When we turned the page to the 2020 decade, it seemed like Drake decided to crank up his workload tenfold. Since 2020, the Toronto-born superstar has put out five full-length projects, with four of them being considered official studio albums. In fact, after his most recent LP, For All The Dogs, released last month, Drake let his fans know that he was going to take a lengthy break from releasing music, hoping to compensate for all the hours he had dedicated to his craft the last few years.
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“I probably won’t make music for a little bit, I’m gonna be honest,” he said during a special episode of his Sound 42 radio show on Sirius XM. “I got some other things that I need to do for some other people that I made promises to but I probably won’t make music for a little bit. I’m gonna be real with you. I need to focus on my health, first and foremost.”
With Drake receding to shadows, that gives us time to reflect on his run thus far in the 2020s, which has provided us with albums like Certified Lover Boy (2021) and Her Loss with 21 Savage (2022). Below, we ranked the 37-year-old’s four most recent projects in order, going from worst to best.
4. Honestly, Nevermind
Practically out of nowhere, Drake curiously released Honestly, Nevermind in the middle of the summer in 2022. Aside from the outdo “Jimmy Cooks” featuring 21 Savage, the LP saw the singer-rapper try out a new house music-inspired approach.
And, while songs like “Sticky” and “Massive” were highlights thanks to infectious drums and funky cadences, the majority of the record fell flat. Overall, Drake’s dance outfit needed a bit more fleshing out, with a more thorough understanding of what elements of the genre work and why they do.
3. For All The Dogs
With a whooping 23 tracks, Drake’s latest offering, For All The Dogs, feels like a chore to even sit through. Even with amusing, light-hearted moments like “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring SZA and Sexyy Red and “IDGAF” featuring Yeat, the album is overwhelmed by immature relationship motifs, half-assed vocal efforts, and directionless songwriting.
A project he had been promoting all summer long while on his It’s All A Blur Tour, For All The Dogs still feels thrown together and half-baked, a stunning result from such an esteemed musician.
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2. Certified Lover Boy
Released just days after Kanye West’s Donda, in what felt like a passive competition amongst hip-hop alphas, Certified Lover Boy in 2021 features all the best parts of Drake. Whether you need radio bangers like “Way 2 Sexy” and “Girls Want Girls,” emboldened romance tracks like “Race My Mind” and “TSU,” or thoroughly rapped hard-hitters like “Fair Trade” and “Knife Talk,” Certified Lover Boy‘s got it all.
What truly holds the LP back from being in the upper echelon of Drake’s discography, though, is a slight lull that comes in the back half of the track list, starting with “7 am On Bridle Path” and ending with “The Remorse.” While this portion has its gems, awkward duds like “Fountains” and “F*****g Fans” cause the project’s momentum to dwindle.
1. Her Loss
Coming just a handful of months after the polarizing Honestly, Nevermind, Drake’s collaborative album Her Loss with 21 Savage saw a return to form for the Canadian phenom. With fiery, steadfast flows and a wealth of song ideas, Her Loss sees many of Drake’s best performances of the young decade. These apex moments include “Hours In Silence,” “Treacherous Twins,” “Middle of the Ocean,” and “Jumbotron Shit Poppin.”
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