VOL. 29 // ISSUE 20
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
ARTS Album //
Drake’s Certified Lover Boy breaks the internet VRITI SEHGAL The much awaited Drake album, Certified Lover Boy, was released on September 3 as fans went haywire all over Twitter. Breaking the record for the biggest first week sales in hip-hop, the 21-track album projects a common theme of Drake’s aversion to commitment along with a hint of selfpraise and some (not so) subtle bragging. Or, simply, the entire album is just Drizzy being himself. Through the course of the album, Drake highlights the journey of coming to terms with his distaste for commitment and monogamy. The album begins with “Champagne Poetry,” containing lines like “My soulmate is somewhere out in the world just waiting on me,” almost tricking the listeners into believing that he wants to settle down and expressing his desire to
be loved, by referring to his heart as “vacant and lonely.” But it doesn’t take him long to slip right back into the “player” image, using lines like “I remember that I told you I miss you, that was kinda like a mass text” in “Papi’s Home.” This player image is also quite evident in the cover art for the album, which features a dozen pregnant emoji women holding their bellies. Designed by British artist Damien Hirst, the cover has inspired many internet memes. At times, the album gets quite repetitive when Drake becomes the sole focus of the songs and comes across as being too wrapped up in himself. “Under me I see all the people that claim they over me / And above me I see nobody,” from the song “Champagne Poetry” is one example. And we cannot forget “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug, a whole song dedicated entirely to how Drake is “too
sexy for this world.” Although, some of the more meaningful songs, drawing light upon his experience in the music industry, are “Fair Trade,” featuring Travis Scott, and “Love All,” featuring Jay-Z, inspiring numerous Instagram captions (“People never care 'til it's R.I.P.”) all around the world. Finally, he concludes the album with “The Remorse,” where he comes to terms with his antipathy to monogamy through the use of lines like “Can't picture bein’ a hubby, finger too stubby to fit a ring on / [...] the strings'll be unattached,” proving yet again how the rapper is just not ready to be tied down. Drake’s previous studio album, Scorpion, released in 2018, also explored similar themes with an addition of his public acknowledgment of fatherhood, where he talked about his son Adonis and his journey of being a father and gave us numerous hits like “God’s Plan,” “In My
Feelings,” and “Nonstop.” However, Certified Lover Boy, released after a long gap, is definitely one of Drake’s finer pieces of work. Drake is an extraordinary rapper, but the music in his tracks is what makes them stand out. The music throughout the album was a mix of jazzy tunes and a play on varying pitched vocals, with several songs completely switching tempos and beats halfway. The exceptional wordplay in his raps along with the catchy tunes certainly hit the mark for me, and I can’t help humming along to the songs throughout my day. Fans of Drake have been waiting patiently for a new album, and Certified Lover Boy definitely does not disappoint. Take a listen and get swept away in Drizzy’s catchy beats and anti-monogamist messages.
Podcast //
Some (mostly funny) podcasts you should subscribe to ANDREA SADOWSKI Podcasts are just about the only content I have time to consume these days, and I devour them at an alarming rate. Whether I’m cooking, washing dishes, cleaning my house, walking around the neighbourhood, driving to school, or grocery shopping, I can pretty much guarantee you that I am plugged into a podcast. I am currently subscribed to 25 different podcasts about everything from pop culture to politics to history to life advice; here are the ones that I literally never miss an episode of. Office Ladies In what could be the greatest podcast ever made, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, who played Pam and Angela on the hit TV show The Office, recap an episode of this beloved fan favourite each week. It is honestly like watching the TV show over again, but with my ears. They answer listener questions about how certain scenes were produced, have their former co-stars as guests where they reveal how they got their part on the show, play audio clips of bloopers, and even read the script’s deleted scenes and alternative jokes. Fischer and Kinsey have a wealth of funny and heartwarming stories about everyone that made the show possible, from the actors, to the script supervisor, to the caterers
and directors. If you’re a fan of The Office, isodes on the outside after he was grantyou’ll be a fan of this podcast. ed parole. The show features everything from heartbreaking stories of guys who The Endless Honeymoon were just dealt the wrong cards in life, music written by inmates, and horror stoThis podcast had me bursting out laugh- ries of cellmates that make any roommate ing in the cereal aisle. Moshe Kasher and situation on the outside seem bearable. Natasha Leggero are a hilarious husband Good Christian Fun and wife comedian duo that give relationship advice to listeners who call in. They give practical, straightforward advice Kevin T. Porter and Caroline Ely are while simultaneously poking fun at and “not here to make fun of you or make you loving their callers. There are also “secret go to church,” they just want to have some dump” episodes where they will play se- good Christian fun. Each week they discrets listeners have left them on their pub- sect a piece of media created by, for and/or lic voicemail. Some secrets are disgusting, about Christians, whether it be a Christian a lot have me questioning their listeners’ film with a horrifically cringy script or a morals, but they are always a riot to listen Christian punk-rock band’s album. They to. even have high profile guests like Amy Grant and Kirk Franklin on to talk about Ear Hustle their careers and laugh about the horribly awkward parts of Christian pop culture. The only serious podcast on this list, Ear This podcast is like a soothing balm to my Hustle was born in San Quentin State Pris- religious trauma. on, California’s oldest maximum-security correctional facility. Produced by visual The Happiness Lab artist Nigel Poor and the formerly incarcerated Earlonne Woods, Ear Hustle gives Dr. Laurie Santos is a professor at Yale listeners a fascinating look into the prison who developed an extremely popular system and the lives of those who are in- course called “The Science of Well-Being.” side. I have been listening to this podcast In my opinion, listening to this podcast is since it first aired in 2017, and I feel like the equivalent of taking that Ivy League I’ve heard the evolution of some of the in- school’s course for free, as it explores the mates that they regularly feature. Woods, scientific research done on happiness and for example, was still an inmate when the how humans can truly achieve it. There is show first aired, and is now producing ep- nothing I love more than a well-researched
piece of content with rich interviews from leading experts in their field. So, if you’re looking for a cure for the sads, this might be the podcast for you. Even the Rich This podcast gives us a detailed and intimate look into the lives of celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Paris Hilton, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Madonna, and currently, Mariah Carey. This is not just a celebrity gossip podcast; it is like listening to the biography of these ultra-famous celebrities — some of their rags-to-riches stories, the sacrifices they had to make to get to the top, and the perseverance it took to stay there. Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore-Williams allow listeners the chance to peek into the parts of these celebrities' lives that are often overlooked. Lifekit NPR’s Lifekit produces short and sweet episodes (averaging about 15 minutes apiece) that give us practical advice on how to live better. Exploring a vast range of topics from “How to start hormone replacement therapy,” or “How to receive feedback,” or “How to rent smarter,” this podcast talks to experts each week that each give constructive take-aways on how to improve the way you live.
19
