Drake’s evolution as an artist peaked in 2011 with his best album, “Take Care,” which was followed by “Views” and “Nothing Was the Same.” These records have great beats and hits that everyone knows and loves, such as “The Motto,” “Started From the Bottom,” ”Hold On We’re Going Home,” and “Feel No Ways.” From then on, his musical career has gone downhill, and quickly. While he has still produced some absolute bangers during this time, most of the material from these albums have been subpar.

After a two week delay, fans hoped that “For All The Dogs” would end Drake’s trend of dissatisfying and disappointing songs. Unlike “Her Loss,” this album had the potential to live up to the hype that was built around it.

Unfortunately for the listener, this album sounds like a mix of unreleased songs from each of the albums he’s made; maybe some should have stayed unreleased. 

The opening song “Virginia Beach” shows how Drake is not as interested in his music as he used to be. The lyrics lack actual meaning and the song drags on about nothing for over four minutes, with production that does not match the lyrics. It sounds like it belongs in “Certified Lover Boy,” which is one of his worst albums to date.

Drake has become an internet icon in the last few years. The song “IDGAF” (ft. Yeat) brought him back into the public eye and it has become one of the most popular memes on the internet. When Yeat is rapping, Drake starts his lines by saying “money for fun,” which ruined the song for many fans.

This new album contains a lot of variety and has some great songs. Some great examples of this are tracks like “Slime You Out” (ft. SZA), “Bahamas Promises,” “First Person Shooter” (ft. J. Cole), and “Tried Our Best,” with smooth sounding lyrics and beats that make the listener feel enveloped in the music. 

“Tried Our Best,” was personally my favorite song on the album. I really like the mix of the singing styles he uses in the song. It sounds really cohesive and it’s easy to listen to. 

I love Drake, but even though I’m a huge fan, I still have to admit that there are songs that should have stayed in the recording studio, such as “7969 Santa” and “BBL Love Interlude.” These songs seem to last forever, with lyrics that sound lazy and half-baked and should just be skipped.

There are also a few songs on here such as “8AM in Charlotte,” ”Members Only” (ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR), and “Daylight,” that I didn’t like at first, but after a few more listens they sounded great. The only problem with “Daylight” was when  Drake’s son Adonis got on the mic. While cute in theory, this didn’t really suit the song and ruined the mood.

While this album is a step up from “Her Loss” and “CLB,” it still doesn’t compare to Drake’s peak. Despite this, you will definitely see me listening to this album and having it pinned in my library.