![Setter Emma Lee (9) sets the ball to the middle during the match against Pinewood on Sept. 12. “[I’m looking forward to] getting more skilled, learning more about my position and also becoming better friends with all of my teammates, Emma said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DSC_4917-2-1200x795.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasnt been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but Ive had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. Theres so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesnt exist, you can build it yourself, Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“Animation just clicked in a way. I had been interested in art, but that felt different. [Animation] felt like it had something behind it, whereas previous things felt surface level. I wasnt making that crazy of things, but just the process of doing it was much more enjoyable, Carter Chadwick (22) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Screen-Shot-2022-08-16-at-9.44.08-AM-900x598.png)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and its played such a major role in who Ive become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something Im [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala (21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“Im not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that theres a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyones so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you arent going to get those championships if you arent fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
‘Her Loss’: Best of both worlds from Drake and 21 Savage
“‘Her Loss’ puts the rappers’ talents and extraordinary chemistry on full display, blending their original styles and vocals in a way that blurs the distinction between absurdity and pure genius.”
December 9, 2022
Piercing trap beats, ingenious rhymes and wordplay, playful jabs at celebrities, aggressive delivery and heartfelt melodies: these components, wrapped into a hectic yet perfectly tasteful hour-long listening experience, are what define rappers Drake and 21 Savage’s new collab album “Her Loss.”
It’s not often that two of the music industry’s biggest stars team up to deliver music to their fans. As a result, when Drake and 21 Savage teased their collaboration in a music video on Oct. 22, the announcement sent shockwaves throughout the hip-hop world, and rightfully so. Within only a week after its release on Nov. 4, the album had already made its mark, topping the Billboard Top 200 and selling over 400 thousand album copies. “Her Loss” puts the rappers’ talents and extraordinary chemistry on full display, blending their original styles and vocals in a way that blurs the distinction between absurdity and pure genius.
“Rich Flex” begins the album at full force, with 21 Savage dropping provocative lines and effortless rhymes over an eerie choir beat, which abruptly switches to a much sharper piano melody. Drake follows up this performance with a string of bold, cheeky bars, delivering with unrelenting ease a series of rhyming acronyms dotted with clever wordplay throughout. The track showcases the rappers in their natural but completely separate environments, with 21 Savage delivering his lines in his signature calm yet assertive style while Drake takes the spotlight in the latter half of the song.
Alternatively, tracks such as “On BS” and “Broke Boys” display the artists working together in perfect sync, interweaving their lines in a fluid and unbothered manner while still maintaining an air of cold aggression and confidence. The rapid flow switches brought on by this frequent back-and-forth style are further amplified by the disparity between Drake’s smooth delivery and 21 Savage’s chalky vocals, tossing listeners into a rollercoaster of sounds that constantly keeps them on their toes.
At the climax of the album, “Circo Loco” transports the listener back to the early 2000s with a murky, pitched sample of Daft Punk’s “One More Time” cut immediately by Drake’s brash, upbeat vocals. Drake establishes himself on this track as someone who is lovably obnoxious and carefree, throwing in sarcastic references to rapper Megan Thee Stallion about the drama surrounding her 2020 shooting and most recent album. This attitude continues in the following track “P—- and Millions,” where both 21 Savage and featured artist Travis Scott take turns adding their own charm to an already playful, glimmering beat.
Tracks such as “On BS” and “Broke Boys” display the artists working together in perfect sync, interweaving their lines in a fluid and unbothered manner while still maintaining an air of cold aggression and confidence.
Despite the abundance of classic hip-hop stylings and rap songs on “Her Loss,” the album’s melodic performances deliver just as much emotion, leading 21 Savage out of his comfort zone into a realm that Drake thrives in. The artists nail this musical style in “Spin Bout U,” a track that demonstrates their ability to not only handle delicate melodies but also address milder romantic subject matters. The pair takes on the fictional role of a person navigating a relationship with a woman who had been harmed in the past, expressing their love for her in heartwarming lines such as “The way you make me feel these days / Something getting dropped for you, baby girl.” A deviation from the mostly tongue-in-cheek nature of the album, the song expresses serious and legitimate concerns about the systemic treatment of women by society, uplifting those who were scarred by poverty and condemning men for “making laws about what women can do.”
Unfortunately, the emotional and musical depth of “Spin Bout U” appears to be a one-time success for the duo, as they struggle to emulate the same appeal in other melodious tracks such as “Hours in Silence” and “Middle of the Ocean.” Drake inevitably dominates, leaving 21 Savage to contribute minimally to the chorus in the former and nothing at all in the latter. Tracks like these expose the uglier side of the artists’ partnership: without 21 Savage to support and provide structure, Drake often drones on with mundane, repetitive melodies that lack any energy and fail to captivate the listener. 21 Savage’s only solo track on the album “3AM on Glenwood” is similarly directionless, revealing his dependence on well-established artists like Drake to bring out the best in his musical ability.
Of course, these shortcomings are only natural; “Her Loss” is perhaps both Drake and 21 Savage’s most ambitious album to date, and their ability to find common ground despite such fundamental differences in their styles far outshines the minor flaws that surface in parts of the album. While parts of the album may come across as bland and uninspired, these errors stand as only tiny blemishes in an otherwise flawlessly executed project. Ultimately, the collaboration only goes to show the massive influence of Drake’s career and 21 Savage’s infinite potential as a rising star.
