Quality control is bound to be an issue when you put out as much music as Drake. This seventh album arrived with no warning just nine months after the Canadian rapper/singer’s 21-track Certified Lover Boy, which had come not much more than a year after his Dark Lane Demo Tapes. Despite his superstar status, he’s comfortable with experimenting in public, knowing that when faithful fans get over the initial shock, a detour could end up being considered a classic.
One such surprise was his song Passionfruit, a relaxed, romantic dance number that appeared on his mixtape More Life in 2017. Mixtapes are generally more low-key than official albums, sketched and eclectic, but this song spent seven weeks in the UK top 10, went double platinum and ended up being covered by John Mayer, Paramore and Mabel. Get It Together, from the same collection, featured Jorja Smith and South African producer Black Coffee and had a similarly unhurried housey style.
