10. “7969 Santa”
If you attend UNC-Chapel Hill, I think it’s mandatory to give this song some love since Snoop Dog shouts our town at the end of the song. Besides that, this song is dope. The beat, the Chief Keef sample, the disses, and Teezo Touchdown’s interlude are what makes this song a hit. Unlike his other songs on this album which depict Drake as a lover boy, this song conveys the aftermath of the honeymoon phase where he finally sees how trash his partner truly was. Reflecting on all the trips they took, the texts they sent, conversations they had, and her overall actions, he realizes that he disliked every single thing and regrets the relationship in its entirety. Whether or not you like the entire song, the interlude by Teezo Touchdown will make you laugh and eventually be stuck in your head because “Dogs will be dogssssssss.” Though this track isn’t the most lyrical, these factors support where it falls short. It earned its spot at number ten on my list.
Most Memorable Lines:
– “Since I had some space to myself, I typed some s***, then I erased what I felt.”
– “Dogs will be dogs, no leash in sight. Leave the door open, I’m coming home tonight.”
9. “Polar Opposites”
Similarly to many other songs on this album, and Drake songs in general, this song will make you want to sing your little heart out. This song’s emotion and vulnerability make it super relatable, which is always what I look for in songs. Throughout the song, Drake refers to his partner as “bipolar” to highlight the disconnection between the two due to her often unexplained actions. The verses go through several different stages while also conveying Drake’s rollercoaster of emotions. He paints the picture of a toxic relationship with someone who misleads you and constantly leaves you uncertain. This all ties back to the title; although you and your partner may be an ideal couple on the surface, you discover you are polar opposites who just can’t work after breaking through this 1st layer . The definite relatability of this song and the complexity it explores is what places it at nine.
Most Memorable Line:
– “You set limitations with me, why do I get treated different? I don’t know. How you run the bases with me, then say nothing sacred to me, why do I get treated different?”
8. “8am in Charlotte”
If you love old Drake, you will probably love “8am in Charlotte.” This track samples a gospel song, “A Faithful Spirit,” composed by Polyphonic Music Library. With a few simplistic beats and a piano chord added, you have the perfect equation for a Drake song. This track is fairly long (4:27) which is why it is lower on my list, however, it is one of Drake’s most lyrical on the album due to its continuous flow. Additionally, this is the sixth song within Drake’s AM/PM series which all (for the most part) have a “tangent” style flow – “9AM in Dallas”, “5 Am in Toronto”, “6PM in New York”, “4pm in Calabasas,” and “7am on Birdle Path.” I’d rather have more long Drake songs than short ones as it lets me reminisce on some of his older records, for this, 8am in Charlotte takes eighth place on my list.
Most Memorable Lines:
– “‘Cause your words don’t match your actions like a foreign film. And now it’s silence in the Lamb’ like the horror film.”
– “I feel like if Mike switched out the glove for the pen…”
7. “First Person Shooter (feat. J. Cole)”
For me, this song is truly J. Cole’s song with a separate song by Drake at the end. As always, J. Cole brought some heat with his unique bars and rhythm alongside several double entendres. One of my favorite lines is when Cole says, “hate how the game got away from the bars, man, this s**t like a prison escape.” On part two of the song, Drake comes in on a different beat and flow which you’ll think is a completely different song if you’re not listening closely. While J. Cole’s portion of the song has you snapping and going “mmm” like you’re in a poetry slam, Drake’s final verse will have your head bopping and a stank face might even make an appearance.
Most Memorable Lines:
– “Like a kid that act bad from January to November, n****, it’s just you and Cole.”
– “I’m one away from Michael n, beat it, n****, beat it, what?”
6. “Bahamas Promises”
Now this song? This is Drake. This is Aubrey. I sing my heart out to every part of this song, even the ad libs! I love when Drake creates a song that could be considered almost R&B, and Bahamas Promises crosses that threshold. We have Drake singing about the broken and empty pinky promises someone made which destroys their relationship. The story Drake tells is such a relatable one as liars are one of my biggest pet peeves, and there is often no coming back from those lies. The instrumental is also a big factor with this piece, as it adds to the melancholy tone throughout Drake’s lyrics and further encapsulates feelings of betrayal. These reasons are exactly why “Bahamas Promises” takes sixth place on my list.
Most Memorable Lines:
– “You put the ‘No’ in monogamy. You know that you’re not for me.”
– “You’re livin’ in my mind for free and for someone you don’t miss, I sure feel like somebody you need.”
