Review: Drake and 21 Savage wow fans with collaboration album ‘Her Loss’
A portrait of model Qui Yasuka, the album cover of “Her Loss” by Drake and 21 Savage, was photographed by Paris Aden about three years ago. “Her Loss” has brought uproar from fans, some absolutely loving it and others left disappointed. “Her Loss is a masterpiece,” senior Wyatt Andrews said. “21 Savage really displays his talent within his discography working with Drake on this staple album. Drake also showed how diverse he can be with how many different flows and beats he switches on and off to seamlessly. If you don’t like it, your loss.”
November 9, 2022
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Less than five months after his last album, “Honestly, Nevermind,” Drake, joined by fellow rapper, 21 Savage, returns on Nov. 4 with the release of “Her Loss.” Drake and 21 Savage have a history of working together, most notably in the last year with songs like “Knife Talk” from Drake’s 2021 album – “Certified Lover Boy,” and most recently, “Jimmy Cooks,” which was released this past summer. Fans of Drake and 21 Savage are finally able to enjoy this duo album.
Kevin: 8/10
The album opens with 21 Savage and his cousin, fellow Atlanta rapper Young Nudy, discussing their lifestyle as rappers. The beat drops and Drake begins a melodic shout-out to 21 Savage before he begins his verse, boasting his success in a laid-back cadence. Drake cuts off 21 Savage’s final bar with a melodic segue into a beat change to a more aggressive tone with Drake delivering a more energetic verse to balance out the coolness of 21 Savage’s verse. This song was a perfect introduction to what listeners should expect from the album by showcasing the differences that make Drake and 21 Savage so compatible.
Mithra: 9/10
Beginning with a slow start and beautifully sung intro from Drake, the beat drop is followed by an enchanting rap that makes it impossible to not bop my head. I always enjoy hearing shout-outs to Texas in songs and was excited to hear Drake say “I’m in love with Houston, Dallas, Austin.” The beat of this song is amazing and 21 Savage did not disappoint with his bars a little over halfway through the song. This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, with amazingly written lyrics and perfect execution.
Kevin: 7/10
The song begins with 21 Savage rapping aggressive – combative bars over a haunting beat, and joined halfway through the verse by Drake following his lead. Drake and 21 Savage go back and forth every eight bars on the first verse, delivering hard-hitting lyrics. This creates a very dark atmosphere that is sure to excite fans. The sound of the music paired perfectly with the lyrics and style of delivery that the two rappers chose for this beat. I enjoyed the song, but I felt the chorus was a little repetitive which lessened the experience overall.
Mithra: 7/10
Right off the bat this song gets going, showcasing Drake’s incredible talent in singing and rapping. I love that the song gets straight to the point but I felt that after a while, I was awaiting a change in beat. This song is a little tamer in comparison to some of the other songs and I think a verse from 21 Savage could have been beneficial. While not necessarily the best song to blast at a party, the song is still a great one for a late-night drive or getting ready to go out.
Kevin: 8/10
The song has a very calming and luxurious tone that provides the perfect background to Drake spitting bars such as “I hate a privileged rapper that doesn’t even know what it takes.” 21 Savage comes in on the second verse spitting a similar verse to Drake’s. The two’s flows and lyrics paired with the atmosphere created by the beat made for a beautiful track for them to discuss their expensive lifestyle.
Mithra: 10/10
I could listen to this song on repeat – I love it. The catchy chorus is accompanied by absolutely perfect rap verses and is exactly what I would expect from these two amazing rappers. I really appreciate Drake’s shout-out for women’s rights; it made me happy to know he is on our side. I also like that this song wasn’t overpowered by the singing because that is something that can easily ruin a rap song for me.
Kevin: 10/10
A calming track that opens with Drake crooning a soft ballad about a former lover directly followed up by 21 Savage delivering a melodic, auto-tuned verse featuring a similar subject matter to Drake’s verse. The song closes with Drake singing two more verses repeating the phrase “you were lost until me” as the music fades to silence. This song is perfect for spending a late night by yourself, either going for a drive or chilling in your room.
Mithra: 6/10
I will definitely be blasting this song in the car with my besties, after one listen this song is already stuck in my head. I love the catchy tune and upbeat tone but personally, I probably wouldn’t listen to this song if I wasn’t with my friends or on aux. I got a little tired of the repeated verses but that doesn’t stop it from being a good song.
Kevin: 8/10
This song is an energetic song that features Drake spitting a lively verse over an upbeat instrumental. While 21 Savage’s verse delivered lyrically, in my opinion, his laid-back persona came across as more monotone and uninterested in this kind of song and it probably could have benefited from some more energy in his tone. Overall though it was a very fun song that I can definitely see myself adding to my playlist.
Mithra: 8/10
There isn’t much that I don’t like about this song. Like many of the songs on this album, it’s perfect for a late-night drive with its chill but the head-bop-worthy vibe. I adored Travis Scott’s verse and love that they incorporated him into this album. While 21 Savage did hold a great verse, I feel like the song is overpowered by Drake and feels like it’s more of a song by Drake (feat. 21 Savage & Travis Scott) as opposed to Drake & 21 Savage (feat. Travis Scott).
Kevin: 9/10
Rapping over a distorted-sounding, bass-heavy beat, Drake and 21 Savage each deliver a hard-hitting verse before the second chorus transitions into a beat change. In the second part of the song, Drake spits one final verse with a more relaxed approach to his delivery with more hostile, targeted lyrics. The song was a perfect showcase of 21 Savage in his zone, his flow and cadence worked perfectly on this song.
Track 12 “Middle of the Ocean”
Mithra: 8/10
I loved that this song brought my favorite side of Drake with rap in a way that sounds so poetic and lyrical. After a while I did start to get bored of the lack of change in pace. I would have loved some 21 Savage on this song but I still appreciated Drake’s beautifully written lyrics and execution.
Track 13 “Jumbotron S**t Poppin”
Kevin: 6/10
Emulating a style of rapping popularized by artists like Young Thug, Drake delivers his third solo track off of this album. Drake raps one very energetic verse over this song which is sure to get anyone hyped. The song is a good example of Drake’s versatility but it feels a little bit like another artist’s throw-away but I could see myself listening to this song with my friends.
Mithra: 10/10
Any song that starts with 21 Savage is great to me. I really enjoyed the pace of this song and it’s definitely one that I’m adding to my favorites playlist. I would listen to this song to pump me up in the morning or to get motivated at the gym, it has that energetic feeling to it and I loved everything about it.
Kevin: 5/10
21 Savage’s take on the classic Drake timestamp track (ex. “4PM In Calabasas”, “6PM In New York”, “5AM In Toronto”, etc.) delivered for a 21 Savage song but in comparison to the Drake timestamp tracks it was definitely lacking in the energy and charisma that is so present in those other songs. 21 Savage is a good rapper and this song was a great opportunity to showcase his lyricism, but overall the song felt kind of slow and boring.
Track 16 “I Guess It’s F**k Me”
Mithra: 5/10
The beginning chorus to this song was really long and didn’t really get me engaged with the song. I did enjoy Drake’s verse but I felt that the song was too slow for this album and didn’t really fit with the Drake and 21 Savage aesthetic. I probably would play this song as background music for a chill night and enjoy the song itself, just not on this specific album.
Shrideep Gaddad • Nov 12, 2022 at 8:11 pm
Very interesting takes here in this review. I am not as big of a fan of this record as you all, but I agree with some of the opinions here. My favorite songs were Circo Loco and Rich Flex on this album. I wonder if you all think that this album is one of the best compared to some other projects that came out this year. I think that either Kendrick’s project or JID’s project is the best of the year in my opinion.