“Her Loss,” the highly anticipated collaboration album from Drake and 21 Savage, is finally here, having touched down on all major streaming platforms on Friday, Nov. 4. The project spans one hour and includes 16 songs in total.
The album’s release date was originally set for Oct. 28, but was pushed back just a day before after it was announced that Noah “40” Shebib, a longtime friend of Drake and one of the core producers and engineers of the project, had tested positive for COVID-19, delaying the final touches to the mixing and mastering process of the album. The seven-day setback allowed some extra time for some bold marketing and promotional efforts from both artists, all of which did not fall short of catching many eyes in the media.
The first stunt came from the 6 God himself, when he posted an Instagram photo of a stack of what seemed to be Vogue Magazine’s latest issue, featuring Drake and 21 Savage as the cover stars. To the disappointment of many fans, (and many desperate eBay resellers) it was discovered and confirmed that the cover was not a part of an official Vogue issue, but rather photoshopped with the two musicians on the front to create a buzz on social media. The fake issue, however, was still handed out in small batches by street teams in Toronto and New York. Three days later, Drake posted a video to Instagram alluding to a collaboration with NPR’s beloved “Tiny Desk” series, which was also later confirmed by NPR themselves to be false news. The same day, the two artists hopped on an interview with Howard Stern, where 21 Savage talked about his fake “In the Bag” by Vogue skit, and expressed his love for literature, giving praise to works like “Charlotte’s Web” and “The Cat in the Hat.” Interesting marketing approach, but hey, all press is good press, right?
“Her Loss” showcases the undeniable musical chemistry between Drake and 21 Savage, taking advantage of the beat switch on multiple occasions, which the two artists have come into the spotlight for after “Jimmy Cooks,” their song together on Drake’s latest solo studio album, “Honestly, Nevermind.” The album features a slight balance of upbeat hip-hop and slower melodic pieces. The duo references various artists through their lyrics, like 21 Savage name dropping Harry Styles and Zayn Malik from One Direction in “Major Distribution” and paying respect to the iconic Daft Punk by sampling “One More Time” in “Circo Loco.” Travis Scott is noted as the only official feature on the album, while Lil Yachty makes a subtle appearance on “Back Outside.”
Drake also throws in some potential jabs at Kanye West in multiple pieces, like in “Circo Loco,” where he appears to claim he only united with Kanye for a show last year for the sake of J. Prince, a record executive who helped Drake kickstart his career, or in “More M’s,” where he references Kanye’s “Donda” as a “flop” and pokes at the idea that Kanye could never beat him in a battle of verses. Drizzy also unleashes his soft side at times, as he sings about regrets of showing too much love and getting hurt after putting too much effort into a relationship in his nearly seven-minute song, “Hours in Silence,” and the concepts of closure and forgiveness on the final song of the album.
“Her Loss” by Drake and 21 Savage is out now.
