“Maid of Honour” is easily the best chapter in Drake’s 2026 album trilogy, though it also had the lowest sales in its first week (110,000 equivalent album copies compared to 114,000 for “Habibti” and 463,000 for “Iceman”), so he’ll probably learn the wrong lesson from this release.
“Maid of Honour” echoes the sexy, danceable vibe of “Honestly, Nevermind,” putting Drake back where he belongs: the club.
However, it lacks the immersive effect of “Honestly, Nevermind,” which puts the music first and Drake’s ego second. Listening to “Maid of Honour” tracks like “Hoe Phase” and “Cheetah Print,” I can’t help but remember the indelible Lamar barb, “When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see two bad bitches.” It doesn’t help that Sexyy Red herself is featured on the latter track (in addition to “Hurr Not Thurr” on “Habibti” — does this woman have incriminating information on Drake or what?).
In his Pitchfork review of “Iceman,” Jayson Greene wrote, “Drake’s music — his rap music, at least — hasn’t made prolonged contact with fun in a decade.” I would argue “Honestly, Nevermind” is the exception to that rule, and “Maid of Honour” does come close, partially thanks to assists from Stunna Sandy and Central Cee.
Still, “prolonged contact” is the key phrase here. There are glimpses of the old, impish Drake on this tracklist, but glimpses are all we get.
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