Anteaters Balls Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy

Drake rarely takes risks when making music. Merely in the absence of appetite, he's perfected his audio.
"Certified Lover Boy" is the paradigm of Drake, and that ends upward existence a skillful matter.
Manny Fidel is a columnist and editor for Insider.

Artists typically transform over time.

Kanye West's soulful patterns in the early 2000s progressed into an eccentric popular in the 2010s, before cascading into a more than heavenly, albeit less interesting, arena. The Weeknd went from night, pensive R&B moods to a more simplified 80s pop audio. This kind of metamorphosis is mutual in music, especially for Blackness artists who can't afford to simmer in the same styles for likewise long, else they upset the mighty Billboard.

For all of Drake'due south career, though, he'due south been an exception.

When his 2016 endeavour "Views" dropped, the biggest gripe critics had was that it didn't take any risks; that the music sounded besides similar to the stuff that preceded it.

To be off-white, they were correct. But what we somewhen came to acquire — through that summertime'south heavy, heavy rotation of the album — was that we, as consumers, don't care.

Instead of reconstructing his sound over the course of his career, Drake has simply matured information technology. In his cess, consistency is more valuable than ambition. His catalog is a diamond that receives a tiny, precise cutting with every release, resulting in a rock that might not be as flashy or colorful every bit others, only is undeniably more refined.

In such turbulent times, the familiarity and routine of "Certified Lover Boy" tin be cathartic.

'Certified Lover Boy' serves equally the most Drake of Drake albums possible

The album's commencement half features the more than moody, monotonous tracks Drake became known for more recently in his career, before the second one-half opens up into a more than aspiring, melody-driven program.

Standouts from the outset slew of songs include "Girls Want Girls," where Drake reveals, incredibly, that he is a lesbian, "Fair Trade," where he laments the loss of friends but appreciates the at-home that comes with information technology, and "Love All," where Jay Z provides a judgemental poesy that is, notably, better than his effort on Due west'south "DONDA."

The first center-opener of the album though, is the endearingly absurd "Mode 2 Sexy," featuring a Future who is as much in his pocketbook as he'll ever be (we need "What a Fourth dimension to Be Alive 2" as soon as possible). Young Thug can practise no wrong in my optics, and the track bounces then effortlessly that it's not hard to imagine its longevity in the gild.

That brings the states to "TSU," which is the most Drakeity-Drake song on the album. Later a long, chopped, and screwed intro, Drake melodically floats on a dreamy bed of synths and pads, musing about his by loves and, unsurprisingly, strip clubs. Information technology's quintessentially him in that the beat breaks down into a slower, more emotive version of itself.

It's worth mentioning that the song credits R. Kelly, who is accused of over 20 years worth of sexual abuse, as a songwriter. Even though the credit is due only to a sample the vocal uses — and not R. Kelly'due south bodily interest — information technology's a scrap of a caput-scratcher for an artist who has a plethora of talented producers who could assuredly flip any sample without needing to tap into R. Kelly's itemize.

As I connected listening to Certified Lover Boy, I was prepared to phone call "N two Deep" the album's most lackluster runway. Notwithstanding, it then pivoted to a much more than interesting (read: poppier) concept about being hopelessly caught in a woman'south, uh, attraction.

Then, "Yebba'due south Heartbreak" served as not just an interlude, but also an interruption. The calming ballad prepares us for a turn towards the album's more energetic half, steering u.s.a. right into an "If You lot're Reading This It'due south Too Late"-esque run in the pile-driving duo of "No Friends in the Manufacture" and "Pocketknife Talk," which welcomingly features hip-hop icon Project Pat and an on-point 21 Roughshod.

The elephant in the room, "7am on Bridle Path," is a seething accept-down of recent Kanye West antics — the title refers to when West posted Drake'south Toronto address on Instagram stories. Drake fires more than a few quips at W, well-nigh notably "Give that address to your driver, go far your destination, instead of just a post out of desperation." The vocal exhibits a somber disappointment in his once-idol, rather than serving every bit an bodily diss track. All the same, given West's temperament, he could view this every bit a annunciation of war.

"Certified Lover Boy" is an album that is focused on honing its by. By this evaluation, "You Merely Alive Twice" is a pure case of Drake'due south familiarity with his ain arts and crafts. The vocal sounds like information technology's straight out of 2011, in the all-time way possible. Even the title calls back to "YOLO," or "You Only Live One time," a phrase Drake had a heavy hand in re-popularizing in the 2010s.

The pairing of Rick Ross and Lil Wayne on the joyous sample of The Brothers of Soul'south "Can't Get Yous Off of My Mind" takes me right back to the early 2010s when every college party I attended was blaring Immature Money songs and, fifty-fifty back and then, we were talking nigh Drake'southward impressive consistency.

The title of "most ambitious song" on the album belongs to "IMY2," perhaps by default, since it features the ever-experimental Kid Cudi. Given both Drake and Cudi'southward propensity for crooning on top of dreamy soundscapes, you'd think they'd collaborate more than often.

Last Grade: 7.8/10

The cover art for "Certified Lover Boy."

In 2013, Drake released what is considered by many to be his all-time album, "Nothing Was the Same." Since then, musically speaking, things have, for the most office, been the aforementioned with him.

But for an artist who has no interest in switching things up, the music is surprisingly fresh.

Drake has painted a portrait of himself that doesn't require whatsoever major touch-ups, and for that reason, "Certified Lover Boy" is the epitome of Drake's sound. That's a good thing.

Worth listening to:

"Girls Desire Girls"

"Love All"

"Fair Trade"

"Way ii Sexy"

"TSU"

"N 2 Deep"

"No Friends in the Manufacture"

"Pocketknife Talk"

"7am on Determent Path"

"Fountains"

"Get Along Better"

"You Merely Live Twice"

"IMY2"

Background music:

"Champagne Poetry"

"Papi's Dwelling house"

"In the Bible"

"Yebba'southward Heartbreak"

"Race My Mind"

"The Remorse"

Divide decision:

"Piping Downward"

Printing skip:

"Fucking Fans"

*Last anthology score based on songs per category (1 point for "Worth listening to," .5 for "Background music," .five for "Split decision," 0 for "Press skip").