For All the Dogs

Drake's eighth studio album For All the Dogs landed on October 6, 2023 through OVO Sound and Republic Records. Twenty-three tracks deep, it runs an hour and 24 minutes, blending hip-hop, R&B, and pop with Drake's usual mix of bravado and introspection. The guest list reads like a who's who of 2023 rap and R&B: Teezo Touchdown, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Yeat, SZA, PartyNextDoor, Chief Keef, Bad Bunny, Sexyy Red, and Lil Yachty all show up. Production credits stretch across a massive team, 40, Sango, Oz, Bnyx, Southside, Boi-1da, Vinylz, Tay Keith, FnZ, Jahaan Sweet, the late DJ Screw, Stwo, Gordo, Justin Raisen, and the Alchemist, among others.

Drake first teased the project in January 2023, then developed it mostly on the road during his It's All a Blur tour. Originally slated for a September release, it slipped a few weeks before finally dropping in October. Five singles came off the album: Slime You Out with SZA arrived September 15 and debuted at number one on the Hot 100, Drake's twelfth chart-topper. First Person Shooter with J. Cole did the same on October 13, becoming his thirteenth. The promotional single 8AM in Charlotte dropped the day before the album, followed by Rich Baby Daddy with Sexyy Red and SZA, and You Broke My Heart on the November Scary Hours Edition deluxe.

Critical reception was mixed, Metacritic landed at 56 out of 100, with Pitchfork giving it a 5.1 and The Guardian three stars. But the numbers told a different story: the album moved 402,000 equivalent units in its first US week, with 155,000 pure sales and 345.01 million on-demand streams. Globally, it set the largest streaming week of 2023 at 514.01 million streams. The RIAA certified it Platinum on November 20, 2023. It also picked up Grammy nominations for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for First Person Shooter, and Best Melodic Rap Performance for Rich Baby Daddy. At the BET Hip Hop Awards, First Person Shooter won Best Collaboration.[edit]