Drake and 21 Savage have frequently collaborated since 2016, with Her Loss announced in the music video for "Jimmy Cooks". During marketing, Drake and 21 Savage spoofed music promotion techniques, including a Vogue cover, Cartier advertisement, Tiny Desk Concert, interview on The Howard Stern Show, and televised and online live performances on Saturday Night Live and ColorsxStudios: the artists settled after being sued by Condé Nast for using Vogue trademarks without permission. Originally set for release on October 28, 2022, Her Loss was delayed to November 4.
Her Loss came after the duo's previous collaborations on "Sneakin'" (2016),[2] "Issa" (2017),[3] "Mr. Right Now" (2020),[4] and "Knife Talk" (2021).[4] On June 17, 2022, Drake released the song "Jimmy Cooks" featuring 21 Savage as the final track of his seventh studio album Honestly, Nevermind. Upon release, the song was the most successful track off the album and debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100,[5] but the song was not officially serviced to mainstream radio as a single until October 11.[6] On October 19, Drake performed as a surprise guest at one of 21 Savage's concerts in Atlanta.[7]
On October 21, Drake announced the "Jimmy Cooks" music video would be released on 21 Savage's 30th birthday a day later.[8] The video was eventually released that day.[9] The visuals were briefly interrupted at the 1:25-mark, with text in typographic letters appearing reading "Her Loss – album by Drake and 21 Savage – October 28, 2022".[10] The album was then confirmed by OVO and Republic on their social media.[5][11] On October 26, Drake announced the album had been delayed to November 4, 2022, due to OVO record producer 40 contracting COVID-19 during the album's mixing and mastering process.[12] The tracklist was revealed on November 3.[13] On November 26, 2022, Drake revealed that the album is part of a trilogy of albums following Certified Lover Boy and Honestly, Nevermind.[14]
Artwork
The cover art features adult dancer and model Quiana "Qui" Yasuka, also known as Suki Baby. It was posted by the rappers on their Instagram profiles on November 2.[15] The then three-year old photograph was taken by Paris Aden, and was discovered by Lil Yachty, who proposed it as the cover art.[16][17]
On November 1, 2022, Drake and 21 Savage began a joint fake press run for the album, spoofing common contemporary music promotion techniques. These included a Vogue cover, which was handed out by street teams and contained edited photos of Hailey Bieber and Jennifer Lawrence with 21 Savage's face tattoos. Other spoofs included a fake Cartier advertisement, a fake Tiny Desk Concert introduction, and a deepfake interview on The Howard Stern Show. They also mimicked televised and online live performances, such as performing "On BS" on Saturday Night Live (which guest starred Michael B. Jordan) and "Privileged Rappers" on a gold plated set of ColorsxStudios.[15][18][19]
"Rich Flex" was released on November 11, 2022, as the album's lead single.[20] "Circo Loco" was sent to Italian contemporary hit radio on November 11, 2022, as the second official single from the album.[21] "Spin Bout U" was sent to US rhythmic radio on February 24, 2023, as the third single.[22]
Her Loss was met with mixed reviews.[34] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 62, based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[24] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 5.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[23]
Vernon Ayiku of Exclaim! praised the album, stating, "While Her Loss houses no immediate street bangers or Billboard hits, it's the sum that makes it Drake's best record this decade. From the comical fake promos during its rollout to the memorable one-liners and aggressive diss verses or the TikTok memes it will generate for months to come, Her Loss has a lot of meat on its bones".[27] Marcus Shorter from Consequence enjoyed the album, saying, "Her Loss isn't always a deep album, but that doesn't make it any less profound. Sometimes excellent rapping over very dope beats mixed with a tinge of introspection goes a long way. Her Loss is our gain".[35] Alex Swhear of Variety said, "Though not without its missteps, Her Loss leaves the unshakable impression that Drake, in 2022, is doing what inspires him rather than pandering. One year from Certified Lover Boy, that [is] a surprising and encouraging evolution".[36]
In a lukewarm review, RapReviews's Steve "Flash" Juon said, "It's a better Drake album than Honestly, Nevermind [but] it's not a better 21 [Savage] album than I Am > I Was (2018) or Issa (2017). If you split the difference you wind up with an average album. There are a few [songs] I'd care to play more than once".[32] Writing for Pitchfork, Paul A. Thompson stated, "There are moments of considered writing and bursts of Drake at or near his mischievous best, but in its middle, the record becomes inert, making the bits of self-conscious misanthropy scan as strained rather than gleeful, as if the id could be focus-grouped".[31] Reviewing the album for Paste, Josh Svetz stated: "The best moments come when the duo find a balance and Drake falls back on his crate-digging prowess. ... Sadly, there's not enough of this to go around, making Her Loss another disposable Drake project that will fade away in a few weeks—one that could have been so much more".[30]
