Drake sent hip-hop fans across the world into a frenzy on October 23 when he announced the release of his next project: Her Loss.

Her Loss is a collaborative album between the Canadian hip-hop sensation and rapper 21 Savage. Drake and 21 Savage are longtime friends and music partners; they came out with their first collaborative song in 2016. The highly anticipated joint album was scheduled for release on October 28, but the fans would have to wait five more days due to Drake’s adept producer Noah Shebib contracting COVID. When the album finally did release on November 2, the consensus from Drake fans and the hip-hop community alike was clear: It was well worth the wait.

Her Loss was a scorching success for a plethora of reasons, including Drake and 21 Savage’s willingness to completely change the beat in the middle of the song. While other artists shy away from these monumental shifts in fear that they will break up the flow of the song, Drake and 21 Savage intentionally insert these moments to eliminate the possibility of any staleness.

The most popular song of the album, “Rich Flex,” perfectly exemplifies the power of these beat changes. While 21 Savage raps an upbeat hype verse, the rhythm instantaneously switches to a slow, tranquil melody that Drake calmly sings over. This relaxing moment adds a layer of balance to the song and allows for the fast-paced verses later in the song to not feel overwhelming or repetitive. Sophomore Miles Daly emphasized the power of the rhythmic changes. “The different vibes in the album really impressed me. 21 Savage added an oomph to the album.”

Alongside the sharp rhythm changes, Her Loss also separates itself from other albums because of the uniqueness of every song. A common knock on Drake albums is that all of the songs sound the same. Some even go as far as to say that it is difficult to detect when the song changes when listening to the album straight through. This criticism, however, could not be less applicable to Her Loss. Every song has its own distinct melody and flow, keeping the album fresh on the ears and not letting it become monotonous. In addition to the variety in melodies, Drake and 21 Savage implement a striking variation in lyrical content. In some songs, they rap about money and violence, while in others they are emotionally vulnerable. The variety in the album allows for listeners who typically dislike Drake to enjoy the music.

Sophomore Cristiano Tricoci, who is usually very critical of Drake’s music, admitted that “‘Circo Loco’ is a very good song.”

After underwhelming his fans with recent songs, it is safe to say that Drake made it up to them with this album. “It made up for the two horrible albums Drake dropped before,” junior Charlie Steffen said.

With this album being such a success, it seems inevitable that Drake and 21 Savage will continue to collaborate in the future. When that day arrives, hip-hop fans will be sure to listen in hopes that it replicates the musical masterpiece of Her Loss.