This has been the day of Champagne Papi as Certified Lover Boy dropped and Drake told us all how we’ve been feeling. From the samples to the features (namely Travis Scott who talked about our beloved Cape Town) the album is delicious.
Was the hype tweakin‘? (translation, was the excitement around the album overrated?) In the opinion of a critical Drizzy die-hard, it was lived up to, and what a time to be in our feelings, writes Cape {town} Etc’s Ashleigh Nefdt.
The album can best be encapsulated in one word: honest.
It’s reflective and a homecoming of truths, from relationships to the music industry. Drake eloquently guides us on the personal in the most relatable way, giving listeners an updated musical code of what certified him as a “lover boy” in the first place.
As someone who’s had Drake’s melodic musings in my ears forever, I think most of Drake’s ‘going through some things’ can confirm that the album came at the perfect time. Our location? Collectively in our feels.
From the samples (cue I’m too sexy for my shirt, but with Drake’s right-hand Future taking a spin on it) to the features (we’ve got every gold name, from the man on the moon Kid Cudi, Weezy, 21 Savage, to the don King Jay-Z himself), the album is moody in the best way.
You’re wondering why I didn’t mention the La Flame feature? That’s because this one deserves a space of its own. Travis Scott teamed up with Drake on one of my favourite songs of the album, Fair Trade.
“I’ve been losing friends and finding peace, honestly that sound like a fair trade to me.” Let that sink in.
Being a name-drop in himself, Travis dubbed another name-drop to none other than the girls of Cape Town. La Flame obviously didn’t put it so politely, but go to the time stamp 3:21 to hear the reference I can’t type for gentle readers. Either way, Travis knows Cape Town and if we start getting more tourists, we know why.
Other tracks that deserve love are Yebba’s Heartbreak, Knife Talk, You only Live Twice and IMY2. Papi’s Home will change a lot for one as my friend praised the song, and The Remorse can be described as “what my soul needed” as another friend noted. The whole album really speaks to different parts of all of us, but I had to be succinct or this would turn into a Ted Talk.
CLB echoes thoughts from Take Care in some ways, but with a more mature Aubrey. We loved Drake on his jivy chats in Views and More Life, and we enjoyed his trap era too.
Scorpion saw the darker side of Drizzy, giving us an album that could launch almost anyone to the streets. Dark Lane Demo Tapes was lined with some gold, but I’ll never really forgive Drake for succumbing to the pop ooze of Toosie Slide.
Scary Hours could’ve given more, I’ll be honest, but at least we know what Drizzy was up to over New Years and Valentine’s Day. A special moment should be recorded for Behind Bars featured on Top Boy. The bars and the piano dually live in my head rent-free.
I wish it was 2015 again just so I could listen to If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and What a Time to Be Alive for the first time, and post quotes like “My ex asked where I’m moving I said onto better things,” without it being cringe. However, I think CLB might have a lot of us feeling the same one day.
Despite the Kanye beef and the album artwork, the goat pulled through.
Drake’s journey has come a long way, and nothing was or will ever be the same after CLB.
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Picture: @champagnepapi
