent of Jay-Z and Nas on track. Batman and Superman. Captain America and Iron Man. They each show respect to the other while asserting themselves and claiming the #1 spot.
We also got Drake and Bad Bunny, two of the biggest artists in the world, on a track with “Gently”, although it felt a bit out of place on the project.
While there are a lot of bars on the album to dissect, some of them felt more personal. On “Away From Home” Drake spits:
“How could I forget? How could I forget?
I was on a Greyhound way before the jet
Buffalo, New York was like the furthest I could get
At the Walden Galleria tryna make the money stretch
Student Price Card and a Yorkdale connect”
For those of us in Toronto, this is our story (minus the jet part). Drake is a global superstar, but he started out just like us. Many of us can remember when Buffalo, New York was the furthest we could get; when a trip to Walden Galleria felt like a vacation. Many of us can also remember taking our Student Price Card to our nearest mall to get those discounts. If Drake started out like us, just a normal kid from Toronto, and rose to global fame, why can’t we be great too?
With a return to bars and focusing on having something to say instead of just churning out hits, Drake may have just saved hip-hop which has been on a decline commercially speaking in 2023. But more than anything, this album is a reminder that the top hip-hop artist in the world, who has been on 10+ year run, is from Toronto. The man that had the world waiting until midnight, and waking up at 6am, is from Toronto. The man who is in GOAT conversations with Jay-Z, the Lebron to HOV’s Michael Jordan, is from Toronto. Let’s not take that for granted. Similar to listening to a HOV record in New York, listening to a Drake album in Toronto hits different and it’s the same For All The Dogs. This album isn’t just a moment for Drake or hip-hop, but it’s a reminder to Toronto and Canada that just like Andre 3000 said of the South in 1995 before they became the mecca of hip-hop, the North has something to say.
Kevin Bourne is SHIFTER’s Toronto-based editor and Senior Entertainment Reporter focusing on Black music and film & TV. He was named one of 310 international voters for the 81st Golden Globe Awards by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and a Tomatometer-Approved Critic by Rotten Tomatoes.
Related content:
CONCERT REVIEW – LIL YACHTY SHOWS ARTISTIC GROWTH AT SOLD OUT SHOW IN TORONTO
CONCERT REVIEW – LIL YACHTY SHOWS ARTISTIC GROWTH AT SOLD OUT SHOW IN TORONTO