It’s only been 16 months since the last Drake album (fifteen if you count the Scary Hours edition of For All The Dogs), but the road to this one was different than any before due to the Compton-born elephant in the room, Kendrick Lamar. Some people deemed it over for the Toronto superstar after taking one of the most embarrassing rap beef losses in Hip-Hop. Others were interested in what he had to say throughout his next full-length project, and if he could bounce back. Believe it or not, there has been a growing demographic of people ready to move on from the beef and enjoy music normally, without the need to assess with a rap beef lens and determine a hierarchy between the two rappers.
Drizzy understood the assignment, especially given that he chose to release $ome $exy $ongs 4 U on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). While he doesn’t shy away from what he endured in these last nine months on the album, he primarily focused on what has garnered him so much success in his career: appealing to the variety of conflicting, honest, relatable emotions that people experience when in and out of love. He brought PARYNEXTDOOR, another salient raconteur, along for the ride to provide a new chapter in their long-running, fan-favorite collaborative history.
Throughout the 21-song, 74-minute runtime, fans get all sides of the 6 God: heartbroken, yearning, petty, dismissive, and more. One of the most impressive parts of the project, and certainly not something new to his artistry, is the salad bowl of sounds he conveys these emotions through. He did not lie when he told one of his Australia crowds on the Anita Max Win Tour that there were songs to turn up to, songs that would be ideal soundtracks for time with a lover, and other applicable scenarios.
If you come to this album hoping for more rap beef, you’ll be disappointed about hearing one song and a few errant lines. That’s not to say you won’t enjoy the album overall. This one focuses on the ladies and the men who enjoy curating for the ladies. That has been his superpower throughout his career, which many people felt he lost in the last few years. With this album, he’s righted the ship and gets back to that essence. Here are the seven best songs on Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR‘s joint album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U which features Yebba, Chino Pacas, and Pim, who has a huge honorable mention performance on “Pimmie’s Dilemma.”
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“Spider-Man Superman”
Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage This record is for all of the heroes who didn’t sign up to wear the cape. “Yeah, of course, I got feelings for you,” PARTYNEXTDOOR says to open the song, before muttering unintelligible phrases and closing with “It’s a mad ting.” It’s hard for him to explain, possibly due to the fact he admits later that he has been buying out bars and can’t shake his past heartbreak. Party, and Drake, gush over the sexual experiences they have had with respective women but acknowledge that they can’t provide everything that may be asked of them. That is in large part because they haven’t fully recovered from their failed relationships.
There is an interesting contrast later in the track when they sample Drizzy’s 2011 record “The Real Her.” In that song, he felt like he had an instant connection with a woman, but even then he had people in his ear warning him not to “save her.” Thus, he chose to just enjoy the fleeting moments of fun and intimacy with her. So now, 14 years later, he has more experience and understands there is a finite amount of time their arrangement can work.
His partner may be seeking more, but he knows how it will end and it is both of their faults. “Lucky for you, I don’t just love you for you/ I love you for who you tell me you’re gonna be one day too/ All of that’s cool, I guess we’ll see,” he sings in the outro. There is an element of pessimism, almost like he feels used as he reflects on her getting the material things she wanted and her not talking to him as much after the fact. Nonetheless, he is taking the journey again on the off chance that things end up working out.
All of this is packed into an almost three-and-a-half minute ballad with an earworm hook: “Girl I wish I could save you, but I can’t/ This girl took me for Spider-Man, Superman.” It’s an easy call for an early standout from this album.
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“Gimme A Hug”
Image Credit: Mark Blinch/Getty Images No matter how much Drake told fans this would be an R&B album, savvy listeners knew he would have some bars to get off well before he made that speech about the variety of sounds fans would get on $$$4U. Now, how many of us predicted the raps would appear on a record titled “Gimme A Hug”? This listening experience mirrored how many felt when playing “In My Feelings,” “Virginia Beach,” and “Jaded,” where they predicted the vibe of the song and got something completely different.
