by Sam Wolstenholm
Drake and 21 Savage have come together as two rap juggernauts to give us a collaboration album titled Her Loss. Originally scheduled to release a week earlier, it came out on November 4th of 2022. These artists individually do a lot of numbers, so I expect this project to do the same, regardless of its quality. This project is an interesting listen, going in a few different directions. Both artists sing, both rap, and both have solo songs on here. Let's see what 21 Savage and Drake have cooked up.
Side note: Drake probably has some of the worst album covers of anybody ever.
1. "Rich Flex"
Oh Drake...why are you like this? The first half of this track isn't terrible when 21 Savage is rapping, but Drake comes in with a horribly out-of-place singing segway into the second half. Said second half features a basic trap drum beat over an extremely simple piano drum loop. Drake "raps" on this half. He doesn't say anything profound. I could honestly do without this second half completely. It'd be a decent 21 Savage song if it was just the first half. He raps like he normally does on it. 21 is an enjoyable rapper if you don't take him too seriously. He says a lot of dumb stuff, but it's clear that he knows exactly what he's doing. The delivery is unique and entertaining (aided by his voice), and a lot of the lines he says are just funny. I can't help but smile at them. For example, "Always in my ear, your ho a flea" is so outlandish that it's funny. There's something about 21 that is undeniably enjoyable. Drake, on the other hand, just kind of sucks now. He doesn't have the same charm as his collaborator, and it's cringy to see him try so hard. I'm constantly disappointed by Drake because he's done so much better in the past. I know it's in him (EDITING NOTE: Oooo just wait. Remember I said that), but he seems to care more about quantity over quality at this point in his career. This song, overall, is a mess. It might be a different story without Drake on it, but there's too much mediocrity coming from this.
Well, the chorus is pretty ironic. Drake saying "go stupid" over and over again is...stupid. I don't know why they wouldn't have 21 Savage do this part if they had to keep it in at all. Drake's trying so hard to sound like him anyway. This comes after an already lazy verse from Drake where he's just rapping to rap and try to sound cool. He doesn't sound cool, and if you pay attention to the words at all, you'll notice he isn't actually saying anything. 21, on the other hand, does have at least one quality line. "Harry Styles numbers, it's a robbery. My n*ggas go in-Zayne to catch a body." LOL! See what I mean? 21 Savage can make your day better if you appreciate lines like that one. Sadly, the beat is pretty bad. It's another stupidly simple piano loop with heavy 808s and trap drums. Nothing special whatsoever. I don't like this song, but I think I like it more than the album opener still.
3. "On BS"
At least this one has a cool drum track as it includes some fluttering hi-hat sounds panning around the headphones. The melodic elements are still pretty forgettable though, and it isn't aided by a catchy hook or anything. In fact, the hook is horrible. There was absolutely zero effort put into making anything catchy and/or of quality. Repetition alone does not equate to something catchy. It's very frustrating, especially when 21 Savage brags about his hook-writing abilities in this very same song. I will say that the verses are alright here. The duo does a little back and forth rapping, and there are a few quotable lines. "I jump on your song and make you sound like you the feature" is my favorite of 21's because it's honestly pretty much true half the time. It's a good flex by him. I like Drake's line too, "If he held his tongue on that live, he'd be alive again," but I have no idea who or what he's referring to (if there is anything at all...I wouldn't be surprised at all if Drake just said this to try to sound cool). More that I don't like? The part where to beat cuts out for an absurd amount of time just to highlight the start of Drake's verse (the bars weren't good either...he's bragging about taking Adderall..?). Umm, I also disliked the last part because there's an entire minute of a dude, Arthur Kar, just talking about the same stuff the duo is already rapping about. If it were shorter, maybe it'd be funny. But it's just annoying really. It isn't interesting or funny or anything.
