Drake brought in his 34th birthday on Saturday (Oct. 24) with a special announcement. The rapper celebrated his big day by gifting his fans the first teaser for his upcoming album Certified Lover Boy and also announced the release date.
While fans were anticipating the release of the Grammy winner’s sixth studio album to be this year, Drake revealed the project is now set to be released in January 2021. There was no explanation for the delay but fans on social media are speculating that it’s due to the COVID-19 lockdown and quarantine.
The teaser album takes fans down memory lane, as Drake revisits and recreates his past album covers before ending on the Certified Lover Boy’s release date. The Grammy winner went back in time to redo the covers for his So Far Gone mixtape, his second album Take Care, the iconic cover for Nothing Was the Same, and his 2020 mixtape Dark Lane Demo Tapes— all to set up the anticipation for what’s to come.
Some fans compared the new teaser to the commercial JAY-Z did recreating his iconic album covers ahead of the release of his album The Blueprint 3 in 2009. Drake has been paying homage to other rap legends like Tupac and Eminem during this era, and this teaser is no exception.
A lot of fans have been anticipating the release of the new album since his 2018 project Scorpion. Now due to a lot of artists delaying their releases, fans are being forced to wait even longer for new music.
While some fans were upset at the delay, others were hopeful and optimistic about the rapper helping them start the new year off right. Some believe that the release of the teaser, highlighting some of his most beloved projects as an indicator of the quality of the upcoming album.
Drake might not be giving fans an album this year, but he has been consistently releasing music this year, including the single “Laugh Now Cry Later” and “Toosie Slide,” as well as being featured in other artists projects, like DJ Khaled’s songs “GREECE” and “POPSTAR.” He also released the Dark Lane Demo Tapes in May as a “warm-up” for the upcoming album. Watch the teaser for Drake’s Certified Lover Boy below.