Despite some fans having surely entered Valentine’s Day under the misguided assumption that PARTYNEXTDOOR's new joint album with Drake would see the 6 god spending every syllable addressing the latest developments on the Kendrick Lamar front, that’s not what you’ll find on $ome $exy $ongs 4 U.
Instead, the 21-track album, which comes just over two years after Drake’s previous full-length collaboration with 21 Savage, largely leans into the relationships-focused vibe that the project’s title implies. There are exceptions, however, particularly on the tracks “Brian Steel” and “Gimme a Hug,” two solo Drake cuts that are sequenced back to back on the new album.
In “Brian Steel,” named after Young Thug’s RICO case lawyer, Drizzy celebrates his frequent collaborator’s freedom before making his way to a direct mention of “beef,” albeit unnamed:
Broski just hit me, said, 'Put all the beef on the side,' I can't
I'm heated now
N***as wanna meet up, talk about shit, I'm vegan now
Evil eyes were staring at me and I see it now
Beef is broached once more on “Gimme a Hug,” which sees Drake likening himself to Neo in The Matrix dodging bullets.
Right from the jump, Drake is in response mode, seemingly nodding to Ye with “Drake elimination, fake intimidation.” As fans will recall, the artist formerly known as Kanye West shared a “Like That” remix last year, at one point using the phrase “the elimination of Drake” when talking with Justin Laboy about how the song came together.
Deeper into the first verse, Drake acknowledges people who “want to see RIP me on a t-shirt like I’m Hulk Hogan” while also thanking fans for “rocking with me” through it all. From there, he triples down on his lifestyle by elaborating on the “only reason” he “ain’t got a girl” and “ain’t getting married.”
21 Savage later gets a shoutout (“Savage, you the only n***a checkin’ on me when we really in some shit”), while Melyssa Ford, a fellow Canadian, gets mocked for her association with Joe Budden. But as for beef, more generally, Drake suggests that’s not where his mind is at right now, at least in the context of this song:
They be droppin' shit, but we be droppin' harder shit
Fuck a rap beef, I'm tryna get the party lit
Tryna get the party lit for the bitches
Them Nike tights is huggin' on that ass like they missed it
Coincidentally, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U comes just one day after the 10th anniversary of Drake’s PND-featuring If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late mixtape. In commemoration of the anniversary, Miki Hellerbach put together a list for Complex of a dozen things you might not know about the project. Last year, we ranked the tape as the third-best entry in Drake’s discography.