Drake - HABIBTI: The Lover Boy Still Has Something to Say

Drake releasing three albums at once is the kind of thing that should feel impossible.

On May 15, he dropped ICEMAN, MAID OF HONOUR and HABIBTI simultaneously, giving listeners 43 new songs across roughly two and a half hours. But while the other two projects occupy different corners of Drake's sound, HABIBTI feels like the most familiar.

This is the Lover Boy Drake record.

At 11 tracks and just over 36 minutes, HABIBTI is easily the most focused of the three. Its production is softer, its tempos are generally slower and Drake spends much more time singing than trying to prove that he's still the biggest rapper alive.

And honestly, that's where Drake sounds the most comfortable.

The Best Drake Is the Vulnerable Drake

Drake's greatest strength has never been convincing us that he's rich.

We already know.

It's convincing us that despite having everything, there's still something missing.

That's the version of Drake that made Take Care so important. The lonely guy sitting in a mansion at 3 a.m. somehow wondering why he isn't happy. The guy who can spend an entire song talking about success and then ruin the whole facade with one genuinely vulnerable line.

HABIBTI occasionally finds that person again.

“WNBA” is an early example. The track settles into a hazy, melancholy pocket before Drake starts sounding genuinely uncertain about a relationship strained by distance. It's not revolutionary Drake, but it feels personal in a way some of his recent music hasn't.

Then there's “White Bone,” which might be the clearest expression of what this album is trying to accomplish. Drake isn't presenting himself as completely untouchable. He's admitting that he wants something real and that he's afraid of losing it.

For a rapper whose public image has become increasingly defined by competition and scorekeeping, that vulnerability is refreshing.

The Production Is the Real Star

The album's production deserves a lot of credit.

There are soft keys, airy synths, sparse drums and hazy textures throughout the project. Nothing feels particularly interested in overpowering Drake. Instead, the production leaves enough room for his voice to sit inside the songs.

“Slap the City” is a great example.

Qendresa's vocals give the track an almost dreamlike quality, while Drake starts in a surprisingly romantic place before inevitably drifting toward his familiar frustrations. It's beautiful until the subject matter starts getting ugly.

And that's basically HABIBTI in miniature.

Beautiful atmosphere.

Complicated person.

“I'm Spent” Is One of the Standouts

The most exciting collaboration on the album might be “I'm Spent” with Loe Shimmy.

It's a strange pairing on paper, but it works.

Shimmy's Florida-inflected vocals bring an entirely different energy into the track, while Drake responds by moving between a deep, almost exaggerated vocal performance and his familiar melodic delivery. The sparse instrumental gives both artists room to breathe.

It's also exactly the kind of regional crossover that makes HABIBTI interesting.

Drake has always been obsessed with pulling sounds from different places into his music. Here, that instinct feels less calculated.

It just sounds fun.

But Drake Still Can't Help Himself

The problem is that HABIBTI occasionally falls back into the same habits that have made some of Drake's recent music feel predictable.

There are stretches where the writing becomes more concerned with clever lines than actual emotion.

“Hurrr Nor Thurr” should theoretically be a highlight, especially with Sexyy Red involved, but the song feels sluggish rather than exciting. “Classic” has an appealing nostalgic sample, but doesn't develop into much more than an aesthetic moment.

That's the frustrating thing about Drake in 2026.

When he actually lets himself be vulnerable, he's still capable of making you care.

When he starts performing the Drake persona—the wealth, the women, the bitterness, the scorekeeping—the music can feel like we've heard it before.

A Smaller Drake Is a Better Drake

The most interesting thing about HABIBTI might be what it doesn't try to be.

It's not trying to dominate the charts with massive singles.

It's not trying to win a rap battle.

It's not trying to convince you Drake is still untouchable.

It's just Drake sitting with his thoughts.

And after years of watching him build increasingly elaborate defenses around himself, that feels almost radical.

HABIBTI isn't perfect. There are songs that feel underwritten, moments where the writing becomes painfully obvious, and enough filler to keep it from reaching the heights of Drake's best R&B work.

But there are also moments where you can hear the artist that made people fall in love with Drake in the first place.

The lonely one.

The romantic one.

The insecure one.

The one who can turn a luxury apartment into the loneliest place on Earth.

That's the Drake worth listening to.

HABIBTI doesn't completely bring him back.

But for 36 minutes, it gets surprisingly close.

LOUDER Rating: 7.5/10