In a year that has been full of great music, it seems only fitting that one of the biggest artists in the world would surprise us. Drake has collaborated with rapper 21 Savage to bring us “Her Loss,” an album that sees the pair flexing their lifestyle and moving on from their past.

Following back-to-back albums in which critics expressed indifference, the Internet let Drake know they were displeased and wanted more from the Toronto-born rapper.

With four collabs already released between Drake and 21 Savage, which were hits in their own right and the oldest dating back to 2016, it seemed fitting that the two link for a collab album, similar to what Drake and Future did in 2015 with “What A Time To Be Alive.”

“Her Loss” is a 16 song, one hour project showcasing how well these two artists can work together, meshing their multitude of different styles to create a project like no other this year. 

Upon first listen, listeners are hit with heavy beats over which the two rappers are really bringing what feels like their best. Both artists switched up their flows and instrumentals to hone in on the feeling of this album.

The album kicked off with the song “Rich Flex,” in which Drake opens the song with the now–trending line, “21, can you do something for me?” The song really feeds into 21 Savage’s Atlanta trap style, with deep bass and a beat switch in the middle of the song.

From there, we get “Major Distribution,” where Drake starts out with his signature singing voice before the beat really kicks in, and he breaks out into a full rap with guest vocals from Lil Yachty. Savage gets the second verse and flows easily on the heavy beat, seeming very at home with this song.

The third song, “On BS,” is where it starts to feel more like a Drake album rather than a collab album, as Drake takes up most of the song compared to his counterpart. However, the song stands out as a true banger.

A few songs later, we get “Privileged Rappers,” where the two discuss how they may be on top but don’t have the same privilege like others to get there. The two made a promo video for the song with a parody of A COLORS SHOW video—the cherry on top.

Some great samples appear across the album, with the song “Spin Bout U” sampling “Give Me Your Lov-N” by B.G.O.T.I., and the song “Circo Loco” sampling “One More Time” by Daft Punk. Both songs are really standouts on the album, in large part because of the clever sampling. 

Despite a fun sample of Juicy J and DJ Paul’s “Talk Yo A** Off,” the song “Hours In Silence” goes on a bit too long at 6 minutes and 39 seconds, though it’s a nice change in pace as both artists show off their singing abilities. 

The one and only feature comes on track 10 as Houston rapper Travis Scott hops on the track titled “P***y & Millions.” This song is one of the best on the project, as all three artists show off some great skill, and Travis Scott provides arguably the best feature in rap music this year.

While he presents this album as a collab project, Drake keeps four songs for himself. While the closing track “I Guess It’s F**k Me” is a skip, his other three songs (“BackOutsideBoyz,” “Middle of the Ocean” and “Jumbotron Sh*t Poppin”) all feature a different style and are really nice listens.

21 Savage gets his own solo track as well, opting for the Drake-esque title “3AM on Glenwood,” where 21 Savage goes for an R&B style. I would dare call this track a standout, as it’s something we don’t really hear from him.

To further push just how lopsided this album can feel, Drake has a total of 66% of words spoken on the album, while 21 Savage gets 26% of lyrics on the album, and guest vocalists like Travis Scott and Lil Yachty get 8% of words, according to @hiphopnumbers on Instagram. 

While these tracks I’ve mentioned are all pretty good, few are snoozers. “I Guess It’s F**k Me” is a weak closer in my opinion. Other tracks, like “Broke Boys” and “Treacherous Twins” just get lost behind the other songs that stand above them.

Drake also seemed to take shots at public figures on the album, including rapper Ice Spice, Serena Williams’ husband, lawmakers over abortion rights and most controversially, Megan Thee Stallion.

Drake went on the song “Circo Loco” and said, “This b***h lie ‘bout gettin’ shots, but she still a stallion,” referring to what many fans thought was Megan and the 2020 shooting incident with Tory Lanez. Lil Yachty, who was a co-writer on the album, said this joke was not about Megan, n, and Megan was quick to jump on Twitter and defend herself, as the assault trial against Tory Lanez has been set for December.

It feels like Drake was doing some of the best work he’s done in years  while on this project, making it the best since his 2017 project, “More Life.” As for 21 Savage, it feels like he’s finally reached that upper echelon for today’s rap scene. Over his last five albums, he’s only gotten better and better, and his growth has been undeniable. 

Overall, while the albums felt pretty lopsided in terms of who was rapping, it pretty well met my expectation as a fan of these two artists. I would rate this album at an 8/10, as I think it was a very good and fun listen, but nothing that makes you say, “This is album of the year material.” 

I’m more excited to see where 21 Savage goes from here, but also curious as to what Drake chooses to do next in his career. One thing is for sure, though; these two are truly on top of the rap game right now.

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