When Drake rapped “Far as the Drake era, man, we in the golden ages,” on ‘7am On Bridle Path’, which is one of the standout tracks on ‘Certified Lover Boy’. It was a lofty claim from an artist who hasn’t released a compelling project since “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” even 2018’s ‘Scorpion’ showcased an artist who was no longer putting out his best work. The project relied on a bloated mediocre tracklist that Drake seasoned with a few smash hits. So here we are, three years later, and the question is, can CLB be a resurgence for Drake?
Well, the answer to that question is simply put.. no. The mission for ‘Certified Lover Boy’ and what we were promised was a more “concise” body of work than its predecessor. Unfortunately, we’ve received a project that’s the length of a double LP once again, spanning 21 tracks and 86 minutes, only four minutes shorter than ‘Scorpion’. Which would’ve been fine, although 21 tracks is lengthy for any album. If we would’ve received even a portion of the quality, we received on ‘Views’ this album would’ve been passable. Drakes’ 2016 album also featured 20 tracks, yet there were several tracks that became instant hits with massive replay value. With “Certified Lover Boy” the project just sounds jaded and dull. It’s uncompelling and a struggle to listen through fully.
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Reading the Apple Music description from the album sparked a bit of hope. As the Toronto superstar described it as “a combination of toxic masculinity and acceptance of truth, which is inevitably heartbreaking”. Drake being introspective and meditative is never a bad thing, but the sad reality is.. this project offers very little when compared to its predecessor. On the angelic chimes of ‘TSU’, Drake portrays himself as a saviour, offering assistance to stripper who’s been cut off by her parents by means of a business loan. What first comes off as Drake being a generous benefactor, is short-lived “I give you this bread, you run me some head / And then you go glow up a bit”, tarnishing his kindness with a transactional darkness.
Drake’s strong suit is his ability to create memorable lyrics. “Under a picture lives some of the greatest quotes from me,” he boasts on the Beatles-sampled ‘Champagne Poetry’, as he creates a song laden with social media worthy captions. Yet somehow Drake misses the mark on this LP, you won’t find too many of these on ‘Certified Lover Boy’ though – while none of these make Drake a “lyrical force” a majority of these album’s bars go completely unnoticed and that is not a good thing.
For example, the line where Drake says “Say that you’re a lesbian, girl me too,” which he rapped on the Lil Baby-featured ‘Girls Like Girls’. Honestly, this has to be one of the most cringe-y lines ever. This is the type of line you’d get from a 14-year-old kid who’s voice still cracks mid sentence.. Yet it’s coming out of the mouth of a 34-year-old man, shameful.
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While this song is fun, it’s certainly one of the worst songs on the album. ‘Way 2 Sexy’ samples Right Said Fred’s ‘I’m Too Sexy’ which features Drake’s partner-in-crime and longtime collaborator Future who is tasked with giving this record life by way of a decent hook “I’m too sexy for this chain / Too sexy for your gang / Too sexy for this fame.” which is all fun and games until Drake comes in with: “I’m feeling too sexy to accept requests / And I’m way too sexy to go unprotected.” Which makes the song a difficult to listen to.
So there are some brief stellar moments on ‘Certified Lover Boy’, although a majority of them don’t come from Drake. Nicki Minaj’s brief cameo on ‘Papi’s Home’ is a momentary burst of electricity, while Travis Scott’s verse on ‘Fair Trade’ is top-notch. While the record ‘Fountains’, which features Nigerian singer Tems, make great use of her smooth voice which brings much needed beauty and variety on a record that sounds like its creator is just getting by.
‘No Friends In The Industry’ is one of the best records on the project and a victory Drake can claim on his own. The aggression on this record matches the production as Drizzy coasts on a low-key, which dons a sinister melody. Drake uses this record to take shots at Kanye West, a feud that has gone on for almost 12 years. Drake alludes to rumors that Ye’s long-time collaborator Mike Dean had quit ‘DONDA’, as well as some of the record’s unlikely guests: “And your circle shrinkin’, see some boys escapin’ / Rest of them is guilty by association.”
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Drake’s relationship with fame and success is a constant. We all know he’s going to break records, he’ll win awards, and he’ll take another lap around the world. Reminding us how much better his life is than everyone else’s. On ‘Certified Lover Boy’ this is an evergoing theme. Yet Drake also speaks about how he’s not given the credit he deserves. Which doesn’t sit well. If Drake focused on making better songs and letting himself explore new ground with his music rather than whinging about how undervalued he was, this body of work may have been far more compelling.
Certified Lover Boy’ offers nothing new to the rapper’s canon, it merely goes through the motions and makes use of old formulas instead. If Drake truly wants to enter a new golden age, he’ll have to be far more creative than he’s been as of late. Hope it happens quickly because, right now, his spark is rapidly burning out.
