Certified Lover Boy is Certified Perfection
Portraits and Comics By Addie Lewis ’25.
Certified Lover Boy, Drake’s latest album, dropped earlier this year with little warning in September.
The cover of the album displays a diverse selection of twelve pregnant women, a big reason for the album going viral. The album cover was incredibly successful in intriguing people and causing them to wonder about the story behind such an image and so, predictions for reasoning began to surface. People were left to speculate about what the point of these pregnant women was. Drake left the listeners confused going into the album with this mysterious cover, and that created a buzz around the music. The album was not only popular for the arguably odd album cover, but it was also incredibly well received by Drake’s fanbase.
The album is complete with an impressive list of guests including, but not limited to Kid Cudi, Lil Baby, Jay-Z, Travis Scott and 21 Savage. The feature artists on Certified Lover Boy really deliver with many being in the most popular songs on the album. The feature artists offer an alternative voice to the anthology that makes the album less consistent, but much more entertaining for the listener. Drake’s singles also do a great job of showcasing his talents. He is great at changing his flow and finding a way to keep things interesting. This is one of Drake’s most impressive albums, to say the least.
Certified Lover Boy was also well-received by Drake fans for the length of the album. People are looking for new music to listen to, and fans appreciated Drake dropping an album with 21 tracks on it, totaling an hour and a half of time to listen. The album has interesting beats and bars that are sure to impress listeners. Tracks are relatively varied with each song having a different sound, avoiding repetition. All of the songs are chill and relaxing to listen to. There is a song for every vibe that the listener is feeling at the moment, making this an inclusive album with much range.
A lot of songs are dramatic and carry emotion, making the audience feel engaged throughout the album. Others are great for making you feel driven and ready to take on anything. This is one of Drake’s most motivating albums, but also one of his most relaxing set of beats. People enjoy how the songs feel more like the old, classic Drake they are used to. Drake’s popularity surged early on when he began creating music, and this has been his most anticipated album. When asking a Drake fan why they enjoyed the album, they replied, “The mixture of RnB, hip hop, and just the poeticness of it come together to form a really solid album.” Drake strays away from the materialism present in much modern music in this album to discover a deeper meaning.
Drake continues to deliver over and over again on great songs that you can listen or dance to. Drake is the greatest of all time.
Some of the most popular songs in the album include “Knife Talk”, “Champagne Poetry” and “Way 2 Sexy.” The beats of these songs are felt from the soul of the listener, and provide a personal connection to Drake and the album as a whole. “Knife talk” has a feature from 21 Savage where he and Drake trade back and forth in their solos. “Way 2 Sexy” is arguably one of the most popular songs on the album. It is an inspiring song that has also gone viral on TikTok with a dance that accompanies along the opening lines.
Drake speaks from the heart, rather than mumbling pointless lyrics. He is thankful for and appreciative of all the people in his life, and we should be too. He expresses this in all of the songs in his album, and this represents some of the passion that he puts into his work. Drake loves what he does, and that is well represented in Certified Lover Boy. He is first and foremost a family man who will always be there for his loved ones and wants to be a good role model for his child; he tries to always be there for him. He also explains that it is okay to be vulnerable, and not many rappers are able to do that. Not to mention, Drake has delivered another album that people can dance to or just relax to. Drake fans and many others have found a lot to love about Certified Lover Boy, and there are clear reasons why.
Certified Lover Boy features some of Drake’s best beats in a upbeat variety of touching lyrics.
Certified Lover Boy will continue to bring heat to the listeners ears for years to come. This album will go down in history as being one of the best of all time. Drake—the greatest music artist ever—has been inspiring millions for years, and he will without a doubt continue to influence the next generation of artists.
– Samuel Grossman ’23
The Reserve Record 