The wait is nearly over!
The successor to his 2018 album Scorpion, which was the most-streamed album of that year, Drake is finally ready to release Certified Lover Boy (CLB).
Having had a heart shaved into the front of his hair since the end of last year as a reference to the album, it has been teased for some time. There have been several different rumoured release dates that have come and gone, but the Canadian artist has now confirmed that CLB will release tomorrow, September 3.
Breaking down the album cover, merch and features, here is what we know about the album before it drops.
PHOTO CREDIT: @champangepapi
The Album Cover
Created by the British contemporary artist Damien Hirst, the album cover for Drake’s latest project features the pregnant woman emoji in 12 different variations.
Placed in a grid formation, the emojis differ in skin tone and shirt colour to mimic the artist’s signature iconographic spot paintings which feature many spots in various colours. With this being one of two covers according to the Instagram account @drakerelated, which has a penchant for discovering insider information from the Drake camp, there may be another original artwork being uncovered tomorrow.
PHOTO CREDIT: @champagnepapi
The Features
As of today, there have been cryptic messages popping up in the hometown of various artists confirming their place on the new Drake record.
These all but confirm that artists Young Thug, Future, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Yebba, Project Pat, Giveon and Ty Dolla $ign will be included on the project.
However, two of the billboards are creating some questions, one of which reads “HEY NEW YORK THE GOAT IS ON CLB.” Who you regard as being “the goat” is, of course, a personal opinion, but considering that this was posted in New York the majority of conspiracies point towards Jay-Z. Having worked together many times before, despite having gone back and forth with each other on some songs, this seems the most likely answer since the billboard was posted on the story of Lenny S. who is an integral part of Jay’s Roc Nation label.
The other billboard which does not name an artist directly reads “HEY HOUSTON THE HOMETOWN HERO IS ON CLB,” which has been harder to decipher. With much debate about who the “hometown hero” of Houston is, Travis Scott, Trae tha Truth and Jay-Z’s wife Beyoncé are all possible contenders for the title.
PHOTO CREDIT: @elliottwilson // @giveon // @lildurk // @21savage // @nativemag
The Merch
Continuing his relationship with Nike, Drake is once again pairing up with the American label and this time it is to create merch for his new album.
The first range of merch was released in August of this year and included standout items such as a Nike cap with a red lipstick mark on the peak and a pink bomber jacket with heart-shaped stitching. Along with the hearts and lipstick marks that were included in the first drop, the name of the album was included in a script font but all these motifs appear to have been ditched since then.
The new merch for CLB includes what can be inferred as quotes from the album, which have also been popping up on billboards, printed on the back of three t-shirts. The quotes display the emotional side of Drake which fans have come to know and love, with one reading “Should’ve said you loved me today because tomorrow is a new day.”
Drizzy shared images of these t-shirts on his story earlier this week but there is no word yet on when they will be releasing or if there is more merch to come, so stay posted for that information.
