Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ dropping this summer

You may be planning on a hot girl summer, but let’s not discount the certified lover boys out there. Not now that Drake has confirmed his next album, Certified Lover Boy, is coming at us hot within the next couple of months, anyhow.

Drake still hasn’t given fans a specific release date for the anticipated album, but he did reveal a major piece of information over the weekend while attending the Ultimate Rap League NOME Xl battle rap event. There, he presented $150,000 to rappers Geechi Gotti and Rum Nitty, who decided to split the pot after a close vote.

Afterward, Champagne Papi sat down with battle rappers Nunu Nellz and Tsu Surf for a live conversation on the streaming service app Caffeine. During the chat, Drake revealed that he wants to be in attendance for the upcoming Summer Madness event being held in mid-September featuring Murda Mook vs. Reed Dollaz and Tsu Surf vs. John John da Don.

“I’ll be there,” he said. “My album will be out by then.”

For those keeping track, that means the album will be out more than a year after Drake first announced it. It was way back in April 2020 that the performer first told fans that he was working on something new. Then in October of that year, on his birthday, he shared a video teaser that revealed the album title while recreating some of his past, iconic album covers.

During that time, Drake also dropped Dark Lane Demo Tapes (May 2020) and the lead single from CLB, “Laugh Now Cry Later" (August 2020). Then, this past January fans were hoping Drake would finally launch the album, but he announced it would be delayed in an Instagram Story.

“I was planning to release my album this month but between surgery and rehab my energy has been dedicated to that recovery,” he wrote on January 20 in reference to his knee surgery. “I’m blessed to be back on my feet feeling great and focused on the album, but CLB won’t be dropping in January. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you all in 2021,” he wrapped.

When Certified Lover Boy does drop (August? July?) it will be Drake’s sixth full-length studio album and his first follow-up album to his 2018 release of Scorpion. And, considering all five of Drake’s previous albums have gone platinum, he may be feeling a little pressure to do the same with number 6. Or is that 6ix?

Either way, it’s safe to say fans are counting down the days until the album drops, as we could all use another Certified summer anthem right about now.   

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