Drake is bringing “Summer 16” to 2022 with the release of his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind — still setting trends over a decade into his career.
Premiering the album on his SiriusXM radio show Sound 42 on Friday (June 17) — which mirrors the release of his 2017 “playlist” More Life — Drake’s latest effort holds 14 tracks and a single feature from “Knife Talk” collaborator 21 Savage. Sharing the 10-minute long short film for “Falling Down,” where he ties the knot with 23 different women, Honestly, Nevermind seems to be just the start of Drake’s drops this year.
Revealing that he has another Scary Hours EP and a poetry book on the way, the OVO head honcho’s time in the lab has proven to be fruitful since Certified Lover Boy’s release last August. Dedicating his experimental Dance LP to the late Virgil Abloh, Drake fended off those who aren’t vibing with the album quite yet. “It’s all good if you don’t get it yet. That’s what we do,” he said on Instagram Live. “We wait for you to catch up. We caught up already. On to the next.”
“[It’s] something that I always wanted to do. I don’t really wanna overexplain it, I just wanna play it ‘cause it’s just a bunch of music that I love. Me and Kenzo have a book coming out this year — a poetry book. So I hope you guys tune into that too ‘cause that’s gonna be some shit. I got another Scary Hours pack coming too, in a little bit. Maybe not right now; I need you to just take this in right now… I’m gonna slap some head tops off with the Scary Hours pack.”
Drake on ‘Honestly, Nevermind,’ future projects
In true Drake fashion, Honestly Nevermind debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200, selling 204,000 first-week units and is the 11th No. 1 project in his storied career. This wasn’t the first time he’s blessed fans on such short notice either. Along with the surprise release of his classic 2015 mixtape IYRTITL, his 2021 EP Scary Hours 2 came within hours of corresponding Twitter murmurs. Dark Lane Demo Tapes followed a similar route in the summer of 2020, dropping within days after initial rumors surfaced on social media.
Drake was also spotted courtside supporting longtime friend and collaborator J. Cole during his stint with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in Canada. The pair may have a collaboration in the works as well, as a recently surfaced photo further hints at the reality of a joint track in the near future. “Man. This Album is phenomenal. Point blank,” Cole captioned on his Instagram story, praising Drake’s new body of work this week.
Amid the album’s release, Drizzy is coming off a rather robust feature run. On top of earning platinum honors and another No. 1 record on Future’s “WAIT FOR U,” the “Churchill Downs” collaborator also appeared in the track’s Kentucky Derby-inspired video with Jack Harlow in May.
Drake’s career-long secrecy is just one of the many mysteries hip-hop fans are still trying to decipher, but Honestly, Nevermind that. Dance the night away with Drizzy.
Listen to Drake’s new album below!