“Yeah, Drake elimination, fake intimidation/ Take a minute, take a deep breath, have a little bit of patience/ ‘Drizzy, you amazin’, you the inspiration/ You set the bar for the next generation’,” he spits at the track’s open. This is as much a conversation with his enemies as it is with himself. It is clear that the 2024 rap warfare knocked him off his pivot, so it is admirable to see him calm himself as well as reiterate the impact he has had for the last almost 20 years.
The shots come later in his first verse, where he raps “Funny how it’s only bi**h ni**as that are waiting on the boy’s obituary/ ‘Cause if I die, it’s these ni**as that become the sole beneficiary/ And what the f**k are they gon’ do with it?/ Have the girls up at twenty-nine, on stage twerkin’ with a dictionary.” Kendrick Lamar may have had the whole world partying with “Not Like Us,” but his usual output doesn’t lend itself to the environments that the Toronto rapper has dominated for years, so this was a funny jab at that.
Drake also shouts out his fellow 6ixer Melyssa Ford from The Joe Budden Podcast while calling the show’s namesake a “di**sucker.” The most important line, though, is “F**k a rap beef, I’m tryna get the party lit.” This is what many people wanted him to do: make a grand statement about moving on so, hopefully, listeners would follow suit. Later, he describes entering a club, showing love to strippers, and asking for hugs because he is “back.” An Aaron Hall “I Miss You” flip closes the record, and Drizzy puts on possibly one of the best vocal performances of his career harmonizing with the sample.
This will be the track people talk about the most due to the beef-related content, but the multiple beat switches and the way he packs all of his styles into a three-minute outing is the true gem. He gets in, gets things off his chest, and gets back to the party.
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“Deeper”
Image Credit: Brian Stukes/Getty Images for The Recording Academy PARTYNEXTDOOR has something to say, too! The Mississauga madman only had one solo effort on this project, but it was more than enough. “Deeper” is a vintage PND downtempo performance with thumping drums, an airy essence leaving space for him to croon, and sensual lyrics galore.
In this instance, he’s the guy on the side that the woman enjoys spending more time with due to their sexual chemistry. He takes pride in that and wants to make sure he gets things right for her as they rendezvous once again, in the hopes that she will leave her man and be with him. “I’m tryna keep you around, babe/ This love, I really found her/ Can’t get it off, I know where you found it/ Then, then I wanna be your favorite again,” he sings.
This record is reminiscent of his 2020 album titled PARTYMOBILE and the majority of his catalog. It was made for late-night drives, whether they be solo or while on the way to meet up with a lover. There are no thoughts like the ones a person may begrudgingly have after midnight, which he captures in the chorus: “You got me thinkin’ deeper/ Deeper, deeper, deeper than I like.” Because, how can you not think hard about seeing someone who is openly cheating on their partner? Regardless, he is game to make another night of magic and he knows exactly what she likes. Thus, “Deeper” is a double entendre that should not have to be explained.
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“CN Tower”
Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage Now, of course, the intro on this album couldn’t be omitted. “CN Tower” finds Drake playing the role of being the one who got dumped, but he is not going out without a fight. He plays on the Toronto landmark lighting up in different colors and utilizes those colors to convey his emotions. “What color’s the CN Tower? It’s red tonight/ Just like the text I sent you from the bed tonight”…”What color’s the CN Tower? It’s blue now/ Like how I’m feelin’ ’bout you now/ I was too down, tell me what to do now”…”What color’s the CN Tower? It’s lit up green/ Like the envy in people’s eyes, gettin’ in between.”
Later in the verse, he unloads on how he lost contact with his ex, she blocked him, and he even sent her an email. The 38-year-old artist goes to speak with her friends and learns she isn’t having much luck in love, yet refuses to come back to him. No matter how much he denies what she has heard he has been doing on the side and who he swears on, she won’t budge. The high stakes of it all make the track feel very cinematic.
PND comes in at the end to convince whoever he is dealing with about how much love he has for them but he is also out at the club and has eyes for another woman. He does his best to “keep it player” and not fall in love again, only for the woman to appear in her dreams. Two guys who have been known to do the heartbreaking now find themselves in vulnerable states, even in the place they call home and find comfort in. Love has a way of stripping down one’s layers and making them uncomfortable, and Drizzy and Party are no exception. Oh, and did you catch the Lil Wayne “Lollipop” sample? It’s subtle yet well-placed.
