Megan has her stallions and Nicki has her Barbs. And now, Drake has a new name for his male fanbase: certified lover boys. 

Rapper Drake’s latest album, “Certified Lover Boy,” has brought male fans the same empowerment and craze as Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj have brought their female fanbases. While Drake and his male fans seem to be embracing the identity of a certified lover boy, the album is an ode to the toxic masculinity that is all too familiar to Drake.

Drake’s definition of a certified lover boy seems to be a catchall for promiscuous, shallow and heartbreaking guys. This is reflective of how Drake has presented himself lately, and how he gloats in cajoling and then ghosting women. 

“BBL Drake,” a deviously toxic Drake, is even a running joke on the internet as of late. 

But Drake’s career was not always built on demeaning and nonchalant lyrics toward women and relationships. The 2009 album “So Far Gone” and 2010 album “Thank Me Later” focused on celebrating Drake’s accomplishments. Even 2015 albums “What a Time To Be Alive” and “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late” do not contain the same type of villainous lyrics as “Certified Lover Boy.”

It seems that Drake has evolved into a glorified player as he began to shift from an era of rap to an era of R&B, beginning with “Care Package,” which was released in 2019. “Dark Lane Demo Tapes” and now, “Certified Lover Boy” carry on this style. 

Lyrics such as “I don’t even treat you that good girl, why is you smiling” and “I remember that I told you I miss you, that was kind of like a mass text” offer a casual and manipulative attitude toward women that can be called callous at best. 

Drake seems to see his condescending view of women as his superpower. “TSU” is reminiscent of “Make Me Proud” off his 2011 album “Take Care.” Both songs characterize an independent, working-class woman. However, while “Make Me Proud” offers admiration for such a woman, “TSU” offers less respect for such a woman, with lyrics like “We used to make pornos when you would come over but now you got morals.” 

Even when beefing with men on the album, Drake takes the stance of superiority and pity. The internet is obsessed with finding references to Kanye West in Drake’s work, and lines such as “From the bottom to the top man, what’s it like in the middle?” give a sense of Drake’s entitlement, even toward men. 

If “Certified Lover Boy” makes one thing clear, it’s the danger of having the opportunity to relish in your own awfulness. As Drake makes apparent, it can lead to security and complacency in all the wrong ways.

While Drake’s lyrics may exude desperation and foulness, I will admit that the album was fun to listen to. Maybe that’s telling of the culture of the dating and hookups that we experience today: it’s fun because it’s toxic. 

Maybe Drake knows that he’s coming off as a shallow, lusty jerk. Maybe Drake’s shift in attitude is reflective of the cultural attitude of toxicity in relationships. While heartbreak can bring about breakthroughs, it seems it’s done the opposite for Drake and caused him to cling to toxic masculinity like a baby blanket. But then again, that’s just par for the course in today’s culture.

ANNA MALESIEWSKI

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