It has always been easy to hate Drake because he is so popular, problematic, and frequently tedious, wavering between typical trap-rap tropes and R&B crooning with standout moments few and far between. That said, his latest album, For All The Dogs, is a near-perfect encapsulation of all of these qualities as his worst album since Scorpion and even making his generally icky 2021 record, Certified Lover Boy, seem exciting and highlight-filled by comparison. Do yourself a favor and avoid For All The Dogs.
Our Loss of a Reliable Drake in the 2020s
Never a critical darling but at least acclaimed in the pre-Views era, Drake’s ability to do whatever he wants on a record has had diminishing returns, even with a handful of deviations. Both his shorter mixed-bag mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes and his 90-minute Scorpion follow-up Certified Lover Boy showed a perpetual inability to edit, as flashes of interesting experiments sat alongside head-scratching, banal beats and lyrics. Fans and critics split views over the surprisingly tender Honestly, Nevermind, but with For All The Dogs, he once again proves that nothing has changed as Drake edges closer to 40.
Honestly Appalling, Frustratingly Lifeless
As the adage says, an artist unable to grow from their whining and misogyny lives on borrowed time, as the public can only tolerate your inaccessibility for so long (take Ye, for example). Leading up to For All The Dogs, Drake came right out of the gate with his first single, “Slime You Out,” setting the tone with an opening monologue on the problem of dealing with girls. Like on Scorpion, he cannot seem to deviate from complaining about his troubles in the monotonous manner of an annoying houseguest that you are too polite to throw out.
Setting aside the repetition and familiarity of every vocal line, which speak for themselves, Drake’s list of producers cannot elevate any song into a standout; the variety is lesser than even Certified Lover Boy, but just enough to feel disconnected at random moments. If you pay too little attention, For All The Dogs is a constant flow of background music, but too much attention makes the continuity grating and the disconnection fruitless. His two modes of outward-projecting and inward-looking come across as middling, neither aggressive enough to reach hardcore nor deep enough to be taken seriously.
Drake, the artist behind ‘For All The Dogs’
Certified Drake Standards on For All The Dogs
Occasionally, the numerous guests familiar to Drake’s audience can suck the listener back in, but they are usually so poorly integrated that the experience is more jarring than invigorating. Only “Rich Baby Daddy” has a gleefully crass and memorable hook courtesy of Sexyy Red, but, as with the rest of the album, not once does Drake’s appearance sound compelling or impactful. As with all his worst albums, the Canadian singer/rapper is the worst part of his massive musical output.
Less than the sum of its parts, For All The Dogs is further worsened by its placement in Drake’s long-running career. Can he not release an album experience any better than For All The Dogs at this point in life? Hopefully his simultaneously-announced hiatus means time for the artist to reflect on the energy and content he puts into the universe. If his music is to be more enduringly remembered than the life of the troublesome rapper itself, Drake should figure out how to build and develop his music for positive growth as an artist. Instead, he forces us through the same obnoxious pathways again and again.
For All The Dogs is streaming now wherever you listen to music.
