Don’t let the title of “A Keeper” fool you; the contradictory content of the song is about cutting ties with someone, not keeping them around. Drake sets the tone with the opening lyrics. “I found a new muse / That’s bad news for you / Why would I keep you around?” he sings, per Genius. As Teen Vogue points out, Drake has a habit of tempering his most biting barbs with infectious beats, and that’s exactly what he does here. There’s a similar lyric in “10 Bands,” a song that was released over half a decade ago: “My ex asked me, ‘Where you movin’?’ I said, ‘On to better things.'”
Billboard documented Drake’s vengeful streak by listing some of the other songs he has used to air his grievances with those who he feels have wronged him, and Teen Vogue did a deep dive into some of his most problematic lyrics about women, observing that they are often dripping with malice. In “A Keeper,” he tells his former muse, “Got too much pride for you,” then the lyrics become angrier and more aggressive. “I’ve seen you take it low / Limbo right under that h* / F*** out my face,” he sings, seemingly telling an ex that he’s done with them. However, he doesn’t stop there and instead proceeds to drag them some more, with a final complaint being about their failure to give him “friendship and loyalty.”
Nicki
