As June 29 rolls near, Drake’s Scorpion album is docking at a port of seriously high expectations. Will this be his “Rocky IV” moment following Pusha-T’s haymaker? Can he pull off the double album? Will it be better than Views? Can he finally achieve a definitive album? To no surprise, so many questions shadow the forthcoming album.
Like Views and his previous releases, the road to Scorpion finds him at the intersection of underdog and unstoppable, while the challenge of clinching the equilibrium looms. “Push me to the edge, so it really ain’t my mothafuckin’ fault,” he tasks on “Look Alive.”
Now that a trailer has arrived, as well as cryptic billboards scattered around the country, let’s take a look at what else there is to know about Scorpion, Drake’s most anticipated album yet.
It’s already bound for a big first week
Earlier in 2018, Drake shattered streaming records with “God’s Plan,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held that position for an unbelievable 11 weeks. In April, he dropped “Nice for What” and scored another No. 1 single and held that position for seven weeks. All of these stats considered, Scorpion is set for a big week, as the album is already eligible for a Gold certification in the U.S. when it arrives, according to Chart Data. Where Views opened with 1.04 million copies and the playlist-style More Life shifted 505,000 units, the sky is the limit for Scorpion‘s first-week projections. After all, he is the king of this streaming era.
It will feature a variety of producers
In addition to tagging in go-to beatsmiths Boi-1da and Noah “40” Shebib, Drake has also enlisted production duties from a few others. For his series of singles — “God’s Plan,” “Diplomatic Immunity,” “Nice For What,” and “I’m Upset” — the rapper acquired the talents of Cardo, Yung Exclusive, Murda Beatz, Nick Brongers, BlaqNmilD, Corey Litwin, and OOGIE MANE. Outside of those singles, though, are other producers, such as DJ Premier, who received a mysterious shoutout earlier this year, and Pi’erre Bourne, who confirmed studio sessions with Drake. With such an assorted board of talent, expect more names to fill the credits once the album rolls in. It’s also worth mentioning that Scorpion is executive-produced by Noah “40” Shebib and Oliver El-Khatib.
It’s already attached to a few guest names
Back in March, Future took to Snapchat and previewed a new cut featuring his What a Time to Be Alive partner-in-rhyme. Together, the duo can be heard dropping references to Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and more. In that same month, legendary singer and songwriter Paul Anka was spotted with Drake and later confirmed a collaboration during the Canadian Broadcast Industry Awards. “I’m working with a brilliant young artist who is as hot as you can get right now, a fellow young Canadian and his name is Drake,” he reportedly said while accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award. “We recorded something that will be released, out in June. That’s all I can tell you.” Anka famously wrote the lyrics for Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” In addition, Drizzy also has been spotted in the lab with Nigerian star Tekno Miles.
Scary hours is already upon us
On Friday, June 29, Scorpion arrives, and just like anything he drops, the expectations are through the roof. Like the questions mentioned earlier, the self-professed “6 God” enters familiar territory, as there is much to gain and lose. Can overcome this latest hurdle?