So much for locking the studio door.
Drake surprised everyone early Thursday morning with the announcement of his new EP, Scary Hours 3 — just weeks after sharing his eighth studio album FOR ALL THE DOGS.
The six-track tape is a masterclass of lyrical quips from the 6 God, floating over production from Alchemist, Conductor Williams, Boi-1da, Vinylz and ovrkast. What’s more fitting is that he and J. Cole linked up for another track titled “Evil Ways” — and it’s just as electric as “First Person Shooter.”
15 years into his career, the fire and desire (wink wink) still burns bright within Drizzy. The latest SCARY HOURS is yet another reminder of the 6 God’s untouchable pen, when he feels up to the task.
Drake had bars for longtime rivals Ye, Pusha T (“Wick Man”) Joe Budden and surprisingly Kendrick Lamar, letting off these pent-up thoughts by taking the gloves off. “Every time that Yeezy call the truce, he had my head inflated / Thinkin’ we gon’ finally peace it up and get to levitatin’, Realize that everything premeditated,” he raps on “Red Button,” fanning his feud with Kanye West amid production of his album ¥$ with Ty Dolla $ign. Timing a bit off? Or perfect timing.
Nevertheless, the EP feels as if “8am in Charlotte” morphed from a one-off idea to a short-length effort (credit to Jon Denton here). In the same week as he and J. Cole’s fiery visual for “FPS,” which is already garnering “video of the year” nods courtesy of director Gibson Hazard, new music from the Toronto icon initially caught fans off guard considering his comments following FATD’s release.
“I probably won’t make music for a little bit, I’m gonna be honest… I got some other things that I need to do for some other people that I made promises to but I probably won’t make music for a little bit,” he revealed on TABLE FOR ONE in October.
He continued, “I’m gonna be real with you. I need to focus on my health, first and foremost. I have a lot of other things that I would love to focus on so I’mma lock the door to the studio for a little bit… I don’t even know what a little bit is. Maybe a year or something. Maybe a little longer.”
Recording the project in just five days’ time, Drake explained that this stroke of inspiration “came to him” in a similar way as his 2015 mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.
“I did those songs in the last five days. I didn’t have one bar written down for those songs on the night that ‘FATD’ dropped,” he narrates in the trailer. “It’s coming to me in a way that I haven’t experienced maybe since like ‘If You’re Reading This,’ where it’s kinda just like, I feel like I’m on drugs.”
The Scary Hours tapes are a staple of Drake’s discography. Each pack garnered either a viral moment or a generational No. 1 (“God’s Plan”), as the original Scary Hours in 2018 proved to be a holdover two-pack ahead of Scorpion. Scary Hours 2 was a return to form for Drizzy that came as a prelude to Certified Lover Boy. A bar-heavy 3-track EP featuring Rick Ross (“Lemon Pepper Freestyle”) and Lil Baby (“Wants and Needs”), it was a sample platter of the sound he was to employ in the near future — doing much of the same on the FATD: Scary Hours Edition.
FOR ALL THE DOGS performed just as any Drake album does: Debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earning 402,000 first-week units. This marked Drizzy 13th No. 1 album of his career, also tying Michael Jackson with 13 No. 1 singles (“First Person Shooter”).
Featuring a star-studded list of collaborators such as J. Cole, Teezo Touchdown, Lil Yachty, Yeat, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Sexyy Red, SZA and more, FATD was coupled with Drake’s nationwide “ITS ALL A BLUR TOUR.” The tour is set to continue from Jan. 18 to March 27, but alongside J. Cole in joint fashion. The “BIG AS THE WHAT?” trek was announced a day before the visual to “First Person Shooter” made waves.
An active week ends in fireworks for Drake. Things got scary for the rest of rap game.
Listen to “FATD: Scary Hours Edition” below!