Somehow, someway, this is probably my favorite song so far, and it doesn't even have 21 Savage on it. It is the second time on the album though that Lil Yachty (for some reason) has done random adlibs. They don't make or break the track for me. Anyone could've done those (EDITING NOTE: Turns out Lil Yachty in on like half the tracks doing the same thing). Don't get me wrong, Drake isn't blowing anybody away with his bars here. He does, however have a unique enough vocal performance to make it pass. It almost sounds like something that could've ended up on If You're Reading This It's Too Late, and that is saying something for me (it's Drakes best project and I'd love for anyone to try and argue that). It's a catchy flow with some light autotune. Drake seems to walk the line of corny and appealing that he doesn't seem to do much of anymore. That being said, he does have a line or two that stick out anyway. "I'm an owl, but I'll never tell you who." Get it? The OVO owl? And owls say "who"? Drake is the greatest rapper alive. The instrumental is still pretty basic, but there's a cool distorted synth/horn sound bringing a triumphant and dramatic feel. On it's own, the song isn't even close to one of Drake's best, but at least it's somewhat enjoyable (AKA listenable). It ends annoyingly abrupt though. Ugh.
What the hell is this? The beat sounds like it took maybe 30 minutes to make. Is it supposed to be sentimental? If it is, then they shouldn't be rapping about having sex in a bank. They shouldn't be doing that anyway, but still. Is it supposed to be a love song? I wouldn't think so, given the album and song titles. It better not actually be about priveleged rappers because...Drake? "I used to hand out CDs before they would buy it." Okay? Me too? So has pretty much every rapper. That makes you less privileged? The real privilege is being able to put out the most half-assed trash like this and people still thinking it's any good.
There's really ten more songs after this. I hope they actually start to get somewhat creative because this song is just not it. First of all, the prospect of a good track was killed when the good sample was wasted by overpowering 808s and drums. After 21 Savage drops a pretty mid verse, Drake comes in with a horrible chorus. He does his singing thing where he changes the words but doesn't really do anything new. Oh yea, and he unironically sings, "Wipe him like he's snotty for you." Like, he actually said that. More than once. The song is about doing anything for a girl, so, naturally, it fits perfectly in the "her loss" theme of the album (lol I'm just kidding, there's nothing even close to a theme). Bad song. How can Drake keep getting away with this? It's sad that he's kinda bringing 21 Savage down with him too. You don't have to do it Mr. Savage. Do your thing 21... :(
Same whiny singing stuff as the chorus in the song before. See what I mean? It isn't exactly bad, but it's nothing I haven't heard many times before. And..what's that? Oh my...21 Savage thinks he can sing like Drake now too? In a way though, I actually prefer his vocals to his counterpart's. At least it's different. The song sounds like it was only Drake's and they just decided to throw 21 on it. He's barely present (kind of like the instrumental). The closest thing to a hook is "turn my bitch up" repeated a bunch of times. There's a huge break after that too where Drake is just crooning over a beat that kind of resembles silence. Maybe that was on purpose (ya know, the "silence thing"), but it goes on for too long (the "hours" part perhaps). It is horribly uninteresting. Drake's flow doesn't change, and he certainly isn't making up for it with his lyrics. Okay I'm done. This might be my least favorite song so far. It's so uninspired.
First of all, and this has nothing to do with the quality of the song (I don't think), but I don't understand the whole "twin" thing. If it's supposed to mean close friend, and I'm pretty sure it is, then it doesn't make any sense because twins are the same. At the very least, they look the same. That's the whole meaning of twin. If you call someone your twin, you're implying that they are the same as you in some way. I don't get the endearment behind that, but I digress. The song isn't good anyway. Extremely bland. Boring. I don't know who they're talking to/about. It does nothing for me. I am not inspired to get any closer with my friends. I'm not even nodding my head to the beat. It sounds like something one could just rip off YouTube or whatever. Very forgettable. Skip this and know there isn't a reason to return to it. 21 Savage does have quite a bar on here though when he says, "I don't show ID at clubs 'cause they know that I'm 21." I admit, this is fire. However, it has nothing to do with the concept of the song (if you could even claim that there is one). There is no focus here, and there is no feature or musical element to save the day. (EDITING NOTE: It's definitely the worst song.)
9. "Circo Loco"
This one has potential. Sampling Daft Punk's "One More Time," the instrumental has a rich and crispy electronic feel. It reminds me a bit of "Nice For What?" It's a quick tempo, making Drake actually sound like he's rapping. Speaking of, he drops a few names here, taking shots at Megan Thee Stallion and Kanye West. He's pathetic for using what happened to Megan to get people to listen to his music. Clearly, this man is insecure about something and has decided to poke his nose into a situation that doesn't involve him just for clout. It's sad, really. Thankfully, 21 actually delivers a good verse with real content in it. "Still posted in the A where n*ggas fear me. Still gotta see the Gunners win Premeir League." That is a great line about being in and repping Atlanta while also acknowledging the fact that he's from London ("Gunners" is a reference to Arsenal FC, the English soccer team). I like this song, but it's hard to support it when Drake continues to be a big baby. Therefore, no positive GIF for this one. It is a clear turning point for the album though. You'll see.
