On October 22, 2022, the internet exploded as Drake and 21 Savage announced their collaborative album that was set to drop at the end of the week. Considering that 21 hadn’t dropped an album in 2 years, and Drake was coming off his arguably worst album, there was a lot of hype for Honestly, Nevermind. . Drake and 21 are considered by many to be one of the best rap duos right now, judging by their previous songs together such as  “Jimmy Cooks”, “Knife Talk”, “Mr. Right Now”, and more. Unfortunately, Drake’s producer and engineer Noah “40” Shebib got COVID-19, so the album got pushed back to Friday, November 4th. The album has 16 songs with 4 being solo songs from Drake, a solo 21 Savage song, and a feature from Travis Scott. After all the hype around the album, I actually stayed up until midnight for its release, which I haven’t done since March of this year. But did the album end up living up to all of the expectations?

“Rich Flex”:

The album starts out with a small speaking portion from Young Nudy, the alter ego of 21 Savage, and then quickly moves into a nocturnal-sounding trap beat. 21 gets in some good lines, but is quickly cut off by Drake, who breaks it down to a slowed R&B section. The beat then changes yet again to a piano beat produced by Tay Keith, and Drake flows incredibly over it. His flow and lyrics are incredible, and makes it an enjoyable song that keeps you on your feet. Rating: 9/10.

“Major Distribution”:

This song starts off slow, with Drake singing over an elegant piano riff. The beat, after about 8 bars, then changes to a catchy trap beat with a noteworthy sample from “Tokyo Drift”. Drake and 21 work amazingly well together on this beat with their lyrics and combined flow. Lil Yachty does most of the ad libs on this song, which is a great addition. Rating: 9/10.

“On BS”:

The track starts immediately with a very menacing beat that sounds like a typical Drake and 21 song. The song is an enjoyable back-and-forth between Drake and 21,and has a very catchy hook. The only reason this song isn’t a 10/10 is because the ending is a 1-minute long talking portion from influencer Arthur Kar. That portion also happens to be 1-minute longer than I want to listen to it. Rating: 9/10.

“BackOutsideBoyz”:

This is the first of the solo Drake tracks and it ends up being pretty enjoyable. The beat is very colorful, and has the same element of ad libs from Lil Yachty, but it gets a little boring by the end. Drake’s cadence is very catchy on this song as he uses his signature singing-rap style. Rating: 8/10.

“Privileged Rappers”:

Though this song stays the same throughout, it’s mellow piano beat makes it easy to vibe to , which is typical of any other Drake album. Drake and 21 both have catchy hooks throughout and the lyrics are really what drive this song being likable. Rating: 8/10.

“Spin Bout You”:

The start of this song is unlike any other on the album, as it features a well-used 90’s R&B sample on the beat. It’s a mix between a trap beat and an R&B track, with both 21 and Drake singing and rapping throughout the track. The chorus, like most other songs on the album, is catchy and an easy classic. Rating: 9/10.

“Hours in Silence”:

I absolutely love the first half of this song during Drake’s part. The singing is great and 21 actually does a solid job keeping up with him as well. However, the second half after the beat change makes me want to sit for hours in silence rather than listen to it. It is boring, and unnecessarily long, clocking in at just under 7 minutes.. Rating: 6/10. 

“Treacherous Twins”:

Overall, I like the song’s message and I think it is really the song that explains why the album was made. It’s upbeat, and includes great storytelling from both 21 and Drake on how they became friends.I love the message, especially coming from this duo. Rating: 8/10.

“Circo Loco”:

I personally love the beat on this song because of the mix of the Daft Punk sample and the Detroit style percussion. Drake and 21 have some great bars on this song and yet another catchy hook. In addition, it’s bound to get people talking, as Drake fires shots at both Megan Thee Stallion and Serena William’s husband. Rating: 8/10. 

“P**** & Millions”:

This is my personal favorite song on the album. It is upbeat and catchy on both the hook and the verses. Above all, my favorite part is the beat change that accommodates a feature from Travis Scott. The song has all the makings of a massive hit and is yet another example of Travis Scott and Drake making great music. Rating: 10/10. 

“Broke Boys”:

This is another one of my favorite songs on the album. It features great verses from both 21 and Drake and also a great beat change. Personally speaking, I love the beat change on this track and I think that Drake has really mastered constantly changing it up, on this album. Rating: 9/10.

“Middle of the Ocean”:

When Drake decides to focus on lyrics, he is truly one of the most impressive rappers of his generation. His introspective full-on rapping tracks are some of the best in his discography and this song follows that same path. It is nice to hear one of these songs on this album for being mainly Trap and R&B centric. Rating: 9/10.

“Jumbotron S*** Poppin”

I personally love this song because of its upbeat energy and the production from F1LTHY BEATS, who produces a lot for Playboi Carti, who also has a writing credit on this track. Rating: 8/10.

“More M’s”:

This song sounds like a throwback for 21 Savage, with its murky production from Metro Boomin and dark lyrics typical of his early days on the rap scene. It features one of the best 21 verses on the album and just brings nostalgia for 2016-2017 era Trap music. Rating: 9/10.

“3AM on Glenwood”:

In a turn of events, Drake is not doing a timestamped, introspective song on his album. The title refers back to 21 Savage’s street that he grew up on in East Atlanta and features reflective and well-written bars. Unlike “Hours In Silence”, this song is quick and is a good change of pace following the run of trap style songs. Rating: 8/10.

“I Guess It’s F*** Me”:

This outro is quite forgettable, which is unfortunate, considering that it’s not representative of the rest of the album. It doesn’t stick with me, and I also don’t like that Drake is the only one featured on the outro of a collaborative album. Rating: 6/10. 

Overall, this album is extremely enjoyable and I think it did live up to my expectations. The album is one of the few Drake albums recently that I’ve seen get widely appraised by the masses. It’s expected to sell around 400k units in the first week without physical sales, which is a massive success. I personally think it’s his best album since If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. My overall rating for this album is a solid 8/10.