Drake continues to be extra; reveals album collaborators with transcontinental billboards

Leave it to Drake, the self-certified lover boy of our time, to show off in the most expensive way he knows, by announcing all the featured artists on his new album through massive electric billboards around the U.S.

His upcoming album, Certified Lover Boy, will be released this Friday. Days ahead, journalist Elliott Wilson posted a series of these billboards on his Instagram. Each one is situated in the hometown of each respective artist Drake is working with on his new project.

That includes a billboard for Lil Durk in Chicago, one for Ty Dolla Sign and Giveon in Los Angeles, one for "The GOAT", a.k.a. JAY-Z, in New York, one for Travis Scott in Houston, one in Atlanta for Young Thug, Future, 21 Savage, and Lil Baby, one in Memphis for Yebba and Project Pat, and one all the way in Nigeria for Tems.

While it's certainly flashy, it's a much more relaxed style of tease than, say, his rival Kanye West and his protracted release of new album Donda. It's much more on par to Taylor Swift's cryptograms and Tyler, the Creator's own billboards, which popped up all over the world just months ago with a phone number and a message from the artist that led to a track. Clever and cute! Needless to say, the pressure to find new and creative ways to release music is on, and Drake is definitely attracting attention.

This, by the way, marks his 10th studio album, following 2018's Scorpion. Certified Lover Boy, still, has been delayed several times, and finally locked in a release date only this week.

It first had people really, truly buzzing after Drake posted the album's cover art, which features three rows of diverse pregnant women emojis. A choice! One that might be more suited to Nick Cannon, but here we are. It was designed by beloved British artist Damien Hirst, so we will allow it.  

Now although it is as yet unclear whether Toronto will be blasted with a billboard spotlighting, say, The Weeknd, Drake has not forgotten his hometown. One stroll through Yonge-Dundas Square and you will be inundated by large black billboards teasing lyrics from the album, including the very Drake "should've said you loved me today because tomorrow is a new day," "something other than me has got to give," and "I don't miss, let alone miss you." Classic.

If you walk by at just the right time, you might even see West's Donda billboard flash by and loom over Drake's. Interestingly enough, the pair's albums were originally set to release on the same day, but – perhaps due to simmering beef – West dropped his early.

That's where their tension is rumoured to have flared up most recently, with West dropping the following lyrics at a Donda listening party in early August: “Move out of the way of my release. Why can’t losers never lose in peace? Ain’t nobody ‘round me losing sleep, better find God ‘fore he find me.”

Slickly following it up, Drake ran these lyrics on his verse of Trippie Redd's "Betrayal" just a few weeks later: “All these fools I’m beefin’ that I barely know. Ye ain’t changin’ sh*t for me, it’s set in stone.”

Shortly after that song's release, West leaked screenshots of a group chat where he rags on the artist, and leaked his Toronto address. Petty, petty, petty. With West's album officially out as of last week and to mixed reviews, it seems Drake may have already won this battle. But, as ever, stay tuned.

BEFORE YOU GO: Spice Girls To Release Deluxe version of Debut Album

[video_embed id='2270662']BEFORE YOU GO: Spice Girls To Release Deluxe version of Debut Album [/video_embed]