Rapper Drake and singer PARTYNEXTDOOR have come back to collaborate once again with a 21 track album titled “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U,” released Feb. 14.
Aubrey Drake Graham, better known as stage name Drake, has been actively making music since the release of his first album, “So Far Gone,” in 2008. He has been improving his sound with each release and is one of the most influential and popular rappers of this generation.
Graham has previously collaborated with Jahron Anthony Brathwaite, also known as PARTYNEXTDOOR, on multiple tracks including “Recognize,” “Preach” and “Members Only”. Brathwaite is widely known for his smooth vocals and reflective lyrics, breaking out with his self-titled album in 2013 and most recently came back with “PartyNextDoor 4” which was released last year.
The most popular songs from the album include, “MOTH BALLS,” “SOMETHING ABOUT YOU” and “CN TOWER.” The album also includes the song “GIMME A HUG” in which Drake speaks about the rap beef that he had with Kendrick Lamar in 2024, where Graham was considered to have lost by the majority of fans. Graham has stated that he does not care about the rap beef and wants to get back to making music for his fans to party to.
“$ome $exy $ongs 4 U” has set many records including having the most streams for the first day of release by an R&B album in Apple Music history. The album also allowed Graham to become the most streamed male artist on Valentine’s day.
Fans have praised Graham’s versatility between tracks, with songs such as “DIE TRYING” bringing back a similar sound to his previous music.
Although many enjoyed the album, there was also a large amount of backlash for the project on social media as many described the album as repetitive with monotone singing.
Many especially criticize the song “MEET YOUR PADRE” where Graham mixes Spanish and English to create the song in an attempt to relate to his Spanish speaking audience. A majority of people online had negative feelings on the song and considered it to be the worst song included in the project, comparing it to previous spanish tracks Graham has sung including “Odio” and “MIA.”
The overall takeaway from the album is mixed as some liked it while others did not. Either way Graham and Brathwaite are undeniably an artistically compatible duo who will continue to release unique music for fans.
Despite the negative press following his rap beef with Lamar last year, Graham has come back better than ever with fellow October’s Very Own (OVO) labelmate Brathwaite. It has even teased a solo rap album he will release later this year with this album seemingly creating a new era for Graham.
