“Drake HABIBTI Album Review: Drake Revisits the Take Care Formula”
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It’s been a full week of listening to Drake for me. Since his surprise triple album drop, he has dominated my playlists, giving me the chance to explore three distinct versions of the 6ix God. I’ve already analyzed the clinical, scorched-earth retaliation found in “ICEMAN” and the opulent, late-night dance vibes of “MAID OF HONOUR”. Now, it’s time to wrap things up with the final and most intimate part of the trilogy: “HABIBTI”.
While the first two albums concentrated on Drake’s interactions with rivals and the global club scene, “HABIBTI” takes a different approach. This 36-minute project feels like a “defrost,” with Drake finally shedding his armor. If “ICEMAN” represented the Cold War and “MAID OF HONOUR” depicted the psychological aftermath of clubbing, “HABIBTI” captures the 4 AM drive home in the rain. It’s an R&B-infused project that prioritizes deep intimacy over the noise of the industry. At just 11 tracks, it’s his shortest studio effort to date—a deliberate return to the ‘mood music’ and emotional explorations that made us connect with the Take Care era in the first place.
“HABIBTI” isn’t trying to outshine the opulence of “MAID OF HONOUR”. Instead, it embraces a submerged, late-night vibe that heavily leans into the melancholy minimalism reminiscent of the “Take Care” and “Nothing Was The Same” eras. This isn’t the celebratory, ‘Main Character’ Drake we experienced on “Views”, “Scorpion” and many of his recent albums; rather, he sounds genuinely vulnerable here, trading polished club bangers for a monochromatic R&B soundscape.
I think the production is okay rather than groundbreaking—it doesn’t push many boundaries. Still, the subdued sonics complement the 4 AM ‘core-core’ energy he aims for. With 40 back at the helm, the drums are muffled, the synths are icy, and the vocal chops echo like whispers in a high-rise. The sound creates the effect of a voice memo recorded in the rain—unrefined, slightly messy, and entirely focused on nighttime reflection.
I noticed that the songwriting on the album “MAID OF HONOUR” was quite weak, even though it thrived sonically. In comparison, I believe the songwriting on “HABIBTI” is much stronger, although it doesn’t quite reach the level of “ICEMAN”. There are many confessional lyrical moments in “HABIBTI” that I appreciate, as they remind me of Drake’s early work. However, I found that some songs on this album showed weaker writing. “HABIBTI” features contributions from some interesting artists, such as Loe Shimmy and Qendresa. In my opinion, their additions are decent, but none of them provide particularly memorable moments. Drake also brought in Sexyy Red for this album, which, in my view, was a poor decision. While I liked her performance on “MAID OF HONOUR”, this track fell flat for me. Additionally, OVO’s own PARTYNEXTDOOR appears on this album, which makes sense, as he is capable of delivering some great late-night vibes.
The album opens with the track “Rusty Intro,” which many fans have labeled as total trash. That sentiment makes sense, but I don’t think it’s as bad as they describe it; I’m actually getting “Take Care” vibes from it, which I find pretty good.
My favorite track from this album is “WNBA.” Initially, I thought it was a bit sleepy, but I soon realized it has a lot of variation, which I appreciate. The beats start slow and somewhat reminiscent of The Weeknd’s “Dawn FM” aesthetic, but they gradually shift into R&B/Trap territory. I expected it to be a mediocre track, but it surprised me and changed my perspective.
On the track “White Bone,” Drake becomes confessional, delivering a strong storytelling moment that stands out in the album. Many critics have referred to this track as the “Marvin’s Room” of this album, and I completely agree. While the album does become boring after five tracks, this track brings back some solid “Take Care” vibes.
The closing track, “Prioritizing,” wraps up the trilogy with a vulnerable performance from Drake. I wouldn’t call it an outstanding track, but I still find it somewhat positive. Even though it may be considered boring, I appreciate Drake’s vulnerability here.
“Fort Worth,” featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR, is a mid-tier track for me. However, PARTYNEXTDOOR’s involvement makes a lot of sense and brings me back to the “More Life” era. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hit hard in my ears.
As for my least favorite track, I have to point out “Hurr Nor Thurr,” featuring Sexyy Red. The hook feels like mental torture for me because Sexyy Red delivers it poorly. Furthermore, Drake’s performance on this track is not just disappointing; it’s also boring.
Lastly, the track “Gen 5” feels like a scrapped track from “ICEMAN,” and I can’t quite connect with it. I still appreciate Drake’s vulnerability here, but ultimately, it’s just boring for me.
Ultimately, HABIBTI isn’t better than “ICEMAN” and “MAID OF HONOUR”. There are no genuine bangers here, even though I liked some songs, but they won’t stick in my ear for a long time. The album seems pretty good initially, but gets boring afterwards. I’m still having the ICEMAN fever and keep listening to that album; also, I liked “MAID OF HONOUR”, which was somewhat good too, but I will forget this album soon.
“Anthony XO.Music: Stay ICE”
[Rating: 4/10]
- Favorite Tracks: WNBA, White Bone, Rusty Intro
- Least Favorite Tracks: Hurr Nor Thurr, Gen 5
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