After the colder and more cohesive atmosphere of Iceman, Drake’s Habibti immediately feels lighter, softer, and far more relaxed in its presentation. The album trades icy synth lines and cinematic tension for dreamy melodies, airy vocal layers, acoustic textures, muted percussion, and hazy late-night production that often sounds designed more for atmosphere than structure. Throughout most of the project, Drake leans heavily into slow-burning R&B and melodic rap, creating an album that feels intentionally weightless and emotionally distant. At its best, that sound plays directly into his strengths. At its worst, Habibti feels unfinished, unfocused, and creatively hesitant.

Unfortunately, the album opens on its weakest moment. “Rusty Intro” is a genuinely awkward start that immediately throws off the project’s momentum. The country-inspired acoustic guitars, distant autotuned vocals, and oddly stitched-together structure feel completely disconnected from the smoother aesthetic that dominates the rest of the album. Drake sounds like he is testing out a Post Malone-style country crossover without fully understanding how to make the sound convincing or emotionally grounded. Instead of feeling vulnerable or raw, the track comes across messy and strangely artificial, with clunky transitions and vocal choices that never fully settle into place. It’s easily the most jarring and underdeveloped song here, making for a rough first impression.

Thankfully, Habibti improves significantly once it moves past that opener. “WNBA” immediately re-centers the album into a much more natural lane for Drake, built around nostalgic synths, soft drums, and relaxed melodic flows that allow him to sound far more comfortable. The production is subtle but effective, slowly layering textures without overcrowding the song, while Drake’s restrained performance captures the type of moody melodic rap he has perfected over the years. There’s a smoothness and patience to the track that the opener completely lacked.

That softer energy carries directly into “Slap The City,” one of the album’s strongest moments. Qendresa’s vocals blend beautifully into the delicate production, adding warmth and atmosphere without overpowering the song itself. The instrumental floats forward quietly through airy synths and soft percussion while both performances remain restrained and understated. The song succeeds because it never tries too hard; instead, it fully commits to the album’s hazy late-night mood and lets the atmosphere do most of the heavy lifting.

A large portion of Habibti works specifically because of that minimalist approach. Tracks like “High Fives,” “Gen 5,” “White Bone,” and “Prioritizing” are all built around dreamy synth textures, distant vocal effects, and slow-moving rhythms that prioritize mood over immediacy. Drake rarely pushes himself vocally across these songs, but the production often compensates by creating immersive soundscapes that remain pleasant even when the songwriting itself feels fairly standard. “White Bone” stands out in particular because of its warped bass and stop-and-go percussion, which give the track a slightly off-kilter texture that separates it from the smoother material surrounding it.

At the same time, one of the album’s biggest weaknesses is how emotionally detached Drake sounds throughout large stretches of the project. On songs like “Gen 5,” his performances occasionally drift into autopilot territory, lacking the emotional sharpness needed to elevate the writing. “High Fives” also struggles at times because of the stretched vocal effects and nasal delivery, which occasionally become distracting rather than atmospheric. While the album rarely collapses after the opener, it also rarely reaches major emotional or musical highs, instead settling into a very safe middle ground where most tracks are enjoyable but few feel especially memorable.

The guest features help prevent the album’s softer sound palette from becoming too repetitive. Sexyy Red gives one of the project’s biggest surprises on “Hurrr Nor Thurrr,” delivering a far more restrained and mellow performance than usual. Her husky vocals fit the dreamy production shockingly well, and she arguably brings more personality to the track than Drake himself. Loe Shimmy’s appearance on “I’m Spent” introduces a higher-pitched melodic style that adds contrast to the album’s otherwise subdued tone, even if his squeaky delivery occasionally clashes with the softer instrumental underneath him.

PARTYNEXTDOOR, unsurprisingly, sounds completely at home on “Fortworth.” The slow guitar strums, layered vocals, and lonely atmosphere fit naturally within his style, and his chemistry with Drake helps make the track one of the more emotionally convincing moments on the album. The song captures the exact late-night introspection Habibti aims for throughout its runtime, balancing melancholy and comfort without sounding overly dramatic.

The clear standout, though, is “Classic.” More than any other song here, it feels like the album fully realizing its own potential. The warm 90s-inspired R&B production, smooth female harmonies, and understated vocal performance allow Drake to settle completely into the sound instead of awkwardly balancing between rap and experimentation. The pacing is patient, the melodies are strong, and the production feels cohesive in a way much of the album does not. It’s one of the few moments where Drake sounds fully locked into the music surrounding him. The song also raises an interesting question about his career overall, because tracks like this suggest he could make a genuinely strong full traditional R&B album if he ever fully committed to it.

What ultimately holds Habibti back is its lack of urgency and identity. While Iceman maintained a colder and more cinematic atmosphere that tied the project together, Habibti often feels like Drake casually drifting through unfinished ideas instead of fully developing them into memorable songs. Many tracks blur together stylistically, and outside of highlights like “Classic,” “WNBA,” “Slap The City,” and “Fortworth,” very little leaves a major lasting impression once the album ends.

Still, there is something undeniably enjoyable about the project’s low-stakes atmosphere. The soft synths, dreamy production, restrained performances, and slow pacing make Habibti an easy album to throw on late at night, even if it lacks the emotional depth or focus needed to stand alongside Drake’s stronger releases. It feels less like a fully realized artistic statement and more like a collection of moods, demos, and half-developed ideas stitched together by atmosphere alone.

That ultimately makes Habibti a decent but underwhelming release. There are flashes of genuinely great material hidden throughout the album, along with moments where Drake’s softer melodic instincts work beautifully against the dreamy production. But the inconsistent execution, emotionally passive performances, and lack of cohesion prevent the project from becoming anything more substantial. It succeeds as a vibe-heavy late-night listen, but it constantly feels like it could have been much more.