Certified Lover Boy release; Student opinions vary

     On Sept, 3, the well-known Canadian artist, Drake, released a new album called Certified Lover Boy. This is Drake’s sixth album and consists of 21 different songs. 

     The meaning held within these songs has to do with commitment in relationships. The idea between marriage and being a ‘player,’ is presented in Drake’s lyrics, according to Distractify. 

     Sophomore Mason Adelhart notes that the title fits the album’s songs because “most are about relationships with women.” Similarly, junior Dylan Hoban said, “it’s one of the best titles I’ve seen from modern music artists.”

     The album starts off with the song “Champagne Poetry” which discusses the topic of marriage and committing to lifelong romance. Drake then switches his lyrics around, closing with the song “The Remorse.” Unlike his first, this song incorporates ideas about short dedication in romance. 

      The cover photo of Certified Lover Boy features the emojis of twelve pregnant women with different colored skin tones and shirt colors. This album was also delayed in release by nine months, giving influence into the design.

      British artist Damien Hirst created this cover, which has gained much controversy after the album was released. According to CNN Entertainment, various memes have arisen from the ‘ridiculous’ cover. Some even critique the image, questioning why a red-haired emoji was not included. 

     Within this album you can find various other artist features. Junior Jaylen Gencel notes “21 Savage and Travis Scott are featured.” Lil Baby, Lil Durk, and Jay Z are also popular artists found singing in Certified Lover Boy. 

     North Harford students have varying views on which songs are their favorite. Both Gencel and freshman Alayna Shrodes note that the best song is “Knife Talk” featuring 21 Savage and Project Pat. Shrodes said “this song is the most catchy,” while Gencel said “Drake works harder in this song than any other song.”

     On the other hand, Adelhart says Knife Talk is his least favorite song because “there are too many features.” Because of Lil Baby’s feature in “Girls Want Girls,” this is Adelhart’s favorite song in the album. 

     Compared to Drake’s previous albums, students claim that this album is most preferable. Gencel says “Drake’s other albums are more depressing, this one is more upbeat.” Gencel also notes that some of his other songs in previous albums are extremely repetitive, such as “Money in the Grave.” 

     Adelhart says that “this is one of Drake’s better albums,” and likewise Shrodes said she likes this album the best because it is more “catchy and appealing.” 

     Although this album is thought to be one of his best, Adelhart mentions that Drake’s 2016 album “Views” is even better, containing his favorite song “Hotline Bling.” Adelhart also mentions that Certified Lover Boy would have been even better if “Drake included more songs with Lil Baby and YNW Melly.”