After teasing his eighth studio album all summer during his “It’s All a Blur” tour, hip-hop artist Drake released his album “For All the Dogs” at 3 a.m. PST on Friday. Drake pushed the initial album release date from September 22 to October 6.
His newest album features collaborations with top artists Bad Bunny, SZA, 21 Savage, J. Cole, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Teezo Touchdown and more. Here is a list of rankings from the best to worst collaborations for Drake’s new album.
#1 - Best collaboration: Gently (feat. Bad Bunny)
Drake and Bad Bunny last collaborated six years ago on the song “Mía.” During one of his tour stops in Los Angeles this summer, Drake brought out the three-time Grammy award winner on stage for a shot and announced that Bad Bunny will be featured on the new album. After great success with their first song, this was the most anticipated collaboration. From Drake starting the song in Spanish, to the addicting beat, and then Bad Bunny coming in with his verse, the song has been on repeat since the first listen.
#2 - Rich Baby Daddy (feat. Sexyy Red & SZA)
With SZA’s second feature on the album, the theme of this song is about physical attraction and different perspectives on love and intimacy in a relationship. The song title is immediately intriguing and once the song started, we were not let down. This song is a great anthem for the girls and the girls only.
#3 - Amen (feat. Teezo Touchdown)
The second song on the album is with Teezo Touchdown, the recipient of the BLACK: Future. Now. inaugural Future Phenom Award, who starts the song with a prayer. The song then leads into Drake praying to God to not reveal his wrongdoings to his girl while she prays for him while he’s on the road.
#4 - First Person Shooter (feat. J. Cole)
For Drake fans, hearing J. Cole on the album was a best-of-both-worlds situation. It has been years since the two rappers have collaborated and the feature brings back a sense of nostalgia. Both touched on being “goats” with their successful careers, respectively, and fans agree.
#5 - Another Late Night (feat. Lil Yachty)
“Another Late Night” with Lil Yachty was a typical collaboration for Drake. The collaboration sounded like any other hip-hop anthem; it’s nothing special but still sets the tone for “Another Late Night” with the dogs.
This is where it started getting difficult. After the immediate top five, there was a small struggle to rank the remaining songs, as they all received similar reactions after the first and second listens of the album.
#6 - Slime You Out (feat. SZA)
The “Kill Bill” singer’s collaboration with Drake was released back in September as the album’s only single. Although the song dropped prior to the album, it still blends with the rest of the album despite its separate release.
#7 - Calling For You (feat. 21 Savage)
Drake can not get enough of 21 Savage. His previous album “Her Loss” featured the rapper who also was a part of Drake’s “It’s All a Blur” tour. “Calling For You” can be compared to their past collaborations as it tells the story of their past loves. The song felt similar to tracks both artists have collaborated on before in the previous album. Therefore, it did not stand out among the other songs.
#8 - All The Parties (feat. Chief Keef)
The “I Don’t Like” rapper makes an appearance on the song which starts with an immediate hook. The best part of this collaboration was the beat switch that came later which allowed Drake to rap his heart out.
#9 - Members Only (feat. PARTYNEXTDOOR)
A PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake collaboration is no surprise. If you have been a long-time PARTYNEXTDOOR fan, spotting out this collaboration should be easy. The two artists have released many tracks together and at first listen to “Members Only,” you know exactly who is behind this track with the lo-fi R&B intro.
#10 - IDGAF (feat. Yeat)
Last but not least, the collaboration between Drake and Yeat has been a long time coming. At first listen, it certainly wasn’t a top hit from the album. As the song continues, the beat eventually drops and you are transported to the club. All in all, Yeat shines through in this song.
This album had a mixture of old Drake which gave it a nostalgic feeling as well as a new style of music that the rapper is introducing to his audience. There are songs on this album that are great for parties, pre-games, workouts, and much more. As the rapper wraps up his “It’s All a Blur” tour, he shares that he is taking some time away from music to focus on himself, and his fans are excited for what is to come.