Yea this is pretty much what you'd expect, at least when it comes to content. I don't love the chorus. It's got a passible flow (still low-energy but whatever), but it's ruined by the actual words Drake says. He's awful. He tried way too hard to appeal to women on Certified Lover Boy just to do a 180° here and try way too hard to appeal to men? I think that what he's trying to do? He's doing an awful lot of objectifying women on this album for that not to be the case. I mean, just look at the album artwork and title. Anyway, I do like the line "They say more money more problems. Bring on the problems," in the chorus (even if he does repeat it way too much). 21 Savage sounds better on here than Drake does by a significant margin. He rides the beat really well and drops some fun bars that could only come from 21. Don't have much more to say about it. The sudden beat switch for the Travis Scott feature sounds ambitious. There's a synth organ playing a melody that reminds me of the Young Thug song "Hot" or even something off ASTROWORLD. I do enjoy both parts of the instrumental. There are actual layers to the production. Piano, drums, and 808s are the main instruments until the Travis Scott part. There are various other sounds too, but it's nice to actually hear melodies and rhythms that sound like work was put into them. Something about this song makes me not angry. However, I have to believe it's because the rest of the songs up until this point have been so tasteless. I don't see myself adding this song to my playlist even though it's one of the three best of the first ten tracks. Take that how you will.
11. "Broke Boys"
The opening to the track has a cool effect on it, but it only lasts a few seconds (it's something unique though, which seems to be kind of rare on this project). The beat comes in pretty hard, and Drake is rapping over it with some standard flows and bars. Nothing crazy being said. The chorus is even alright. It's pretty catchy and sticks to a simple concept. Basically, he's warning people that try to diss him that they'll go broke trying to get to the level he's at. It's a decent flex. 21 Savage's verse doesn't really seem up to par, but the bar is pretty low on this album overall, so it isn't something to complain about too much. Until the beat switch, the song kind of marches along. I see some nighttime music video of people just walking with anger and power. That might not make sense. I don't know. After the beat switch though, it suffers a drop in quality. Drake seems to think that it's okay now to just say one phrase five times and assume it's a hook. Catchy doesn't mean good. And "I can't talk to broke boys" isn't even that catchy. The beat itself just shifts to an arpeggio piano over a straight and underdeveloped drums. Then, the beat cuts out at the end so we can hear Drake say "I can't talk to broke boys" a few more times just in case we didn't catch it before.
What the hell? A good song? A really good one actually. It's too bad it comes on a collaboration album and not a solo Drake one. Being the only one on here, Drake decides to remember how to rap. I hate when he does this. He'll drop so much shitty music just to have one song like this to remind people that he does have talent and he simply chooses to waste it most of the time. Whether he actually wrote these lyrics or not is completely irrelevant because it sounds good. That's all I ask of Drake, and he's had a lot of trouble with that in the last 5-10 years. This one though? The beat is gorgeous. It sounds like something Rick Ross should be featured on. It's a glamorous guitar and vocal sample with some crisp complimentary drums. The drum fills sound really good too. There's a clean beat switch about halfway through that ushers in some smooth strings and a slower drum beat. It's actually an interesting and fairly unique instrumental. Finally. Lyrically, these are Drake's best bars in a long time. I'm not even going to quote any of them because you just need to listen for yourself (even though the beat is good, the lyrics are still front and center). THIS is what I want from Drake. If it had a good hook, it'd be one of the best of his in a super long time. Even the Birdman outro works fine. It isn't annoying because the instrumental keeps playing at a crawl pace. It's smooth. Birdman's voice is just kind of noise, so it's fine. Great song. Wow.
