Drake Habibti album review May 23

NFR Podcast published a 27-minute YouTube video titled “Habibti by Drake: Album Review” on May 23, adding to the first wave of online reaction to Drake’s latest release. The video description says “Drake’s Habibti is out now,” and the clip was indexed with 2,226 views and 155 likes when surfaced in search results on May 24. (youtube.com) Drake’s album was released on May 15, according to Album of the Year, which lists “HABIBTI” as an 11-track project issued through OVO and Republic. (youtube.com) The site classifies the release as alternative R&B and notes a critic score of 43 based on seven reviews at the time it was indexed. ### Who published the May 23 review? NFR Podcast was the channel attached to the May 23 YouTube upload, according to the indexed listing for the video. (youtube.com) The search result identifies the post as part of the channel’s “Album Reviews” output and says the hosts “shared our reaction to the album and reviewed” the release. YouTube search results available through web indexing did not provide a transcript of the episode, so the precise arguments made in the review could not be independently quoted from the video itself. (albumoftheyear.org) The available metadata confirms the title, publisher, date and basic framing as a reaction-and-review video. ### What was the review responding to? May 15 is the release date listed for “HABIBTI” by Drake on Album of the Year. The same listing says the album contains 11 tracks and was released under OVO and Republic. (youtube.com) Complex described “Habibti” as one part of a larger Drake release burst, reporting that Drake “dropped 41 songs in one night” across “Iceman,” “Habibti” and “Maid of Honour.” Rolling Stone also reviewed the three-project package together, calling it a “three-album statement of purpose.” (youtube.com) ### How was “Habibti” being framed by critics elsewhere? Rolling Stone reviewer Jeff Ihaza wrote that “Habibti” is an 11-song set in which Drake returns to “romantic territory,” after what the magazine described as the colder posture of “Iceman.” That places the album within a broader discussion about Drake’s artistic persona across the three releases. (albumoftheyear.org) Album of the Year’s aggregation page shows a split early reception. (complex.com) The site listed a critic score of 43 and a user score of 28 when indexed on May 24, while also carrying Rolling Stone’s higher individual review among the notices it compiled. HotNewHipHop, in a separate review of “Habibti” and “Maid of Honour,” said Drake lets conflicting personas sit side by side rather than forcing them into one identity. That framing, alongside Rolling Stone’s focus on persona and Complex’s emphasis on the scale of the release, helps explain why YouTube reviewers were treating “Habibti” as both a music release and a branding event. (rollingstone.com) ### Why does a YouTube review like this matter? (albumoftheyear.org) May 23 was still early in the album’s public life, with the NFR Podcast video arriving eight days after the release date listed by Album of the Year. In that window, YouTube reviews function as fast-turn reaction pieces that sit alongside written reviews from outlets such as Rolling Stone, Complex and HotNewHipHop. The NFR Podcast video is still available on YouTube under the title “Habibti by Drake: Album Review.” Drake’s “HABIBTI” remains listed as a May 15 release with 11 tracks, and other early responses include reviews from Rolling Stone, Complex, Billboard and HotNewHipHop. (hotnewhiphop.com) (youtube.com)