Not So Gently Moving To The Rhythm

Desiree Fabian | Writer

Drake collaborated with Bad Bunny to create a Latin track for his recently released album, “For All The Dogs.”

Drake, the Grammy Award-winning Canadian rapper and singer, released his album “For All The Dogs” on Oct. 6. The R-rated album reflects Drake’s status in life as he experiments with “new and old Drake” sounds filled with Rap, R&B, and Hip-Hop. 

Drake partnered with Latin Trap artist Benito “Bad Bunny” Ocasio in Oct. 2018 on the hit song “MIA,” and since then, he has not released or collaborated on a song with a Latin flavor– until now. “Gently,” track 19 of the album, once again features Bad Bunny and showcases Latin flare and its subgenres. The song contains a base of rap while exploring the rhythms of dembow. 

The intro begins with Drake singing a Spanish verse over a mellow bass rhythm that catches listeners’ immediate attention. The tones when singing in Spanish and English are vastly different, but the vocal Spanish essence Drake carried in “MIA” is not displayed in “Gently.” 

The intro lyrics and beat bring in a good feeling, and the song truly pops later when the tempo increases and the rhythms shift from simple melodic bass to a Caribbean and Reggaeton style. After Drake’s first verse, Bad Bunny drives the lead for the rest of the track, and in combination with the up-tempo sensual vulgarity, Bad Bunny pushes the song over the edge with a nasty club flow. 

Though the beginning starts shaky, the ending does not disappoint, creating a song perfect for both a fun time at the club or a night driving around town. Overall, Drake had a vision and executed it well with a track that has the potential to be blasted on speakers worldwide. Though he caters to his already-established fan base as an artist, it would be nice to see Drake show more depth in the pieces of himself he already displays moving forward.