After months of rumors, both Kanye West and Drake dropped their awaited albums just a couple of days apart. West's tenth studio album, Donda, finally hit streaming platforms on August 29. Named after his late mother, Donda features gospel themes, hip-hop beats, and auto-tuned vocals and even features speeches from Donda West herself. Donda shares the gospel influence of his previous album, "Jesus is King." In his single, "No Child Left Behind," we hear Kanye West sing, "He's done miracles on me." The album also has an extensive list of lyricists, including Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, Roddy Rich, and many more. West opens the album with a chant of his dead mother's name and then morphs into an upbeat track describing how it felt going to jail.
On September 3 Canadian rapper Drake released his sixth studio album, Certified Lover Boy (CLB). Before dropping the album, fans responded excitedly to the bizarre album cover, which depicts rows of pregnant-women emojis. CLB is packed with an array of artists, including Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, etc. To set the tone, Drake opens up with "Champagne Poetry." The track uses a sped-up sample of the Beatles' (Michelle) and then transitions to a gospel sample as Drake picks up his flow. CLB uses a mixture of trap-beats, guitar riffs, and R&B undertones. Drake reminds his audience that he is not just a rapper but also a vocalist. The record's most exciting track is "Way 2 Sexy, " featuring Future and Young Thug. The song serves as a feel-good, "pretty-boy" anthem for the male audience.
Despite past collaborations, the pair are not on good terms. Things got nasty between the two in 2018 after Drake and Pusha T released a series of diss tracks towards each other. Drake claims he wrote for Kanye in response to Pusha T claiming Drake has ghostwriters. Pusha T then revealed to the world that Drake has a son. Although West denies the accusations, many speculate that Kanye West revealed Drake's secret to Pusha T after hearing "March 14". After many subliminal lyrics and tweets, tension reached an all-time high after an unreleased Kanye West track leaked. "Life of the Party" was a track intended for Donda; however, it did not cut. In the song, Kanye West calls out Drake and disses him.
Whether you're a Drake or Kanye fan, you cannot deny their influence, talent, and their ability to continue putting out great bodies of work.