Drake, Certified Lover Boy | Album Review 💿

Canadian superstar Drake has his fair share of moments on Certified Lover Boy, even if the album runs far too long, approaching 90 minutes. 

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nytime that 🏆 Grammy winning rapper/singer 🎙 Drake releases music, it’s a big deal.  Aubrey Graham has become a superstar, who can put up gargantuan numbers – streaming and sales.  It should come as no surprise that 💿 Certified Lover Boy, his first studio album since 💿 Scorpion (2018), had a sizable debut week on the Billboard 200, earning the year’s most robust debut to the tune of 613,000 units.  The question isn’t the numbers, but rather, the quality of this nearly 90-minute, 21-track affair.  Does Certified Lover Boy live up to the 🎵 “Hype” or is it more ‘rinse and repeat’ for the Canadian superstar? All said and done, Certified Lover Boy has worthwhile moments; you just must work your way through to find your flavor. 

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“Champagne Poetry” 

Drake commences Certified Lover Boy with a bang with ✅ 🎵 “Champagne Poetry.”  Here, the usually mellow MC delivers an agile flow with assertive, unpitched rhymes.  “Champagne Poetry” is divided into two parts, with each bearing sublime production, anchored by samples.  There are a total of three verses during his ‘poetry,’ with the third verse being the longest, and maybe, just maybe, the best. 🎵 “Papi’s Home” follows, once more, anchored by a sample – 🎙 Montell Jordan, 🎵 “Daddy’s Home”.  Even though “Papi’s Home” is relatively mellow, once more, Drizzy ‘packs some punch’ with his assertive, straight rhymes.  Worth noting, he does sing alongside Jordan on the outro (“Daddy’s home”). 

“Yeah, say that you a lesbian, girl, me too / Ayy, girls want girls where I’m from / Wait, woah, yeah, girls want girls…” Three songs into Certified Lover Boy, Drake ensures we get controversy on 🎵 “Girls Want Girls” –  the fetishization of lesbians by straight men. So, Drake’s a lesbian? PinkNews highlighted the bizarre, problematic nature of this hit song that finds a straight guy likening himself to a lesbian because he likes women too. Further drumming up controversy is another straight guy fetishizing lesbianism/bisexuality, 🎙 Lil Baby (“She like eating pussy, I’m like, ‘Me too’ / … Please bring your girlfriend along with you.” Growing more common are horny, self-serving straight male rappers using female same-sex relationships to fulfill their inner freak. “Girls Want Girls,” hence, is distasteful, though I like the sound of the song itself.

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“In The Bible” 

“Turn up every day, girl, it don’t say that in the Bible / Can’t give it up ‘cause you love the lifestyle.” 🎵 “In The Bible” isn’t biblical, so don’t go into the record expecting scripture, let alone a sermon.  That said, there are some interesting moments, just like Drake essentially calling this ‘holier than thou’ woman a hypocrite.  It doesn’t stop there as 🎙 Lil Durk and 🎙 GIVĒON also appear.  Durk has the best verse, particularly when he references his faith (“It’s not in the Bible to wife off one girl / I’m Muslim, I go by Quran”), the late King Von, and his viral TikTok dance.

On the smooth 🎵 “Love All,” Drake enlists 🎙 JAY-Z for the assist.  He delivers the melodic chorus at the beginning, before following up with a melodic first verse. After Drizzy sets the tone, Hov provides contrast with his harder, un-pitched rhymes on the second verse.  Jay has several memorable one-liners, whether it’s “This ain’t the same Shawn that you knew once / I don’t shine shoes, uh,” or “Niggas wanted to kill me and y’all want me to be friendly / Niggas want sympathy after they wanted to end me.”  Yeah, he’s still got it! 🎙 Travis Scott joins the Canadian superstar on 🎵 “Fair Trade,” which samples 🎙 Charlotte Day Wilson (🎵 “Mountains”) with success.  Once more, Drizzy has a solid, melodic chorus on his hands, with the melody transferring to two melodic verses.  Scott brings contrast on the third verse, though maintains the melodic nature of the joint initially. No worries, as we get fiery Travis soon enough, with a harder, trap beat and his signature ad-lib, “It’s lit!” Both “Love All” and “Fair Trade” are enjoyable and respectable moments from Certified Lover Boy. 

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“Way 2 Sexy”

✅ 🎵 “Way 2 Sexy” ends up being one of the bangers that stands out on Certified Lover Boy.  That’s surprising considering the record samples the corny 🎙 Right Said Fred classic, 🎵 “I’m Too Sexy”.  Drake is joined by 🎙 Future and 🎙 Young Thug on this confident, cocky track.  Future plays a sizable role including the repetitive, ‘far too sexy’ chorus.  As for Young Thug, well, he’s true to self in all his idiosyncrasy.  Following domination on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100, “Way 2 Sexy” earned Drizzy another no. 1 hit.  It’s amazing what sexiness will do for you.

“This is a story, it came from my life, and I’m just recordin’ this shit.” Okay… 🎵 “TSU” is interesting to say the least.  Drake imparts a tale of a stripper who wants to turn her life around.  According to him, “She tryna get out of the mix, shawty is goin’ legit.” So, what is his role in all of this? Well, he clearly wants to be supportive, and that support seems to transcend their freaky past, supposedly.  On the two-part 🎵 “N 2 Deep,” Drizzy collaborates once more with Future.  On the first part, to an extent, the rapper/singer wants her to know he’s a respectable man. On the second part, however, things seem to be out of control.

“Baby, that pussy was so worth the wait
I wasn’t in love with none of them anyway
Now I'm in too deep, I’m in too deep, oh.”

