While we wait for Drake, the legend himself, to drop his highly anticipated 6th studio album Certified Lover Boy, he has gifted fans with a 3-track EP to hold us over.
He comes in hot with the first track, titled What’s Next, which also has accompanying ‘Scary Hour’ dark visuals. With the typical 808s you’d expect from him, Drake has given fans a song to bump to in the car, shower, in the morning and the evening. It’s one of those songs that fit the mould for any type of vibe. If Drake is going to do one thing – it’s write my Instagram captions for me. He says, “I love you to death, but I told you the truth, I can’t be with you and only you”, upholding the toxicity we see in modern day dating! As funny as that is, it really is on trend in today’s society and Drake continues to prove how relatable he is through his lyrics.
The next 2 tracks, Wants and Needs and Lemon Pepper Freestyle feature Lil Baby and Rick Ross respectively. Wants and Needs is a song that could be skipped without a second thought. Unfortunately, this isn’t one that has stuck with me. For some reason, this went directly over my head and gave me an indication that this is potentially a throw-away track. Lemon Pepper Freestyle is truer to Drake’s style, and what better feature to have than his good and reliable friend, Rick Ross. Even in this instance, Boi-1da’s production still takes the cake, as he samples the song Pressure by Quadron – the R&B male & female duo hailing from Denmark. Had the production not been so slick and smooth, I doubt I’d be giving it another listen.
Any fan of his would know that this little project is far from his best work, and I am hoping he’s saved that for CLB. An analogy from our SpotlightFirst founder has really resonated with me. “Drake is like fast food. It’s never bad, but it doesn’t do anything for you.”
And whilst I agree to a certain extent… Sometimes – just sometimes, the McDonalds chips are fresh out the fryer, piping hot and salted to perfection. I pray Certified Lover Boy gives me that same feeling of satisfaction!
Words by Funlola Adebayo