In 2021, rapper Drake released Certified Lover Boy, his first studio album in three years. The album is jam-packed with collaborations with some of the biggest names in hip-hop. While some of the tracks were a massive hit, others were more a swing and a miss. We’ve ranked the 21 songs on the album from best to worst.
Sampled around Feed The Streets, Drake’s 13th track, Knife Talk, shows the rapper teaming up with 21 Savage and Project Pat.
It has proved to be one of the album’s best tracks, peaking at the top of the R&B and the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Knife Tale is widely considered the most skillful track on Certified Lover Boy, featuring the rapper at his spitting best, with an aggressive energy that outstrips anything else on the same album.
The song was originally intended for 21 Savage before being given to Drake.
Drake comes out strong with the opening track Champagne Poetry, a song about his legacy as one of the top rappers in the industry. He samples both Navajo by Masego and Michelle by the Beatles (the latter also making its way into the lyrics with the repeated chorus of “I love you, I love you”).
Musically, the track also hearkens back to some of his earlier work, notably 2014’s Tuscan Leather. It’s an eclectic gathering of musical influences that together make for one of the best tracks on the album.