The 6 must-hear songs from Drake's new album, For All the Dogs

In June, Drake teased fans with both a promise and a threat. "They say they miss the old Drake, girl don't tempt me. For All the Dogs," he wrote on the website for his book of poetry, Titles Ruin Everything. 

It was a clever reference to both his iconic 2011 line (and the memes that followed) as well as the fact that, for fans who have always preferred Drake the rapper, his last few albums (Honestly Nevermind, Certified Lover Boy) were either over their heads, ahead of their time, or just not it. For All the Dogs, as it implies, was intended for his Day 1 fans, the people who prefer the Drake who can rap so hard on a song you don't even notice it has no chorus, and then turn around and sing a ballad. 

And of course there are the features: SZA (not once, but twice), his son Adonis, Snoop Dogg, a decade-in-the-making J. Cole collaboration, a long-overdue PartyNextDoor track, Chief Keef, Bad Bunny, the list goes on. 

Below: our favourite songs from Drake's For All the Dogs.

'First Person Shooter,' feat. J. Cole

Considering the career-long friendship between Drake and J. Cole, we've been treated to very few official collaborations between the two. The first was "In the Morning," a standout track from Cole's 2010 mixtape, Friday Night Lights, followed up by the 2013 single "Jodeci Freestyle," which was re-released on Drake's compilation album Care Package. Now, 10 years later, we get "First Person Shooter," aptly named because the pair simply do not miss. There's a lot to unpack, but the main focus is on their respective greatness. Cole kicks off the track acknowledging the pair's ability to outshine the artists who they give features to ("First person shooter mode, we turnin' your song to a funeral"), before trading verses with Drake about their places in the upper echelons of rap. "Love when they argue the hardest MC/ Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?/ We the big three like we started a league," Cole later raps. Drake also acknowledges the fact that he's one hit single away from tying Michael Jackson's record, ending the track by simply repeating, "Beat It, what?," a play on both the hit Jackson song and the fact that it's a record not likely to be beat by anyone else, anytime soon. —  Jesse Kinos-Goodin

'Members Only,' feat. PartyNextDoor

"I can't wait for September/ 'Cause that means that next month, it's goin' down like timber." After months of speculating, should we have ever doubted that the release of For All the Dogs would fall in October, Drake's favourite month? It's how he opens "Members Only," the moody number featuring longtime collaborator, and OVO signee, PartyNextDoor. This marks their first collaboration in almost four years, since Drake hopped on PartyNextDoor's "Loyal," although PartyNextDoor's vocals can be heard briefly floating in the background of the Certified Lover Boy track, "F–king Fans." This proper reunion is a highlight on For All the Dogs, with the two bringing out the best melodic performers in each other. Here, Drake delivers a smooth hook while PartyNextDoor switches his cadence up as he swerves his voice around the track's minimal beat. Sure, some of the lyrics are silly ("Feel like I'm bi 'cause you're one of the guys, girl"), but the two longtime friends have created a new bro anthem for the ages with this one. — Melody Lau 

'8AM in Charlotte' 

You can tell Drake is in the pocket when he releases one of his signature AM to PM, a.k.a. "timestamp," songs. Think of when he put his competitors on notice on 2013's "5AM in Toronto," or took shots at Kanye West and GOOD Music on 2021's "7AM on Bridle Path." On "8AM in Charlotte," Drake has less to prove ("The money speakin' for itself, I call it fortune-tell") but still doesn't let the opportunity pass to rap for four-plus minutes straight over a smooth, soulful beat by Griselda Records producer Conductor Williams. He mostly uses the occasion to shout out his friends and OVO affiliates, but also manages to squeeze in some of the most Drake-type bars on the album: "Where I go, you go, brother, we Yugoslavian/ Formal is the dress code, dawg, so many checks owed/I feel Czechoslovakian." — JK-G

'Rich Baby Daddy,' feat. Sexyy Red and SZA

Every Drake album needs at least one track that will go up in the club, and on For All the Dogs, that is undeniably "Rich Baby Daddy." It's a song designed to get you to shake something, as Sexyy Red sing-raps on the chorus: "Shake that ass, bitch, hands on your knees." The production team included dance and house music hitmaker Gordo (responsible for Honestly, Nevermind highlights "Sticky" and "Massive") and a couple of pop and EDM-making Swedes, Klahr and LIOHN, which explains its inherent danceability. An ethereal vocal sample gives the song some warmth, while wild synths and Jersey club-esque drums give it heart-pumping energy. 

It's rare that Drake collaborates with female rappers other than Nicki Minaj — he tends to lean more into the R&B world when looking for female features (Jorja Smith, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Jhené Aiko) — so it's nice seeing him give some shine to newcomer Sexyy Red. The Missouri rapper is having a moment in 2023, following the viral success of "Pound Town" and "SkeeYee." The 25-year-old is unabashed and owns her sexuality in the same vein as her hip-hop foremothers Lil Kim, Trina and Minaj, which you hear loud and clear on the irresistibly catchy chorus that makes "Rich Baby Daddy" such a jam. The glittering ad libs from SZA are just the cherry on top. — Kelsey Adams

'Away From Home' 

Regardless of how you feel about the rest of the album, Drake's "Away From Home" feels like the veteran hit-maker at his best. Doing everything we've come to love from him: reminiscing about insecurities, flipping back and forth between rapping and singing seamlessly, and bragging about riches, women and success. The production on "Away From Home" was taken care of by now-frequent collaborators BNYX, Lil Yachty and a few others. It feels sparse, atmospheric, fitting the modern sound of the project. Drake uses the song as an opportunity to travel down memory lane, discussing early t-shirt prints, the original OVO owl design, getting shut down by the industry, making BET's 106 & Park for the first time with his single "Replacement Girl" and so much more. Even this far into his career, on his eighth album, songs like "Away From Home" prove that Drake hasn't lost the passion he started with. — Bhaven Moorthy

'Bahamas Promises'