Some Sexy Songs 4 U (stylized as $ome $exy $ongs 4 U or shortened to $$$4U)[2] is a collaborative studio album by Canadian singer PartyNextDoor and rapper and singer Drake. It was released on February 14,2025,by OVO Sound,Santa Anna,and Republic Records. The album features guest appearances from Pim,Yebba,and Chino Pacas. Production on the album was handled by PartyNextDoor and Drake's frequent collaborators Noel Cadastre,Gordo,and Jordan Ullman,among others.
Originally set to release in late-2024,Some Sexy Songs 4 U was delayed several times. The album serves as a follow-up to the artists' respective studio albums PartyNextDoor 4 (2024) and For All the Dogs (2023). It marks PartyNextDoor's first collaborative project and Drake's third,after 2015'sWhat a Time to Be Alive (with Future) and 2022'sHer Loss (with 21 Savage). The album was released among the backdrop of Drake's ongoing legal dispute with Universal Music Group (UMG) and was his first full-length release following his feud with Kendrick Lamar. Some Sexy Songs 4 U was supported by four singles,including "Nokia" and "Die Trying". The pair embarked on the Some Special Shows 4 U tour in support of the album.
Some Sexy Songs 4 U opened with first-week sales of 246,000 album-equivalent units in the United States and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200,marking PartyNextDoor's first chart-topper and Drake's fourteenth,tying him with Jay-Z and Taylor Swift for the most number-one albums on the chart by solo artists. Internationally,it peaked in the top ten in Australia,Belgium,the Netherlands,Ireland,Lithuania,New Zealand,Norway,Sweden,Switzerland,and the United Kingdom. Upon its release,the album received mixed reviews from critics,who praised its production and intimate nature,but criticized the runtime and lyricism.
Background
The album follows the pair's numerous collaborations since PartyNextDoor was signed to Drake's record label,OVO Sound,back in 2013,with the first of these being Drake's guest appearance on "Over Here" from PartyNextDoor's eponymous mixtape (2013).[3] Alongside their collaborations,they have contributed to each other's individual songs as a writer or producer.[4] PartyNextDoor supported the release of his album PartyNextDoor 4 (2024) through a twenty-four-stop Canada and U.S. live tour.[5] On August 2,2024,at the tour's stop at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto—the artists' hometown—Drake performed as a surprise guest,with his set foregoing any of the hip-hop tracks in his discography.[6] He then announced the collaborative album,saying,"On behalf of me and Party,we've been working on something for y'all. So,you get the summer over with,you do what you need to do. I know all you girls are outside. When it gets a little chilly,PartyNextDoor and Drake album will be waiting right there for you".[7][8][9]
Just two days later,the OVO Instagram page seemingly hinted at the album by posting backstage pictures of Drake and PartyNextDoor that was taken after the concert.[10][11] During an interview on August 5,PartyNextDoor revealed that his favorite collaboration with Drake "[are] the [ones] we [are] doing right now. All 15 of them",seemingly revealing that the pair were working on 15 songs for the album.[12][13] On August 6,Drake released 100 gigabytes of data,including behind-the-scenes clips,tour rehearsals,and studio footage. He also previewed three unreleased tracks (tracks of which what would later be released as the 100 Gigs) under an Instagram page by the name "plottttwistttttt".[14] On August 7,video clips surfaced of nightclubs in Canada previewing unreleased music from the album.[15][16] On the same day,via the "plottttwistttttt" Instagram account,Drake reposted a tweet,blurring out the words "album rollout" regarding another unheard track.[17][18]
On October 5,Drake attended at Tyrone Edwards' Nostalgia Party in Toronto,where he called out his "fake friends" in the music industry and cited PartyNextDoor as a "real" friend. He also hinted at the album's impending release by saying "shoutout to my brother PX,album dropping soon".[19][20] In an appearance on The Fry Yiy Show on SiriusXM that same month,OVO engineer,Noel Cadastre,stated that the album only required "finishing touches" and called November "a jam-packed month for me [to finish the album]". PartyNextDoor then revealed work on the album would continue after the conclusion of the European leg of his Sorry I'm Outside Tour on November 6,saying,"I have one more show on this tour,then the album is getting finished".[21] During a Kick live stream with xQc on November 24,Drake stated the album was almost complete,saying,"[the] album is 75 percent done. Shout out to PX,cooking right now," and added that "the album sounds incredible... It's the sound people know and love us for".[22] On December 26,Drake appeared on a Kick live stream with Adin Ross,in which he stated that the album is one of the records that he is "most proud of in [his] life". He also revealed that the album was supposed to release in November,but was delayed.[23]