Interesting. This track also lacks a 21 Savage contribution. I'm not sure how I feel about it honestly. It's short, running a little over two minutes, and features a verse between two choruses. If it was longer, I don't think I'd like it as much as I do. In fact, I find the chorus kind of catchy (melodically, I won't remember the words). I also like the instrumental. It isn't overstated, but it isn't extremely basic either. For the most part, it emphasizes the first three beats of the measure and rests on the fourth. Like I said, it's interesting. It's got a cool vocal sample and some simple but effective drums. I don't like the "Brr brr brr brr brr!" parts, but it isn't the worst thing Drake's ever done. He also kind of misses the mark when he tries to hit some high notes in his performance. However, I respect the attempt.
14. "More M's"
Ya know, I don't hate this one either. And I do hate to say it, but I think Drake washes 21 Savage on here. Don't get me wrong, 21 is doing his thing, but he doesn't have that charm he usually does. Meanwhile, Drake decides to rap again. He throws shots at people, including Kendrick Lamar (real bold there, man) and kind of just raps like he's on top of the game. It's like he rapped back on If You're Reading This It's Too Late. I'm pleasantly surprised. The beat itself isn't horrible either. It's kind of just a dark trap beat, but it's got that Metro Boomin flavor to it. I might return to this one too, but I'm not committing to that.
This is clearly supposed to be a nod to Drake's series of tracks like "5AM in Toronto" and "4PM in Calabasas." However, this one has no Drake and is only 21 Savage trying to rap about some personal stuff. He actually does a good job with that, referencing some of his late friends that were a victim of violence. Not only that, but he has some clever lines too. "Real gangster. When I'm gone, carve my name in the cement," is one that stands out to me. The use of the word "cement" is, of course, a reference to a tombstone, but he also means the street and/or sidewalk. In addition to his emotional performance, the beat is decent. It has somewhat unique drum sounds. The melodies are buried in the back of the mix, and that gives the instrumental a somber, detached feel. Don't sleep on this one, 21 is coming from the heart. AND it sounds good. Dark horse here for sure.
The vocal effects on the chorus are magical-sounding of sorts. It sounds alright though if you aren't annoyed by Drake's actual singing. It isn't very good, nor is it catchy enough to get stuck in my head. I do like how it sounds, as long as I'm taking his voice as an instrument like a lead guitar or synth. This beat is cinematic as it features some beautiful piano and string combonations. Some trumpets as well! It's one of the best instrumentals from Drake in a long time. In fact, it's one of the best songs from him in a while. He's got a solid delivery and rhyme scheme for the duration of his single verse. He isn't just saying stupid shit either. He can actually be serious sometimes without sounding corny (apparently). Honestly, I'd love to hear a version of this with The Weeknd on it, but that's just me. Very strong closer for the album. It's sad though that it's another one of the best tracks of the project, and it has nothing to do with 21 Savage.
Overall
Honestly, it isn't a very good album. Yes, there are some good parts, but it is not a good experience overall. Drake's voice is just tired at this point, and the legend of 21 Savage cannot be a savior for everything. I guess if you are a fan of these artists it could be worth a listen, but don't waste your time if you aren't already on board with these guys.
It's just an unfocused collection of tracks. The ones that are bad are BAD, but the ones that are good are just good. The best does not make up for the worst whatsoever. Honestly, I have to convince myself to enjoy the few tracks on here that are decent. I shouldn't have to do that. I have to forgive some bad elements to be able to like anything. I'd feel bad about it, but I'm tired of giving Drake excuses. 21 Savage wasn't even as good on here as I wanted him to be. Again, there are moments, but I was expecting more moments from 21 than I got. There is also just one solo 21 Savage song to Drake's four..but these are five of the best tracks on the album too. I can't even lie.
Her Loss is inconsistent as hell. The second half of the album is so much better than the first. The content of the songs on this thing range from doing anything for a girl and your best friend to acting like poor people don't exist (I exaggerate, but still). Both of the rappers do touch on some personal stuff, but my problem comes from sifting through the bullshit to find it. Most of the instrumentals are basically trap stock beats, and the good ones are still just versions of stuff we've heard from these guys before. I will not be returning to this album (a few tracks are going on the playlist though), and it was a difficult review to get through.
3.6/10
If you've read my review, I assume you have already heard Her Loss, so I want to hear what you think. What'd I miss? Did I tear apart your favorite song? Or give too much credit to one that doesn't deserve it? Any questions or comments? I'd love to respond. Feel free to drop review requests too! I will strongly consider them (this one was a request).
Peace and love.
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