Fresh in from the 6, Drake's highly anticipated sixth studio album has landed.
Certified Lover Boy is here — 21 tracks deep, with rap collaborations from Jay Z, Lil Baby, Future, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, Lil Durk, Young Thug, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Giveon, and Tems. The Canadian hip-hop heavyweight is no stranger to showing his affectionate side, which is what we all anticipated with Certified Lover Boy.
But after its release, it's not quite that. The album instead screams toxic masculinity and glorifies the cultural attitude of toxicity in relationships in 2021. Where we thought we'd get 2021 remixes of Best I Ever Had, we instead received tracks like TSU where he raps: "I don't even treat you that good, girl, why you smilin'? It's three in the mornin', why are you drivin'?" and Papi's Home with "I remember that I told you I miss you, that was kind of like a mass text."
Damn. The caption-worthy lines hit deep for every girl twiddling her thumbs, waiting for a text back from her very own CLB. Just as Megan Thee Stallion had her hotties and hot girl summer, it appears as though the CLBs have arrived and it's officially Hot-Boy-Spring, thanks to Drake.
Donda
Donda, Donda, Donda, Donda. Donda is here.
After continuous listening events — with Kanye setting himself on fire and Marilyn Manson standing at the doorstep of a church (oh, and how can we not forget the climax with what appeared to be a marriage between Kim Kardashian and Ye) — West's tenth studio album has officially dropped after its long-awaited release. Just when we thought Kanye had exhausted his ever-so-bizarre ideas that always cease to impress and make sense once executed, we truly did not expect to see what he showcased for his Donda album release.
"This might be the return of the throne" — one line, ultimate feels. Those were the days in 2010 when Otis was on replay on your iPod Nano, we'd sign in and out repeatedly on MSN to capture our crush's attention, and Blockbuster was still around. We never thought we'd see the day, but 11 years later Ye and Hov return to bless our ears with Jail — and let's just say, we were not disappointed.
Throughout Donda, Ye showcases his versatility and creative genius — showing his attitude and vulnerability lyrically in tracks like Lord I Need You, then flawlessly switching his style with tracks like Hurricane and New Again. The album itself is undoubtedly the perfect representation of Kanye himself: chaotic, multi-faceted, yet simply brilliant.
Our JD team roundup of favourites from the two albums includes Way 2 Sexy, Race My Mind, Fair Trade, Champagne Poetry, Jail, Jail Pt 2 and No Child Left Behind. Were CLB and Donda what you'd hoped for? Were they on the level of Nothing Was The Same or My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? The art of music is that it's subjective — so that's a decision for you to make.
Whilst you listen to both albums, we've got a little challenge for you below. Can you name all the albums?
DRAKE (2021, March 6). Posts Retrieved from instagram.com/champagnepapi
DRAKE Track List (2021, September 3). Posts Retrieved from instagram.com/champagnepapi
DONDA [@kimkardashian]. (2021, August 28). Posts Retrieved from instagram.com/kimkardashian
DONDA Track List [@kanyewest] Posts Retrieved from twitter.com/kanyewest