After the most creative media(less) rollout of the year — a Vogue cover and NPR Tiny Desk included —Drake and 21 Savage finally unleashed their joint album, HER LOSS, on Friday (Nov. 4).
The 16-track offering was originally slated for Oct. 28, but according to Drizzy was postponed due to his righthand producer and engineer Noah “40” Shebib contracting COVID shortly before the release date. “Our brother [Shebib] got Covid in the middle of mixing and mastering the crack,” the Toronto rapper wrote on an Instagram story. HER LOSS marks Drizzy’s second collaborative project, following his cult-favorite 2015 mixtape alongside Atlanta-made powerhouse Future, What a Time to Be Alive.
Holding a little more experience in that arena, HER LOSS is 21 Savage’s fourth collaborative project. He released three others alongside Metro Boomin, one of which included the Migos rapper, Offset.
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Considering Drake and 21 Savage’s undeniable synergy, fans welcome HER LOSS with open arms, ready to be re-upped after the pair’s tease in June with “Jimmy Cooks,” the only rap track on Drake’s house album, Honestly, Nevermind. “Jimmy Cooks” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 chart and foreshadowed the collaborators’ latest offering.
Ahead of the album, Drake and 21 Savage didn’t do too much talking, instead letting their marketing strategy speak for them. They let loose rapid-fire content after announcing the project on Oct. 22, including a Vogue cover story that wasn’t, a deepfake interview with Howard Stern about porn, love and dating, and their own mock-Tiny Desk set up.
On the topic of settling down, Drake told Stern, “I’m sure I could. I think that eventually once all this is said and done for us, that addiction of work and success and forward movement is over, I feel we’re all going to need something real. Hopefully it’s not too late.”
What’s real when you’re Drake? Combining the best of four or five women, which seems to be what keeps the lover boy rapper within the grips of serial dating.
Previously, Drake and 21 Savage joined forces on “Knife Talk” from Drizzy’s Certified Lover Boy, “Mr. Right Now” from 21 Savage’s Savage Mode II collab album with Metro Boomin in 2020, Drake’s stand-alone release “Sneakin’” in 2016 and more.
Listen to HER LOSS in full below now.