Some Sexy Songs 4 U's release follows legal action by Drake against Universal Music Group (UMG),the parent company of Republic Records,with whom Drake has a recording contract. In November 2024,Drake initiated a legal petition against UMG and Spotify in the U.S.,alleging they conspired to artificially inflate the number of streams of the diss track,"Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar on the service during Drake's feud with Lamar earlier that year by implementing pay-to-play,malicious bots,and other tactics.[24] Drake withdrew the petition on January 14,2025,and filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court a day later,alleging defamation against UMG for promoting "Not Like Us".[25] This legal dispute caused confusion regarding which label or company would act as the distributor for Some Sexy Songs 4 U.[26][27] It was eventually released through OVO,Santa Anna,and Republic,each of which are the artists' labels,while it was distributed through Santa Anna (owned by Sony Music),but licensed to Republic.[28]
Artwork and promotion
On February 3,2025,the album's title was revealed and its release date of February 14 was announced.[29] The announcement included a snippet of "Deeper".[30][2] On February 9,Drake shared a snippet of the song "Crying in Chanel".[31] A day later,Drake shared a promotional skit for the album starring the Canadian comedic duo Jermaine and Trevaunn Richards,which depicted Trevaunn practicing a romantic speech with his brother for his girlfriend but being unable or unwilling to tell her that he loves her. According to Jon Powell of Revolt,this exemplifies the "playful,self-aware marketing that helped Drake maintain his cultural dominance for well over a decade".[27] Drake previously collaborated with the Richards by making a cameo appearance in the duo's "T-Dot Goon Scrap DVD 2" comedy sketch in May 2017.[32]
The following day,Drake shared the album's official cover art via Instagram,[33] which depicted Drake (left) and PartyNextDoor (right) standing together during a snowstorm in front of Absolute World in Mississauga,Ontario,wearing oversized fur coats.[33][34] On February 12,Drake shared a snippet of the track "Somebody Loves Me" on "@plottttwistttttt".[35] He also shared a photo of the title page of December 2024-draft of a screenplay called "$$$ 4 U" (the acronym for the album title):it listed Drake and PartyNextDoor as its writers and that it was based on an unreleased novel of the same name by Drake's father,Dennis Graham.[36] A day later,Drake revealed the album's 21-song tracklist via Instagram and confirmed its runtime to be 74 minutes.[37]
Controversy
On February 13,2025,some social media users and Freddie Gibbs accused Drake and PartyNextDoor of plagiarizing use of the dollar symbol in the album's title and bunnies in its promotional material from Gibbs' album Soul Sold Separately (2022).[38][39][40] Canadian rapper John River accused Drake and PartyNextDoor of plagiarizing the pose in front of Absolute World in the album's artwork from his music video to his 2021 single "Hope City II":he claimed PartyNextDoor and "another OVO artist" contacted him "obsessing" over his video and "thought process",but threatened to blackball him after River refused to act as a ghostwriter.[41][42]
Music and composition
Some Sexy Songs 4 U contains twenty-one tracks,with a playing time of over 73 minutes.[43][44] Its album release coincides with Valentine's Day,marking Drake's third full-length project to be released near that date,after So Far Gone (2009) and If You're Reading This It's Too Late (2015);according to HotNewHipHop,Drake's albums released during this time "reflect his shifting perspectives on love,success,and emotional vulnerability",saying,"Few artists have aligned themselves with a holiday like Drake has with Valentine's Day".[45]
Production
Some Sexy Songs 4 U is Drake's first album to not include longtime collaborator and friend 40 as a producer.
