Drake – MAID OF HONOUR (Album Review)

Drake dives headfirst into club-driven sounds here, but the execution never fully sticks the landing.

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TOP 5

Honorable Mention. True Bestie

Can we give a standing ovation to Iconic Savvy? She was given an opportunity to dunk on a Drake track and absolutely did, sounding like Latto’s starving younger sister.

As for Drake, he does well here, too. He plays the ultimate backup role, leaning into his inside voice and a frantic flow to hype up a girl who sounds like she’s one minute away from hopping on a table at brunch to twerk, down shots, and fart on bystanders.

The track is cool overall, but it sounds very incomplete.

5. Princess

The lyrics on “Princess” are genuinely awful. Like, what the hell is Drake even talking about here? That said, I did find a way to enjoy the track. The chorus has a nice pull to it, the vocal performance is pretty charming, and, as someone who’s probably done with rap after tonight, I actually enjoyed the rock-influenced instrumental.

Is this the first time Drake has experimented with this kind of sound? If so, it’s honestly not too bad. Just don’t do it again.

4. Which One (Ft. Central Cee)

“Which One” will go down as Drake’s most boring single release to date. His rap style feels stale, the beat lacks creativity, the beat switch provides no spark, and his lyrics, centered on finessing the hell out of women, come off repetitive and uninspired.

That said, Central Cee delivers an outstanding verse. His aggression and animation cut through immediately, and he actually shows up in a way that stands out against what feels like a series of mailed-in performances by Drake.

Despite the criticism, this is still one of the few tracks on the album strong enough to make the cut, which says a lot about the project as a whole (Thanks, Cench).

3. Cheetah Print (Ft. Sexyy Red)

I actually like “Cheetah Print.” First off, I rock with the heart-pumping, JJ Fad-type beat that drives the track. Secondly, despite being stupid lyrically, the chorus is weirdly catchy and super infectious. Lastly, I enjoy how Drake plays this cool, detached character from start to finish, sounding like that one guy in the club who only talks to girls near the bathrooms.

As for Sexyy Red’s upside-down contributions at the end, where she basically turns into the Cha Cha Slide man, they aren’t completely bad (They are just moderately bad). BTW, why was Sexyy Red on both this album and HABBITI? Is she blackmailing Drake?

Guys, stop being so serious all the time. This song is fun.

2. New Bestie

I don’t want to be that guy at all, but isn’t Drake a little too old to have two songs on an album with “Bestie” in the title? Then again, I ate some Gushers for dessert tonight, so I’ll shut the hell up when it comes to talking about acting grown.

“New Bestie” probably should’ve ended up on Drake’s other project HABIBTI. It opens with a super-gentle R&B vibe, with Drake slipping into a slight reggae inflection and delivering emotions no other man should probably be allowed to express in public.

Then the energy shifts. The track picks up, another accent shows up out of nowhere (It’s almost like a Dillion Brooks-type accent), and it suddenly leans into a club-ready bounce. The chorus attached to this section lands really well, too, which makes the whole thing feel more fun than it has any right to be.

In 2027, we have to ban the following words: “bestie” and “twin.”

1. Road Trips

How many times am I going to hear Ice Spice on a track without her being credited (Ice Spice is Iconic Savvy and Stunna Sandy too, right?)?

If you swapped Drake’s vocals with The Weeknd’s, this track would probably hit even harder. The production already leans into that hectic pop tempo The Weeknd thrives in, paired with a hypnotic melody and subtle ’80s shimmer.

The song is good as it is, I just think certain artists could elevate it even further. Too bad Drake lost all of his friends in 2024.

SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. Hoe Phase (3.5/5)

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RGM GRADE

(62%)

In my review of ICEMAN, I said we probably wouldn’t have gotten that album without the Kendrick Lamar beef. With MAID OF HONOUR, I don’t think we get this one without the success of “NOKIA.”

While Drake has always ended up in nightclub spaces, it wasn’t really until “NOKIA” that he was successful in pitching unGodly club music. That influence shows up across MAID OF HONOUR. These tracks are energetic, fun, hella gimmicky, highly catchy, and clearly built to be chopped, flipped, and stretched by DJs.

For people who don’t even consider Drake a rapper (and yes, that debate still pisses me off), they can walk a major victory lap today. The rapping he does on this album is watered-down and cheesy. He loosens his grip, leaning into a more shameless, algorithm-aware style of artistry aimed at TikTok and IG audiences. Sometimes, s**t sounds awkward; other times, it sounds only slightly awful.

What’s interesting is that while Drake is undeniably versatile, I’m not convinced he’s unhinged enough to fully commit to a project like this. Put someone like Tory Lanez (Or even Doja Cat) on these beats, and it probably explodes in a different way. Drake, however, stays just a bit too controlled, reusing familiar approaches over either overplayed production styles or sounds that do not suit his strengths at all. Overall, the album did absolutely nothing for me. It felt more boring than bold. Welp, at least ICEMAN exists.

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