Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind is…Just Okay, and that’s fine

A review of Drake’s surprise 7th studio album

Just when you thought this year’s music catalog was already stacked, Toronto’s own Aubrey Graham has surprised us with his latest album Honestly, Nevermind. Announced on Thursday, Drake’s 7th studio album arrives just 9 months after last year’s Certified Lover Boy. Although not that much time has passed since then, it was clearly enough for Drizzy to start working on his next big project.

The release itself was a surprise but so is the album as well. Honestly, Nevermind sees Drake do away with rapping almost entirely, in exchange for a more house music-inspired record full of singing. Initial reactions ranged from mixed feelings to extreme disappointment. On its release, Twitter was having a field day with clever memes and jokes.

When it comes to Drake’s discography, I’ll play the devil’s advocate when I say that his music has flatlined since 2016. Granted he has a handful of great singles under his belt, but there’s no denying that album-wise he’s been falling flat ever since If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. His albums always fall right in the middle between good and bad, as is the case with Honestly, Nevermind. This new Drake album is, like the rest of his work in the last 5 years, just okay. Nothing remotely interesting and nothing L-worthy which is totally fine.

Production-wise, Honestly, Nevermind sees Drake take full advantage of his more club-Esque, danceable side. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for his dancehall/house-influenced tracks like “Controlla” and “Get It Together” so initially I wasn’t too shocked like most people with this new album. Drake chose the perfect time to drop this album, with summertime approaching I can imagine this soundtracking the next rooftop party or late-night drive (which for the record, is where Drake’s music really shines IMO.).

Working with mainstay producers such as Noah “40” Shebib and African house DJ Black Coffee among others, Honestly, Nevermind’s production fits Drake’s cadences reasonably well. Songs like “Massive” and “Tie That Binds” exude massive underground club energy, the latter sprinkling in Spanish guitar twangs throughout. On the standout track “Sticky”, Drake raps over a pulsing synth beat with echoing vocal samples in the background.

Honestly, Nevermind isn’t just an ode to house music, the album’s final 2 tracks “Liability” and “Jimmy Cooks” featuring 21 Savage have Drake tap back into the familiar territory of melodic rap and bass-heavy bangers not too far removed from his material on last year’s CLB.

For a majority of the album’s runtime, listeners can expect to hear more of Drake’s singing. He plays a bit more with his tone this time around, like reaching a close falsetto on “Falling Back” accompanied with auto-tune. He rides on these beats seamlessly.

Unfortunately, this is where my positives for the album ends, because Honestly, Nevermind falls into the same trap that Drake’s recent bodies of work have all become victim to: boredom, except this time it feels 10x stronger. A major issue I have with this album is its lack of variety. Nearly every track carries the same 120 bpm four-on-the-floor rhythm that at various points everything just melds together.

Another issue is how droning Drake sounds. At times his delivery feels deadpan, which works for a few songs, but an entire album? I should also mention that songs drag on for way too long like on “Flight Booked” whose outro feels longer than Drake’s main verses.

Lyrically, Drake once again rambles on about lost love that at this point in his career comes off as plain pettiness. lines like: (“I moved on so long ago
You’re still thinking ‘bout me though”) give off a more needy soft boy mentality than the toxic king mentality he was probably aiming for. Honestly, Nevermind serves as a reminder of the problem I’ve had with Drizzy’s material for some time, there’s no growth thematically or even lyrically in his most recent works.

Everything he puts out simply just meets expectations, which as I said earlier is fine because it clearly works for him as far as streaming numbers and his fanbase goes. Yet there needs to be more from him musically, consistently getting what is essentially a passing grade may work in the short term, but in the long term, it makes his music forgettable.

Overall, I’m feeling a 5–6/10 on Honestly, Nevermind. By no means do I think this is a horrible album, a few songs expertly capture that dance vibe and chances are you’ll probably find drunk me voguing to this album during Caribana weekend this summer. However, it’s another example of Drake pushing out mid-tier music whose enjoyment only lasts for a short period of time.

Opinions on this album are all over the place right now. While many like myself have mixed feelings about this new project, others are quite content (I highly recommend checking out Josh Herring’s review to see a more positive takeaway on Honestly, Nevermind). The album still has some time to grow so who knows, this could end up becoming a sleeper hit, only time will tell.

Final Rating: 5–6/10

Favourite Tracks: Calling My Name, Sticky, Massive, Tie That Binds, Jimmy Cooks.

Stream Honestly, Nevermind: Apple Music | Spotify