Throughout the record,"Drake's attention remains primarily on the ladies" while PartyNextDoor "opens up about his sexual escapades",according to Billboard's Carl Lamarre and Michael Saponara.[50] Drake covers the topics of a bachelor lifestyle,settling down,being turned on by his peers,and his previous sexual experiences.[50][51] Similarly,PartyNextDoor covers themes of sex,money,infidelity,and sexual jealousy.[50][51]
Songs
"Glorious" features uncredited vocal samples from a 2023 interview by Ice Spice.
In the album's opening song,"CN Tower",the two artists refer to the CN Tower,an observation tower in Toronto;it famously appears on the cover of Drake's fourth album Views (2016). They refer to the tower's lighting schedule at night.[50] In "Spider-Man Superman",Drake and PartyNextDoor sample "The Real Her" by Drake,Lil Wayne,and André3000. In the song,both artists refer to a relationship with a woman while acknowledging the fact "that they can't provide everything that may be asked of them".[51] In "Deeper" (performed by PartyNextDoor),he "aims to be his girl's favorite and,ultimately,dives head-first without any fear of repercussion".[50] In "Gimme a Hug" (performed by Drake),he addresses his feud with Kendrick Lamar while also taking shots at Budden and others who have turned on him during his feud.[50] On February 18,Drake aired an unnamed song featuring New Orleans bounce artist Heaven via the "plottttwistttttt" Instagram account,hinting it was not included on Some Sexy Songs 4 U due to sample clearance issues related to its use of "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" by Mint Condition.[53]
Some Sexy Songs 4 U was met with mixed reviews. At Metacritic,which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications,the album received a weighted average score of 54,based on 7 reviews,indicating "mixed or average reviews".[54]
Revolt's Jon Powell praised Some Sexy Songs 4 U,saying "with its blend of moody soul,atmospheric production and candid lyricism,[the album] is arguably the magnum opus of [the artists'] decade-long creative partnership".[61] Jeff Ihaza of Rolling Stone said the album offers fans of the artists' "breezy R&B sound plenty to grasp onto",calling the tracklist "well-executed [with] signature OVO-style hits". He also praised the artists for their "magnetic chemistry that jells on several moments on the record" and singled out "Nokia" and "Die Trying" as highlights,calling the latter "replete with catchy acoustic guitar and paired nicely with PartyNextDoor's soaring,elastically rhythmic vocals".[59] In a joint review for Complex,Will Schube and Kia Turner stated Some Sexy Songs 4 U is "a playful,low stakes collection of slow jams [which] is laid back [and] frisky",and commented the artists are "in their ideal element",praising its production as offering a "silky smooth snowy listen". However,Schube critiqued Drake's increased presence over PartyNextDoor on the album and Turner wrote the songs are "more nostalgic than sexy."[47]Exclaim!'s Alex Hudson singled out "Nokia","Die Trying" and "Gimme a Hug" for praise,calling them "thoroughly fun",and labelled Some Sexy Songs 4 U as an improvement over Drake's previous efforts but criticized the runtime,concluding that the album represents a "very mild" victory for Drake.[56]
In a mixed review,Clash's Robin Murray wrote that Some Sexy Songs 4 U "epitomises many of the faults lodged against Drake recently",critiquing its lyricism and length,but said "when the album works,it supplies more than enough highlights to grace a playlist update" and that it will resonate with the two artists' core fanbase:"there's always going to be pieces here that will thrill long-time fans".[46]Stereogum's review was also mixed,saying "at their best,[Drake] and PartyNextDoor leverage their chemistry enough to escape the monotony of the production" but concluded that "the 73-minute runtime will make you want to escape like the throes of an awkward hookup."[62]HotNewHipHop's Aron A. criticized Drake's contributions to the album,calling them "driven by ego and external validation [rather] than passion",but praised PartyNextDoor's efforts,saying he "offers a level of intimacy and vulnerability that Drake increasingly shies away from".[63] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney for the Financial Times wrote that Drake is "ingenious" to use "playfulness and humour [as part of] a charm offensive" on the album to reframe the context of his feud with Lamar,praising its production,but ultimately called the execution "underwhelming",criticizing its runtime.[57]
Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre wrote that the record is Drake's "most R&B-centric" project since So Far Gone (2009) but criticized Drake's lyrics,singing,and PartyNextDoor's contributions,which he labelled "forgettable".[58] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter in a negative review,Jonny Coleman described the record as a "bloated,21-song snoozer",saying "there aren't really any highlights,and not too many lowlights" and described the music as "flat—no soul,no swing,no bangers,[and] no vibe".[64] Dakota Foss of Sputnikmusic gave the album a negative review for containing misogynistic themes and for its similarity with Drake's previous albums,concluding "the [album] fails on every level".[60] Chris Richards of The Washington Post criticized the lyrics,stating it "reverts [Drake] to his callous lothario factory settings",labelling the songs "easy to hate",and saying Some Sexy Songs 4 U sounds "defeated [and] familiarly bland [where] embarrassments jump out".[65]
Some Sexy Songs 4 U earned over 56.6million first-day streams on the global Spotify chart,averaging over 2.5million streams per song:[67] this was the second-highest streaming debut of the year,around 1 million streams short from the number one,The Weeknd's Hurry Up Tomorrow.[67] The album broke the first-day streaming record for the most streamed R&B/Soul album in the history of Apple Music.[68][69]
In Party and Drake's home country of Canada,Some Sexy Songs 4 U debuted at number one on the Billboard Canadian Albums,marking Party's first and Drake's fifteenth number-one album in the country.[70] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 246,000 album-equivalent units,including 25,000 pure album sales.[71] It earned a total of 287.04million on-demand streams in the debut week,which resulted in the largest streaming week of 2025 for any album.[71]Some Sexy Songs 4 U is PartyNextDoor's first number-one album in the US and Drake's fourteenth,tying him with Jay-Z and Taylor Swift for the most number-one albums among soloists.[71] All 21 tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100,with two appearing in the top ten.[72] With Some Sexy Songs 4 U,Drake extended many of his Hot 100 chart records,including the most top-ten hits (80),top-20 entries (139),top 40 hits (216) and overall charted titles (358).[72] In its second week,the album dropped to number two on the Billboard 200,moving 119,000 units.[73] In its third week,it held its spot at number two on the chart,moving 90,000 units,[74] before it dropped to number three in its fourth week,moving 79,000 units.[75]
Internationally,the album debuted in the top ten of Australia,Belgium,the Netherlands,Ireland,Hungary,Lithuania,New Zealand,Norway,Sweden,and Switzerland,top twenty in France and Spain and top forty in Italy and Finland. All 21 tracks debuted on the Official South African Charts,with seven in the top ten.[76] It debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart,moving 20,746 album-equivalent units in its first week. The album marked Party's highest debut on the chart and became Drake's fourteenth top-ten.[77]
"Spider-Man Superman" contains samples of "The Real Her", written by Aubrey Graham, Dwayne Carter, Noah Shebib and André Benjamin, as performed by Drake, Lil Wayne, and André 3000; and samples from "My Turn Interlude", written by Kashief Hanson, as performed by K. Forest.
"Gimme a Hug" contains samples from "I Miss You", written by Aaron Hall and Gregory Cauthen, as performed by Hall.
"Raining in Houston" contains samples from "Ain't Nothing I Can Do", written by Ruben Locke Jr., Paul Richmond, and Darryl Ellis, as performed by Tyrone Davis.
"Meet Your Padre" contains samples from "Iliovasilema", written and performed by Konstantinos Argyros.
"Glorious" contains interpolations from "In Ha Mood", written by Isis Gaston and Ephrem Lopez, Jr., as performed by Ice Spice; and samples from the episode "Ice Spice: The Zane Lowe Interview" from The Zane Lowe Show.
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