Virginia Beach (song) explained
"Virginia Beach" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, released on October 6, 2023 as the opening track from his eighth studio album For All the Dogs (2023). Produced by Harley Arsenault, with co-production from 40, it contains samples of the unreleased song "Wiseman" by Frank Ocean.
Background
On October 5, 2023, Drake released the tracklist of For All the Dogs. "Virginia Beach" was widely speculated to be a diss track aimed at his rival Pusha T, as it was named after his hometown,[1] [2] [3] but this was disproved after the song was released.
Composition
Over the sample, the song finds Drake reflecting on a relationship with a woman as if talking to her. He accuses her of "drawin' conclusions like you got a Parsons degree or somethin'", which is a diss toward Barbadian singer Rihanna, who has an honorary degree from the Parsons School of Design and was in an on-again, off-again relationship with Drake from 2009 to 2016.[4] In the first verse, Drake compares the woman in question to the titular city for the reason that she is "pretty but rough".
As for the musical style, Nadine Smith of The Independent commented the song "brings to mind the cloudy textures and hazy samples of his early work."[5]
Critical reception
Billboards Kyle Denis ranked the track as the fourteenth best track on the album.[6] Denis wrote that the track is "bogged down by a clunky chorus and more corny bars".[6] In a review of For All the Dogs, Louis Pavlakos of HipHopDX wrote, "Even opener 'Virginia Beach' sounds refreshed thanks to a lively flip of Frank Ocean's 'Wiseman' and a memorable chorus."[7] Luke Morgan Britton of NME stated the song "brims with stream-of-conscious bars".[8] Paul Attard of Slant Magazine criticized the song in regard to a particular line, writing "'Asked me if I coulda treated you better, but no,' he asks himself on the album's sweeping opener 'Virginia Beach,' and he rushes to that answer before he can even seriously consider the quandary before him. Thinking twice is reserved solely for wimps, apparently."[9]
Charts
Notes and References
- Web site: Drake Fans Think He'll Diss Pusha T on Song 'Virginia Beach' . . 14 October 2023 . October 5, 2023.
- Web site: Dionne . Zach . Drake and Pusha T Beef: ‘For All the Dogs’ Opener “Virginia Beach” Sparks Diss Track Speculation (UPDATE) . . 14 October 2023 . October 5, 2023.
- News: Stone . Gavin . Rapper Drake spotlights Virginia Beach in new album, calls city ‘pretty but rough’ . 14 October 2023 . . October 6, 2023.
- Web site: Dailey . Hannah . Here’s Why Fans Think Drake Dissed Rihanna & A$AP Rocky on ‘For All the Dogs’ . . 14 October 2023 . October 6, 2023.
- News: Smith. Nadine. October 6, 2023. Drake review, For All the Dogs: Rapper's outright contempt for women borders on sinister. The Independent. October 14, 2023. live. October 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231006184452/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/drake-lyrics-for-all-the-dogs-review-b2425450.html.
- Drake’s ‘For All the Dogs’: All 23 Songs Ranked. Denis. Kyle. Billboard. October 6, 2023. August 13, 2024. October 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231006194421/https://www.billboard.com/lists/drake-for-all-the-dogs-best-songs-ranked-slime-you-out/calling-for-you-feat-21-savage/. live.
- Web site: Pavlakos . Louis . Drake's 'For All The Dogs' Is Another Troll Bait Effort That's Quite Mid . . 14 October 2023 . October 9, 2023.
- Web site: Drake – ‘For All The Dogs’ review: banger-less, bitter and deeply mid. NME. Britton. Luke Morgan. October 9, 2023. October 14, 2023.
- News: Attard. Paul. October 9, 2023. Drake For All the Dogs Review: A Clownish Tribute to Chauvinism. Slant Magazine. October 14, 2023.
- Web site: ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. October 16, 2023. October 14, 2023.
- Web site: Digital Singles Chart (International) . 2023-10-24 . IFPI Greece. https://web.archive.org/web/20231024235652/https://www.ifpi.gr/digital_iel.html. October 24, 2023.
- Web site: Tónlistinn – Lög. The Music – Songs. is. Plötutíðindi. October 28, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231015024046/https://plotutidindi.is/tonlistinn/. October 15, 2023.
- Web site: Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 41. nedēļa. en, lv. LAIPA. 16 October 2023. 16 October 2023.
- Web site: 2023 41-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. October 13, 2023. October 14, 2023.
- Drake Chart History (Luxembourg Songs). Billboard. October 17, 2023.
- Web site: This Week's Official MENA Chart Top 20: from 06/10/2023 to 12/10/2023. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. https://archive.today/20231017144808/https://www.theofficialmenachart.com/weeklychart. October 17, 2023. October 17, 2023. October 18, 2023.
- Web site: UAE: 2023 - W41 - 10/06 to 12/10. The Official MENA Chart. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. June 8, 2024.