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Despite what people may say about him in 2025, Drake has been a hit-making machine for over a decade. In terms of collaboration, he has made tracks with a range of people, adding plaques to their discography and boosting their status in the industry.

Still, despite being in the mainstream for 15 years, it took him 12 years to create a collaborative album. Before 2022’s Her Loss alongside 21 Savage, Drake had released a joint project (What A Time To Be Alive with Future), but it was a mixtape. Furthermore, its lead single ‘Jumpman’ only debuted at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

That said, when Drake teamed up with 21 Savage, the pair didn’t know the success they were going to have with their release. Still, a few things undoubtedly made the album’s success inevitable from the start.

Drizzy has always dominated the suave side of hip-hop. Despite his strange venture into drill in 2020 with ‘War’ and his decision to go on the underground UK rap channel Link Up TV, most of his success has been from his fusion of hip-hop with R&B, powered by Noah “40” Shebib. However, 21 Savage is the complete opposite. During his interview with the 2016 XXL freshmen, he self-described his own material as “murder music.”

That said, a collaborative album featuring Drake and 21 Savage was destined for greatness as it could cater to the entire rap market, meaning, whether you’re a fan of hardcore or smooth hip-hop, there would be something for you on the project.

Still, the creators wouldn’t have been able to tell you that when they began creating the album. However, there was one moment during the recording process when both Drizzy and 21 Savage knew they had struck gold. When it was released, Her Loss made more than a splash; it received what can only be described as a tsunami of commercial success. Tracks such as ‘Rich Flex’ and ‘On BS’ were highly successful and showed how impactful the project could be. The two MCs had collaborated before making the project on the song ‘Jimmy Cooks’, and the instant number-one should have been a sign of things to come.

Unsurprisingly, after the duo finally released Her Loss, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was bolstered by a fair bit of publicity, although it was not all positive. The two received some blowback from Vogue after mimicking the esteemed magazine’s front cover for marketing.

Furthermore, some of the project’s lyrics addressed what was, at the time, the most contentious situation in the hip-hop headlines — the legal dispute between Megan Thee Stallion and Tory Lanez. One rhyme from Drizzy implied that Megan Thee Stallion lied about being shot. Furthermore, addressing one of his own controversial situations, on one song, he appeared to call Serena Williams’ husband a “groupie.”

However, the drama only prompted more interest in Her Loss. Following the album’s release, during an in-depth interview with Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller for the Rap Radar podcast, Drizzy reflected on the project and unveiled the moment he knew he and 21 Savage had made a gem. The Canadian superstar specifically recounted how much the crowd enjoyed the new music when 21 Savage played the album at an exclusive party before it came out. At this moment, he knew they had created something great.

21 Savage seconded Drake’s sentiment while speaking with Complex in early 2023 and unveiled, “That was probably my favourite memory too!” He added, “When we were in the club, that was my first time hearing it cohesively as a project. Hearing it all the way through in the club, I was just like, ‘Damn, this sh*t hard as f*ck!” It wasn’t during the recording process that the pair realised it was a high-quality album but rather a low-key listening party and the crowd’s reaction signalled it was destined for greatness.