Any time artists like Drake and Kanye West drop albums it becomes a topic of conversation for those who care about hip hop music.

Whether you love or hate them, they are such huge forces in the world of hip hop that everyone seems to have something to say about their albums.

They both released albums within a week of each other with West dropped his long awaited album called Donda on Aug. 29. Five days later, Drake released Certified Lover Boy on September 3. Both albums have more than 20 songs each and clock in well over an hour. And both albums are relatively mediocre when considering the level of artistry they have both proven they are capable of based on their previous releases.

Critics have said that both Drake and West seem to be struggling with their fame and the reputations they have both built over the years. The Eagle’s Eye broke down the highlights and low points of both albums.

Certified Lover Boy, Drake

Fans were going crazy because Drake hasn’t released new music since 2019. So when his fans found out he was dropping a new album they were already freaking out, and even more fans were shocked when they saw the album cover. It had emojis of pregnant females. And the run time of the album is a lengthy 86 minutes with a total of 21 new songs.

Each song had a good composition and a good beat on every song, too. The track that seems to be getting the most attention right now is “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug. It has a good beat and is trending on TikTok with fan-made dances. It’s currently #2 on Billboard hot 100.

There’s not a lot of consistency on the album. Critics have said all of the different sides of Drake are on display on the album, including the silly in “Way 2 Sexy,” the tough guy in “No Friends in the Industry” and “Knife Talk,” and the tenderness of “Fountains.”

Critics have also remarked about how many tracks are sampled or references on the album. There is even a prominent sample of The Beatles song “Michelle” in his song called “Champagne Poetry,” which likely cost him plenty, which some are calling a flex move. All in all, there are some fun moments on the album, but it is clear that Drake isn’t on top of his game with this release.

Donda, Kanye West

The album is named after his mother, who died in 2007. This album, which clocks in at 1 hour and 48 minutes with 27 new tracks, seems to be West’s way of remembering her, but it’s not strictly a memorial to her. While diversity of sound can be a good thing, there is not much that connects the songs together.

Some tracks have a lot of bass, but they don’t sound like he is trying to make music with the newer hip hop sounds. He adapts each track with a different sound for each song. For example, The track “off the grid” has a New York drill type of beat. And “ok ok” has a melody but it also sounds like a trap beat. “Jonah” has a melodic tone. West uses a unique type of sound for each song, making it a very unique but disconnected record.

In terms of what the music is about, I think it is about mental health and the struggle of losing someone and being backstabbed. In a lot of the songs, each rapper’s verse shows some kind of misfortune they have dealt with in their lives and what they have dealt with and West is drawing from his recent life experiences. There are also multiple references to his belief in Christianity.

West mysteriously removed some features, including those by Soulja Boy and Chris Brown, causing some controversy between the rappers, including diss tracks. Overall, we rate the album 7 out of 10 since I only liked two of the songs that are “ok ok” and “Jonah” because it has some pretty good features in them. Jonah featuring Lil Durk and “ok ok,” featuring Rooga and Fivio Foreign, who are pretty good artists. The album was a bit overhyped for mediocre songs and I think Kanye’s verses could have been better. And I also feel like the album was kind of random and had nothing to do with his