Seth Pickens
Editor-in-Chief
“$ome $exy $ongs 4 U,” Drake and PartyNextDoor’s latest collaborative album, dropped on Feb. 14. The album is a collection of fun yet degenerate love songs that toe the line between smooth talking and outright misogyny, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Listeners had been waiting since fall 2024 for the rumored project, but it wasn’t until Feb. 3 the project’s name was revealed.
During the release week, Drake received significant media attention, not just because of the upcoming project, but because of his prolonged beef with rapper Kendrick Lamar. Lamar took a resounding victory lap during his Super Bowl performance on Feb. 9, where he delivered diss-track “Not Like Us” to the biggest audience in the event’s history. The internet was set ablaze, and the unfortunate timing of Drake’s album release felt like an afterthought amidst the ongoing rap feud.
Drake clearly wants to pivot away from the rap beef, addressing it only once on “GIMME A HUG” with the line, “F- a rap beef, I’m tryna get the party lit.” This lyric signals him leaving behind his devastating loss to Lamar and moving towards creating original music content.
Setting aside the noise, the album, for all the hate it’s received, has potential. It starts off rough, anyone who taps out after the first few tracks will walk away thinking the album is a complete dud. As the album progresses, the production, energy, and lyricism all improve drastically.
At its core, “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U” is exactly what it sounds like: a mix of R&B-tinged love songs and late-night confessionals. The standout songs prove Drake isn’t afraid to play with different sounds. “NOKIA” blends house music with 80s pop, “DIE TRYING” is a bittersweet love song that leans heavily into R&B, and “GLORIOUS’”sees Drake returning to the drill sound from his iconic “On the RadarFreestyle.” Drake and PartyN- extDoor are able to experiment with such an incredibly wide array of sounds without ever losing the project’s cohesiveness.
The Regional Mexican inspired “MEET YOUR PADRE” almost drops the ball with Drake’s cringe-worthy attempt at spanglish rapping. However, the song’s stellar production and solid features from Chino Pacas outweigh that large negative.
The experimentation in the album is impressive, but is a bit over- whelming. While none of the songs are inherently bad, some of the earlier ones sound a little too similar. At 21 tracks the substantial album could have been cut to create a punchier, more refined collection.
The repetitiveness of some of the earlier tracks is exemplified by the album’s lack of features. Other than Chino Pacas, the only feature is a relatively unknown artist named Pim, who solo performs “Pimmie’s dilemma,” a slower somber song similar to “Yebba’s Heartbreak.”
One of the biggest complaints from haters and fans alike is the weakness of PartyNextDoor’s presence. For someone who is supposed to be a collaborator, he feels more like a feature. “DEEPER,” his only solo track, is a standout, but it’s the only moment where he really makes his presence known and doesn’t sound like a background singer.
Despite the mixed reception, Drake fans will find a lot to love here. Songs like “SPIDER-MAN SUPERMAN’” deliver that classic mix of rap and melody, while “GIMME A HUG” stands out as a peak moment, combining gospel-esque samples with an infectious beat. The second half of the album carries most of its strength, offering some of the best moments of Drake’s recent catalog.
Is this an album of the year contender? Probably not. Is it groundbreaking? Not really. But it’s a solid addition to Drake’s discography, one that might be unfairly dismissed due to its weak start and the current climate. As always, time will tell how it holds up, but for now, “$ome $exy $ongs 4 U” is an album that rewards anyone willing to stick with it.
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