The much awaited Drake album, Certified Lover Boy, was released on September 3 as fans went haywire all over Twitter. Breaking the record for the biggest first week sales in hip-hop, the 21-track album projects a common theme of Drake’s aversion to commitment along with a hint of self-praise and some (not so) subtle bragging. Or, simply, the entire album is just Drizzy being himself.
Through the course of the album, Drake highlights the journey of coming to terms with his distaste for commitment and monogamy. The album begins with “Champagne Poetry,” containing lines like “My soulmate is somewhere out in the world just waiting on me,” almost tricking the listeners into believing that he wants to settle down and expressing his desire to be loved, by referring to his heart as “vacant and lonely.” But it doesn’t take him long to slip right back into the “player” image, using lines like “I remember that I told you I miss you, that was kinda like a mass text” in “Papi’s Home.” This player image is also quite evident in the cover art for the album, which features a dozen pregnant emoji women holding their bellies. Designed by British artist Damien Hirst, the cover has inspired many internet memes.
At times, the album gets quite repetitive when Drake becomes the sole focus of the songs and comes across as being too wrapped up in himself. “Under me I see all the people that claim they over me / And above me I see nobody,” from the song “Champagne Poetry” is one example. And we cannot forget “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug, a whole song dedicated entirely to how Drake is “too sexy for this world.” Although, some of the more meaningful songs, drawing light upon his experience in the music industry, are “Fair Trade,” featuring Travis Scott, and “Love All,” featuring Jay-Z, inspiring numerous Instagram captions (“People never care?’til?it’s R.I.P.”) all around the world. Finally, he concludes the album with “The Remorse,” where he comes to terms with his antipathy to monogamy through the use of lines like “Can’t picture bein’ a hubby, finger too stubby to fit a ring on / […] the strings’ll be unattached,” proving yet again how the rapper is just not ready to be tied down.
Drake’s previous studio album, Scorpion, released in 2018, also explored similar themes with an addition of his public acknowledgment of fatherhood, where he talked about his son Adonis and his journey of being a father and gave us numerous hits like “God’s Plan,” “In My Feelings,” and “Nonstop.” However, Certified Lover Boy, released after a long gap, is definitely one of Drake’s finer pieces of work. Drake is an extraordinary rapper, but the music in his tracks is what makes them stand out. The music throughout the album was a mix of jazzy tunes and a play on varying pitched vocals, with several songs completely switching tempos and beats halfway. The exceptional wordplay in his raps along with the catchy tunes certainly hit the mark for me, and I can’t help humming along to the songs throughout my day.
Fans of Drake have been waiting patiently for a new album, and Certified Lover Boy definitely does not disappoint. Take a listen and get swept away in Drizzy’s catchy beats and anti-monogamist messages.
