Fans have been waiting anxiously for Drake’s sixth studio album Certified Lover Boy, but it looks like they’ll have to wait a little bit longer. Rumors about the project’s release date kicked up this week after Drake’s friend and NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said the album would arrive on Jan. 1.
“Lover Boy dropping 2021,” OBJ said in a clip that circulated on social media. “Drizzy I got you on the drop man, dropping Jan. 1, 2021. When the ball drops, the album drops.”
While fans were excited by the announcement, it turns out Certified Lover Boy will no longer be dropping on New Year’s Day. According to DJ Akademiks, who said he spoke with Drizzy directly, the album’s release has been postponed due to the rapper’s knee injury.
“Drake reached out to me and confirmed that despite what Odell Beckham Jr said … January 1st, 2021 is not the release date of Certified Lover Boy,” Akademiks tweeted on Tuesday (Dec. 8). “He’ll announce the correct date when the time comes.”
He added in a second tweet, “According to Drake, January 1st 2021 WAS gonna be the date for the release of Certified Lover Boy before he got injured… so OBJ probably thought it was still the date.. it’s not tho.”
Drake first revealed he had injured his knee back in October. Earlier this week, the Toronto native hopped on Instagram to update fans on his recovery and shared a video of himself taking his “first confident steps.” The rapper also showed love to OBJ, Benny the Butcher, Saquon Barkley and Joe Burrow, all of whom have suffered their own leg injuries.
When Drake first announced Certified Lover Boy, he said the album would arrive over the summer. However, while celebrating his 34th birthday, the rapper revealed that the album would instead be released this coming January. So far, Drake has shared the project’s lead single “Laugh Now Cry Later,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award last month.
See Akademiks’ tweets and OBJ’s message below.