Drake is back in the spotlight with a joint album alongside Mississauga singer and long-time collaborator PartyNextDoor, less than a week after Kendrick Lamar dragged his named through the mud in front of an estimated 133.5 million people during the Super Bowl halftime show,
“Some Sexy Songs 4 U” (stylized as ”$ome $exy $ongs 4 U” or ”$$$4U”), dropped at 12 a.m. on Friday, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
”$$$4U” is Drake’s first studio album since 2023’s “For All the Dogs.” It’s the first major release from the embattled Toronto rapper since his headline-dominating feud with Lamar erupted last spring. PartyNextDoor’s most recent project, “PartyNextDoor 4,” was released last April.
Upon first listen, the sprawling, 21-track album feels hyperlocal to Toronto and Mississauga: ”The city is pretty when it’s dead just like a flower / What color’s the CN Tower? It’s red tonight,” Drake raps on the opening track. Featuring plenty of moody, downtempo beats and songs centred on the familiar themes of women, romance and self-loathing, ”$$$4U” does not reinvent the wheel, but contains plenty of fodder for fans of these two artists.
Does Drake reference his feud with Kendrick Lamar?
Drake does not mention Lamar — the elephant in the room — at least explicitly, though there are some moments that can be read in light of their feud.
“I’ve been a nice guy, people I’ve done right by flipped on me, but girl, it’s alright,” he raps on the closing track, “Greedy.” ”Not surprised by nothing, I just take it in stride / On the bright side, everyone on my side / They still got their love and they pride.”
The rollout of ”$$$4U”
Drake and PartyNextDoor have been frequent collaborators since the latter signed with Drake’s record label OVO Sound in 2013, but the two have never jointly released an album. The two artists, along with OVO Sound, started teasing a joint project in August of 2024.
On Feb. 3, the duo shared the album’s title and release date, along with two short snippets of songs that are expected to be on ”$$$4U.” The next day, Drake shared a promotional video on his Instagram featuring a short, Valentine’s-themed sketch by Toronto YouTube personalities and siblings Jermaine and Trevaunn Richards.
On Feb. 11, Drake shared the official album cover, which shows him and PartyNextDoor decked out in oversized fur coats during a snow storm in front of Absolute City — those iconic twin towers in Mississauga. On Thursday morning, the duo shared the album’s 21-song track list, but didn’t reveal whether the project will feature any guests artists.
Rap fans accuse Drake and PartyNextDoor of ripping off Freddie Gibbs
After ”$$$4U” was announced, hip hop fans were quick to point out that the album title bore a striking resemblance to ”$oul $old $eparately” or ”$$$,” a 2022 album by American rapper Freddie Gibbs.
Those accusations ramped up again on Thursday, after fans pointed out that the track list art for the Drake and PartyNextDoor project featured cartoon rabbits, which was also a motif on the Gibbs project.
“Damn they even stole the rabbits too,” Gibbs chimed in on X. “I’m flattered.”
Neither Drake nor PartyNextDoor have addressed these accusations.
Who is PartyNextDoor?
PartyNextDoor is the musical moniker of Jahron Anthony Brathwaite, a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer from Mississauga. He released his self-titled debut EP in July 2013, shortly after becoming the first artist signed to Drake’s record label OVO Sound. Featuring beloved songs like “Break from Toronto” and “Right Now,” the icy, atmospheric project was met with critical acclaim, and is considered a highlight and a major influence on the alternative R&B sound that emerged from the GTA in the early 2010s.
Since then, PartyNextDoor has released four self-titled LPs, and worked as behind-the-scenes hitmaker for a long list of artists, including Rihanna, Usher, Post Malone and others.
What has Drake been up to?
It’s been a tough year for Drizzy.
In May 2024, Lamar released “Not Like Us,” a searing diss track. The song reached number one on the Billboard charts and broke several streaming records on Spotify. Its meteoric success was widely considered a knockout punch in the rappers’ months-long feud.
Just days after the song’s release, a shooting occurred at Drake’s Bridle Path Mansion in Toronto, in which the rapper’s security guard was seriously injured.
In January of this year, Drake filed an explosive federal defamation lawsuit against his record label Universal Music Group (UMG), claiming that the company “approved, published, and launched a campaign to create a viral hit out of a rap track” that was “intended to convey the specific, unmistakable, and false factual allegation that Drake is a criminal pedophile, and to suggest that the public should resort to vigilante justice in response.”
The lawsuit also revealed dramatic new details about the Bridle Path incident, which the suit says was one of three attacks the suit says took place in the wake of a high-profile rap battle with Lamar, who is also represented by UMG.
The suit adds that these events caused Drake to fear “for the safety and security of himself, his family, and his friends.” It also states that Drake pulled his son out of the elementary school he attended in Toronto due to safety concerns.
“Not Like Us” would go on to win five Grammys, including Song and Record of the Year.