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“Raining In Houston”
Image Credit: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images “Raining In Houston” displays another side of Drake where he has the girl he wants but she’s complicating his life. The five-time Grammy winner wants to just enjoy a night out on the town, but his girl, who chooses to stay inside, is blowing up his phone. He sings about how she could easily come to join him instead of making a fuss that she will take back in the morning, but the effort seems futile.
“Vaping while you’re typin’ on a mission/ Maya Angelou, 7 shots of ’42, your words are cuttin’ deep, your words are hittin’ different,” he croons. The title is a metaphor for how often this seems to happen, much like how frequently it rains in Houston, but he refuses for it to happen again; instead, he opts to bring up how she brings all this trouble but doesn’t match his contributions in the relationship. “All this time you’ve been around me/ You don’t spend a penny ’round me/ Friends are extra friendly ’round me,” he sings.
The beat picks up and he continues this narrative, telling her that he would rather be enjoying the time with her if she would just meet up with him. “All these tables, booths, you want hookah, my love/ I’m pulling strings, sh*t could get acoustic, my love/ Corner booth and pineapple juice in your cup,” he sings.
On top of all of this, he feels he has a bigger issue to battle than her petty drama: overcoming the rap beef. Thus, the last he could be sure of is the fact that his partner would be a safe place for him to land. The Drake that often yearns and wonders why something failed chose to turn a page and focus on keeping his relationship strong. It’s a refreshing shift.
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“When He’s Gone”
Image Credit: Johnny Nunez/WireImage Though a lot of people’s favorite parts of an album are the intros or outros, I’m in the camp of preferring the penultimate record. On $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, “When He’s Gone” a missile. Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR try to play healers for respective women who are overcoming a breakup, offering patience and assurance.
“You say you don’t need nothin’/ But to me that don’t mean much/ ‘Cause you gon’ keep a mean mug/ And try to go through it all alone, all alone, all/ And isolate yourself from me/ And now I’m playin’ a guessing game by myself, what do you need?” Party sings in his verse. As for Drizzy, he documents a timeline of events: “Three hours, you was preparin’ what you was wearin’/ Three drinks in, I’m already playin’ therapist.”
His approach may not be as gentle as Party’s, as he questions her taste in men and her friendships while partially making the conversation about his struggles with previous women. In the end, the goal is clear: get through it so they can get through it. It’s all done over a smooth beat with impassioned vocal performances from both men.
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“Nokia”
Image Credit: Cole Burston/Getty Images Last, but most certainly not least, the true hit of this album: another solo Drake song titled “Nokia.” This record sounds like “Rich Baby Daddy,” “Nice For What,” and “In My Feelings” were fused to make an all-powerful women’s anthem. It’s the ideal record to hear while roller skating. There are elements of ’80s pop and a hybrid of 2000s Hip-Hop/pop in it.
The opening BPM has some speed to it, but it’s nothing compared to the beat switch midway through. It intentionally lulled listeners in so when Elkan’s vocals came on, there was a palpable, “Oh, wow.” The duo trades lines with seamless chemistry, and Drizzy proudly lets the women know he’s willing to trick on them if they prove their worth.
“Is that your bestie?/ I’ma ice both of y’all like Gretzky/ I’ma at you like bless me/ Hit the dance floor, get nasty, impress me,” he half raps and half sings. In his verse, he uses the word “h*e” to empower whomever he is speaking with, because he identifies as one himself. “Ayy, how many h*es in this club?/ Is it just me and you, my love?/ I don’t mean to call you no h*e/ I just heard about the things that you do, my love,” he says. “And you’re just like me, if it’s true, my love, ayy/ You could see right through my love, ayy/ I see your waist shrunk, my love, ayy/ You got some bass in the trunk, my love, damn.”
Twerks will be twerked. Twos will be stepped. Drinks will be purchased. TikToks will be made. This has all the ingredients to be one of Drake’s biggest hits, and it is all because he stuck to his formula: Doing it for the ladies and making the men bend their knees to it. “Nokia” is out of here.