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“Pipe Down”

“And when you see Chanel, I wish that’s how you saw me.”  Sigh, those matters of the heart – they’ll mess you up every time! ✅ 🎵 “Pipe Down” is one of the lusher, ear catching songs from Certified Lover Boy.  The sample that fuels the fire is surprising: 🎵 “Pussy Money Weed” courtesy of 🎙 Lil Wayne! Drake, as usual, has a particular woman on his mind, and he can’t stop thinking about her even though they’re no longer together.  “Don’t know how many pens it’s going to take to get over you,” he sings on the reflective, memorable chorus continuing, “How much I gotta pen for you to pipe down?” 

Following the enjoyable “Pipe Down,” we hear from 🏆 Grammy-winning, West Memphis born standout, 🎙 YEBBA. As always, on 🎵 “Yebba’s Heartbreak,” she sounds incredible.  Two-and-a-quarter minutes just isn’t enough Yebba!  Drake follows up with another banger, 🎵 “No Friends in the Industry.”  Here, he has no love whatsoever for the haters.  “Niggas love to start the beef, don’t wanna keep it rap,” he proclaims.  Notably, he’s been involved in no shortage of feuds, which he alludes to.  According to him, “I was young angel, but these niggas turned me evil.”

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“Knife Talk”

Banger 🎵 “Knife Talk” features 🎙 21 Savage and 🎙 Project Pat.  The backdrop is dark, malicious, and unsettling – perfectly suited for a banger.  Arguably, 21 Savage is the best performer on this joint, particularly on the first verse where his deadpan approach cultivates some magic.  Drake follows up with 🎵 “7 am On Bridle Path,” which is like his other ‘time-oriented’ songs from various places.  He serves up a similar flow.  Essentially, “7 am On Bridle Path” feels more ‘old hat’ than brand-new or strikingly innovative. 

“I wanted to race my mind, I got the keys / Please, for me / Since you’re comin’ home intoxicated, oh / For me, please / I wanted to race my mind, mind.” ✅ 🎵 “Race My Mind” features stupendous production (🎛 40, 🎛 Monsune, 🎛 GOVI) – lush, soulful, and old-school. Anchored by big drums, Drake leans on his singing vocals, which proves to be a wise choice.  He sounds chill and mellowed out – he’s in his niche.  He does contrast with edgier, un-pitched rhymes, which bodes in his favor as well. 

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“Fountains”

“Race My Mind” marks one of the best moments from Certified Lover Boy.  Even so, it’s eclipsed by the ultra-funky ✅ 🎵 “Fountains” featuring Nigerian singer, 🎙 Tems.  The African groove is infectious – totally inescapable.  This is a chilled-out, must-hear banger that feels natural on the Canadian rapper/singer. From the moment “Fountains” kicks off, it’s a total vibe.  This is a record that’s reminiscent of Drake’s former no. 1 hit, 🎵 “One Dance” from 💿 Views. 

‘Vibe’ continues to be the modus operandi on 🎵 “Get Along Better,” another slickly produced R&B-leaning cut.  Again, this is a record that plays to Drake’s strength as a singer, which may be his best attribute.  Worth noting, Drizzy dominates most of this song, with 🎙 Ty Dolla $ign adding his distinct vocals and sound at the end.  Need another banger? How about ✅ 🎵 “You Only Live Twice” featuring 🎙 Lil Wayne and 🎙 Rick Ross! Ross kicks things off with a kick ass verse where he’s true to self, rapping about money (“Money callin’ so I threw the deuce up”).  Drizzy follows, maintaining confidence and swagger as he asserts, “Still runnin’ the game, don’t ask me about the practice,” which references an epic moment from NBA baller 🏀 Allen Iverson. Lil Wayne isn’t to be outdone, sexed-up to the nth degree and unapologetic AF: “Pull my hammer out her pussy, pull her nails out my back.” Woo! Besides electrifying rhymes, the backdrop is awesome.

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“IMY2”

Homestretch, folks – homestretch.  On 🎵 “IMY2,” Drake is joined by 🎙 Kid Cudi, who’s always good for a – wait for it – VIBE.  While not necessarily a favorite from this lengthy affair, it’s worth listening to for those Cudi woah(s) and hey-ayy(s) alone.  Again, it is a track that plays to Drizzy’s strengths with its mellifluous sound.  The ‘bold’ 🎵 “Fucking Fans” is less bold than its title suggests.  He only mentions “fucking fans” a couple of times on this slow jam, which encompass sex and becoming a better man (“I’m still working on me / And I’m coming back with a plan an there’s money in my hand”), supposedly.   

✅ 🎵 “The Remorse” concludes fittingly, much like “Champagne Poetry” commenced Certified Lover Boy.  Drake is in reflective mode, which is often one of his strong suits.  His flow is agile, rhythmic, and enticing.  The production is radiant, matching the introspective nature of the rapper’s rhymes.  The sample proves to be a nice touch. 

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Final Thoughts 💭

So, how does Certified Lover Boy stack up? All in all, this lengthy album has some nice moments.  This isn’t Drake’s best album – 💿 Take Care (2011) remains the album to beat in my opinion – but the rapper/singer does show all facets of himself.  Some of the rubs are length and at times, sameness from the superstar, who doesn’t exhibit much innovative spirit.  Still, if you can sift through the near-90 minute, 21-song track list, there are gems to be found that are worth spinning. 

 

✅ Gems 💎: “Champagne Poetry,” “Way 2 Sexy,” “Pipe Down,” “Race My Mind,” “Fountains,” “You Only Live Twice” & “The Remorse”

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🎙 Drake • 💿 Certified Lover Boy • 🏷 OVO / Republic • 🗓 9.3.21
[📷: OVO / Republic]

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