After just 9 months since his previous album Certified Lover Boy was released, Drake has returned with his follow-up album: ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ and it’s received lukewarm reviews.
Drake appears unfazed by the criticism or even disinterest in his new album, Honestly, Nevermind. In a video newly released on Instagram, it showed Drake at what many believe to be the album’s release party, making a speech about the album and its reaction.
The rapper said: “It’s all good if you don’t get it yet. It’s all good. That’s what we do. That’s what we do, we wait for you to catch up. We’re in here though, we caught up already. On to the next. My goodness!”
Not only was it Drake’s reaction but the teasing of more material also took fans and trolls off guard. It appears to be a prolific period for the seasoned rapper, though the criticism of CLB and now, Honestly, Nevermind, appears to show a miscommunication with his audience.
Though, as he said in response to the criticism: “That’s what we do, we wait for you to catch up. We’re in here though.”
NME felt differently, giving it 3 stars. The magazine, while digging CLB, said of the new album: “an unexpected elevation from the bland trap, R&B remakes and Drake’s melancholic attitude to love we heard [on ‘Certified Lover Boy’]”, though “as tiresomely woe-is-me as anything he’s ever done”.
From the fans’ point of view, it was the music itself. Many either tweeted or posted on Instagram criticising the change in genre. His rap and hip hop roots were replaced with a new dance and club-friendly sound. While I respect artists breaking from expectation, it remains to be seen whether Drake’s response will fall on deaf ears with busy hands.
For me, the atmosphere is certainly potent. The sonics instantly take you to a place – a club, basically. But not in a sentimental way but where you felt free to be yourself. The singles Falling Back and Texts Go Green optimise this perfectly. I can almost smell the smoke machine from the dance floor as coloured strobe lights move slowly.