In a mixed review, Clash's Robin Murray said, "This new album is the perfect piece of fan service. It's [Drake] on the mic, 21 Savage in full flow. The roll out – which pirated a Tiny Desk session and copied a Vogue cover – was pitch perfect, two artists subverting the expectations placed on them... It's a shame that Her Loss often feels entirely predictable. The foes that punctuate their bars are well-worn – less talented adversaries, love interests who leech on their wealth and prestige – and while it's nice to hear Drake unleashed, at times 21 Savage can feel like a passenger".[26] Paul Attard of Slant Magazine said, "Uneven. ... There's simply too little give and take between this pairing to justify calling this a mutually beneficial partnership".[33] In a negative review, Rolling Stone's Mosi Reeves said, "As Her Loss abandons 21 [Savage]'s form of smack talk as a playful, revelatory exercise, its tone shifts to Drake's toxic petulance... There's a gloominess this time around, and it's not just sloppy sequencing and hit-or-miss quality that ranges from clear standouts like "Pussy & Millions" [or] "Treacherous Twins", to aimless dross like "Major Distribution". [The album] is a singular misfire".[37]
According to reports, Drake dissed several prominent celebrities throughout Her Loss, which received widespread media coverage and controversy.[44] On "Circo Loco", he raps, "This bitch lie 'bout gettin' shots but she still a stallion / She don't even get the joke, but she still smilin'", which was interpreted as a double entendre that referenced women being dishonest about getting lip and buttock augmentations, and implied that Megan Thee Stallion was lying about her 2020 shooting allegations against Tory Lanez.[45][46] Lil Yachty, who produced several songs on the album, stated "Circo Loco" did not reference Megan Thee Stallion,[47] although she responded on Twitter, writing, "Stop using my shooting for clout bitch ass Niggas! Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot! You niggas especially RAP NIGGAS ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y'all homeboys abused her."[48][49]Rolling Stone's Mosi Reeves wrote the controversy made Drake "unintentionally reveal himself as a self-centered jerk who refuses to grow up."[37]
On "Middle of the Ocean", Drake references his ex-girlfriend Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian, rapping, "Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don't got a problem but / No, boo, it is like you comin' for sushi / We might pop up on 'em at will like Suzuki."[50][51] Ohanian addressed the reference on Twitter, writing "The reason I stay winning is because I'm relentless about being the best at whatever I do – including being the best groupie for my wife and [my] daughter."[52][53] On "BackOutsideBoyz", Drake was interpreted as dissing both DRAM, saying "Try to bring the dram' to me / He ain't know how we 'Cha Cha Slide'")[54] and Ice Spice ("She a 10 tryin' to rap, it's good on mute").[55]
Four days after the album's release, Drake and 21 Savage were sued by Condé Nast, the publisher for Vogue, in a Manhattan federal court who alleged their promotional campaign "entirely" relied on the unauthorised use of their trademarks and false representations relating to their business and business relationships.[34] Condé Nast sought at least $4 million, or triple the defendants' profits from Her Loss, punitive damages, and to end any trademark infringement,[56] and claimed they reached out to Drake and 21 Savage prior to taking legal action.[34]
Commercial performance
Her Loss debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 404,000 album-equivalent units, including 12,000 pure album sales, replacing Taylor Swift's Midnights (2022) from the top spot. Her Loss earned a total of 513.56 million on-demand streams. The album is Drake's twelfth and 21 Savage's third number-one album in the US.[57] All 16 tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, with eight of them appearing in the top-10.[58] The following week, Her Loss descended to number two, earning 170,000 album-equivalent units.[59] On October 25, 2023, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a two million units in the United States.[60] As of December 27, 2023, Her Loss was the thirteenth best-selling album of the year according to Hits, moved a total 1,337,000 album-equivalent units, including 20,000 pure album sales, 40,000 song sales, 1.731 billion audio-on-demand streams, and 74 million video-on-demand streams.[61]
"Spin Bout U" contains samples of "Give Me Your Lov-N", written by Tenaia Sanders and Dwayne Armstrong, as performed by Oobie.[64]
"Hours in Silence" contains samples of "Talk Ya Ass Off Part 2", written by Paul Beauregard, as performed by DJ Paul, Juicy J, and Kingpin Skinny Pimp.
^ abJuon, Steve "Flash" (November 8, 2022). "Drake & 21 Savage :: Her Loss". RapReviews. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
^Rose, Jordan (December 1, 2022). "The Best Albums of 2022". Complex. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
^Gage, DeWayne (December 1, 2022). "The 100 Best Albums of 2022". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
^"Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 45.Týden 2022 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
^"Tónlistinn – Plötur" [The Music – Albums] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
