Drake & 21 Savage’s ‘Her Loss’ Review
Rappers Drake (he/him) and 21 Savage (he/him) come together for their first joint album titled Her Loss, which has made the top of the charts across all streaming platforms. The album follows the release of Drake’s solo album, Honestly, Nevermind. It came out back in June of 2022 and received heavy criticism for its unique house music sound that many were not expecting due to the album being a surprise-release.
Despite the disappointment, there was still much anticipation for Her Loss as many were excited to see what the two popular rappers were able to produce. And I have to say, the final product exceeded my expectations.
I was not expecting to favor this project as much as I do. With most highly anticipated albums, I find them to be overhyped and given popularity by the artist’s name rather than the actual artistry. This was not the case. From the opening track, “Rich Flex”, to its closing “I Guess It’s F**k Me”, (which, by the way, were excellent choices to begin and end the project) it was very difficult to not get lost in the vibe of each song. Within every song there is an identifiable moment where either artists’ verses feel as though they’re being spoken directly to the listener.
Normally, I am not a fan of 21 Savage’s music however, this seems to be his best performance. On songs like “Rich Flex”, “Major Distribution”, and “P**** & Millions”, 21 Savage’s cadence accompanies the beats so well that it is reasonable to argue he outshines his partner. The media has appeared to leave him in the shadows and give more praise to superstar Drake, but it is important to give 21 Savage his well-deserved credit too because I strongly believe Her Loss could not have had as much success without his contributions.
A unique quality of the album is that there are multiple songs where the beat, and therefore the mood/energy, changes mid-way (“Hours In Silence”, “Broke Boys”). What might be seen as a “2-songs-1-track” bonus for many, it can be unnecessary in my eyes. I tended to favor the opening beat on songs so the switch-up came off as more of an interruption and I disregarded the rest of the song. The album would have been just as good without switching the beats.
Overall, I was very pleased with the album as a whole. So much so, that 21 Savage just gained a new fan and it might be time to do a deeper look into his discography.
