Dreaming of a Lover, Thanks to Valentine’s Very Own
Drake reappears with a collaborative album alongside PARTYNEXTDOOR
When you are inspired, you feel on top of the world.
When you are inspired, you do things.
Drake is inspired these days.
Remember when Drake told everyone after his album For All The Dogs that he was taking a long hiatus from music? That was a lie. The musician from Toronto can’t stop creating.
The artist has always found a way to produce lots of music, and his career is still evolving. At 38 years old, the rapper/ R&B phenomenon isn’t sitting down and taking a break during the game.
On February 14, he released a new project with his friend and fellow Canadian artist, PARTYNEXTDOOR. You aren’t wrong if you sense that this will be the collaboration of the year.
On the cover, you can see the two artists in front of a condominium complex in Mississauga, Ontario. This showcases their love for Canada, which is more important than ever given the political context.
Drake also showed his GTA roots back in 2016, when he was photoshopped on top of the CN Tower on the cover of Views. Talking about the Toronto landmark, that’s the name of the initial song on the new album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U.
PARTYNEXTDOOR is an R&B sensation from Mississauga. His voice is inhuman. Amid trade tension between the U.S. and Canada, it’s nice to see two Canadian artists putting out something so meaningful for the world to enjoy.
October’s Very Own (Drake’s company name) can be renamed Valentine’s Very Own. For the rest of the month at least.
The album brings to life the beauty of romance and explores love like no other rapper can.
Drake has always had a sensitive side. We heard that with his 2011 Grammy-winning album Take Care, which took the artist to new heights.
Back then, the album proved that Drake is much more than a rapper. The man can sing and is an excellent writer. Music is poetry in so many ways.
On Take Care, there was the song The Real Her, featuring Lil Wayne and André 3000. It’s about being true to yourself and ignoring outside noises. It’s also about finding love at first sight, such as in rom-coms. Drake sang about finding a girl and connecting with her instantly as if he had known her forever.
The Real Her is what we could consider a love song. On Drake’s latest project, a part of that song is brought back to life. $ome $exy $ongs 4 U’s fifth song uses superheroes known to everyone to tell a moral, something that we must always keep at the back of our minds.
Heartbreak goes hand in hand with love stories. It’s undeniable that love hurts. SPIDER-MAN SUPERMAN tells us that you can’t save someone even though you love them.
This is one of the songs that speaks to me the most on the album.
The more than 75-minute project needed to come out on Valentine’s Day. It isn’t only about love but also about the pain that love can bring. The name of the album is mentioned on SOMETHING ABOUT YOU. You can feel how much Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR poured everything into the studio to develop a well-put-together project.
Midway through the album, it is time to dance. MEET YOUR PADRE and NOKIA are there to create a pleasant diversion from the slower jams. DIE TRYING follows. It is a surprising song with the guitar at the forefront, and PARTYNEXTDOOR singing a catchy hook. Yebba closes the song brilliantly. I won’t go over all the songs, but this project is for all to enjoy, from happy couples to bachelors.
What should you take out of the 21-song album? Even if it doesn’t feel this way, some people love you. At least one person loves you, as mentioned on SOMEBODY LOVES ME.
Don’t get me started on the last track. GREEDY is the best finish that this album could’ve taken. The last seconds are therapeutic as if you were at the spa meditating about life.
I tried something different. As I listened to the last song, I closed my eyes and pictured thunder and rain on a warm summer evening when it’s pouring outside, but you still feel safe inside and happy with yourself as a single man. CELIBACY is worth cherishing, as Drake tells us.
In the last seconds of GREEDY, it feels as if a plane is landing somewhere new — a new destination to explore.
At almost 40 years old, Drake has landed somewhere never explored. He has made it through the rain.
He is not only exploring better ways to share messages but also reinventing music, as he did on Honestly, Nevermind, where he went full-dance mode. This man’s a star, changing minds with his writing and singing.
Donny Hathaway once said that Someday We’ll All Be Free. One day, love will win. People on the roads will stop to get angry. Am I the only one who feels this generalized tension? One day, we will get there. It is a great moment to be alive. We can all become superheros if we put our minds to it.
