Back in May, Drake announced his sixth studio album would arrive this summer. Now — after sharing a cryptic message to his Instagram Story — it appears the highly anticipated project is almost here.
Over the weekend (July 5), Drake shared back-to-back photos of himself hard at work in his dimly lit home studio. The first Story post showed the Canadian-bred star with his back to the camera, looking intently at his computer screen. The second shot is a selfie of Drake with the caption “80%.” Fans took the message to mean that his next album is 80 percent complete, sending social media into a flurry on Monday morning (July 6).
Although he’s been hinting at his upcoming album for months, Drake confirmed its summer release when he dropped off his Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape.
“My brothers [Oliver El-Khatib] and [OVO Noel] put together alot of the songs people have been asking for (some leaks and some joints from SoundCloud and some new vibes). DARK LANE DEMO TAPES out everywhere at midnight…also my 6th STUDIO ALBUM DROPPING SUMMER 2020!!! Lucky number 6… soon fwd,” he previously posted on Instagram.
While not much is known for certain about the album, it is expected to be shorter than 2018’s Scorpion.
“Last album, I went high volume. I did two sides. It was like 20-something songs, which is a lot of songs,” he told a TSN sports commentator at a Toronto Raptors game back in February. “This album I’ll probably make it more of a realistic offering. Something more concise. It could be 10, 11 songs, [or] 16.”
Speaking with Diddy on Instagram Live, Drake said that social distancing has allowed him to focus more time on the project.
“Definitely, this is the most excited I’ve been about an album in a long time,” he told REVOLT’s founder. “A lot of little stuff has been trickling out, but all the stuff on the album is fresh, it’s brand new and I’m excited. This is probably the most music I’ve ever been sitting on. I’m hyped.”
As has been the trend during quarantine, Drake has also spent the last few months previewing unreleased songs on his social media. However, one of his teased cuts — a collaboration with Roddy Ricch — ended up getting leaked online this past weekend.
See the photos from Drake’s Story below.