(L-R) PartyNextDoor and Drake
Canadian hitmakers Drake and PartyNextDoor have collaborated several times over the past decade, but for the first time, the two stars have teamed up for their first joint project, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. The album arrives at a moment when all eyes are on Drake after Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance of Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us,” and while Drake takes time to address a bevy of topics throughout the album, his Compton foil isn’t one of them.
Both artists have shown each other love for more than a decade since PND signed to Drake’s OVO Sound label back in 2013. “I’m so grateful for you. I would not be the artist I am if it wasn’t for you,” Drizzy told him on stage at a PartyNextDoor & Friends concert last May. “This is really my favorite artist in the world.” PND, a much more reserved artist than his rapping counterpart, has been able to maintain that relationship despite not being into the typical celebrity party lifestyle. “I know Drake and people always tell me, ‘Bro, you have to come out more!’ I’m an introvert; I’m shy,” he explained to Billboard last year.
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U is a substantial project, clocking in at more than an hour runtime across 21 tracks. The late-night R&B feel of the music makes Valentine’s Day the ideal release date, but just because the album might be centered around love songs doesn’t mean it’s all love from Drake. On “Gimme a Hug,” for example, he hints at the Kendrick feud and calls out Joe Budden’s podcast co-host and fellow Toronto native Melyssa Ford. “F**k a rap beef, I’m tryna get the party lit,” he alludes to the infamous squabble.
PND, for his part, is as perfect of a melodic counterpart to Drake here as he was on their first collabs more than a decade ago. His dedication to his craft remains unwavering. “The only thing that’s important, that has changed my life, is dropping music,” he stated plainly to Billboard. “I’m not worried about the fame.”
Drake’s Anita Max Win Tour wraps up March 16 in Auckland.
