On November 4, 2022, Aubrey "Drake" Graham and Shéyaa Bin "21 Savage" Abraham-Joseph released their highly anticipated collaborative 16-track studio album, Her Loss. The record sold a whopping 404,000 equivalent album units in its first week, earning a #1 spot on the Billboard 200. The numbers are one thing, but the message behind the project is an entirely different story.
Her Loss is deliberately a social commentary on the the media's reaction to Drake's public aesthetic and presentation. His elegant display of LGBTQ+ mannerisms and idiosyncrasies introduces a generally heterosexual audience to the queer experience. "Drizzy" Drake is not subtle with exhibiting saidqualities. On the first track of the project, "Rich Flex", Drake shamelessly implores his vocal companion, uttering lyrics such as "21, can you do sum' for me?" in a rather flambotyant inflection, revealing the codependency in his evidently homoerotic friendship with Savage.
This is revolutionary in modern hip-hop, for it is coming from such a globally influential figure on such a sought-after album. Even openly homosexual rappers such as Lil Nas X and Kevin Abstract are yet to so comfortably discuss their vulnerable romantic feelings and experiences in the way that Drake and 21 Savage were able to do. Although the two are yet to announce anything official, with this album unhitched, we are looking forward to hopefully hearing some exciting news in the near future.