5. “Slime You Out (feat. SZA)”
I will proudly admit that when Drake initially dropped this song, I was disappointed. With all of the hype around his long-standing beef with SZA, I think we all expected more. After hearing SZA’s verse, my friends and I turned the song off, talked trash about it the next few days, and never gave it another chance until TikTok shed light on Drake’s final verse. With that being said, my hate turned to love very quickly because I couldn’t get the song out of my head. If the song had ended after SZA’s verse, she would have been the main character. Drake’s final verse, however, takes the top spot on this track. If you haven’t given it a listen, he goes through all of the months where he employs a lot of figurative language and plays around with his words. For example, my favorite lines from this verse are “July, that’s when I found out you lied.” and “September we falling off but I’m still the man you tryna win over.” Following this, Drake goes on almost a rant, with such a smooth flow with many similes to tie the knot. Even with my initial reaction to the song, after a few weeks of listening to this album, “Slime You Out (feat. SZA)” is always lingering around in my head, which gives it the number five spot.
Most Memorable Lines:
– “How the f* you so real but play b**** on my line?”
– “All I really know is W’s and M’s, life lookin’ like a bathroom.”
– “All I really know is M bags like I drove through and ordered fast food.”
4. “Calling For You (feat. 21 Savage)”
Whenever you see Drake and 21 Savage on a song together you KNOW it’s going to be heat. On my first listen it was already a favorite because it makes you want to dance. The beat makes you wanna dance like you’re from Jersey or even hit the floor like you’re from New York. The only downside, per se, is the girl talking in the middle. However, if you think through an artistic lens, it tells a story and sets up the transition to 21 Savage’s AMAZING verse. This song may not be the most lyrical, but because of the vibes, the beat, and this perfect duo, Calling For You (feat. 21 Savage), is number four on my list.
Most Memorable Verse:
– “Nah, I ain’t judgin’, but they in the nosebleeds, you know I be on my court s***.”
3. “Virginia Beach”
I will continue to say this to everyone; “Virginia Beach” is in my top three because it is an amazing first song for the album. The first song of an album doesn’t have to be the artist’s best song, but it can’t be the worst. For me, that will turn me off from the whole album. The day “For All The Dogs” dropped, this song let me know right away what I was getting into. In fact, it made me want to give the whole album a chance. Not only is this an amazing track but the sample from Frank Ocean is also dope and rings in your head all day. Alongside this, the entire song is filled with lines to combat an argument with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or to throw shots on your IG spam story. No, but besides the jokes, the song sheds light on some things Drake misses about how his relationship(s) were before fame. He states, “I wanna get back to the days where you loved me for nothing but what you could see.” This song also introduces a recurring theme of Drake discussing the inevitable tensions and conflicts within relationships, and this is prevalent in his final verse. This portion of the song almost feels like a phone call where your man is just fed up and snapping and making valid points that you can barely disagree with. With all of this in mind, “Virginia Beach” takes third place on my list.
Most Memorable Lines (This song has TOO many good ones):
– “You keep talkin’ bout some, ‘Period,’ but where you ‘bout to end the sentence at?”
– “Talkin’ ‘bout you wanna cook for a n**** in the kitchen, can you make amends?”
– “He gon’ find out that it’s on-site like W-W-W. On site like dot-com…”
2. “Drew A Picasso”
This is a song you can play late night cruising down the highway by yourself, around your boo who’s not your boo to throw subliminals, or to lip sync to on Instagram. Although I love the entire song, Drake’s 4th verse is why I believe a lot of people have it in their top 5 from the album. This final verse puts the icing on the cake and makes it even more relatable for the audience. He has a lot of figurative speech woven throughout, my favorite being, “If the shoe was on the other foot and it was me, it woulda been guerilla war. Since you know I got a soft spot for you, this has turned into a civil war.” Overall, this song conveys feeling disappointed and betrayed by someone you really liked. Personally, I have felt the roller coaster of emotions that Drake discusses in this song and for that, it has to be my number two spot on the list.
Most Memorable Line:
– “You’re mine, too many reasons why, I can’t picture you with him, that’s just so embarrassing, I want to die, to die”
– “How the outsiders know the inside? They was never supposed to get that.”
1. “Tried Our Best”
“Tried Our Best” is the best song on this album. I know it had been previously leaked, and bits and pieces of this song went around TikTok. Regardless, it is my number one. Everyone has someone they feel like they tried their hardest to be with. Someone they gave their all to. Someone who dogged them out. Someone who in a perfect world, they would be perfect for each other. Aside from the song’s relatability, another reason this song deserves first place is the instrumental as well as how easily Drake’s voice slides on this song. All together, this song is an iconic Drake track; one you will eventually have on repeat when your situationship is failing. If you don’t give any other song on the album a listen, listen to this one.
Most Memorable Line:
– “I swear to God, you think I’m Shakespeare, that’s why you always wanna play, right?”
