After a summer of teasing, various delays, dozens of arena concerts and finally another No. 1 single, rapper Drake released his fourth album in nearly two years Friday morning, ahead of a two-day series of shows to conclude his tour of his hometown of Toronto.
For All the Dogs, Drake’s eighth solo studio album (not counting the mixtapes he considers mixtapes), is 23 tracks and features former collaborators J. Cole, 21 Savage, Lil Yachty, SZA and Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny as well as artists from the hip-hop avant-garde such as Chief Keef, Yeat, Teezo Touchdown and Sexyy Red.
Also listed in the credits is a role played by Phoenix Suns basketball player Kevin Durant, who in “For All the Dogs” is given the title of A&R, a role that in the modern music industry refers to an employee who helps with organization Album. Tracks include “Bahamas Promises,” “What Would Pluto Do,” “7969 Santa” and “Virginia Beach,” a song that immediately gained attention because it was named after the hometown of Drake’s longtime rap rival Pusha-T is.
The album was released on Friday at the unorthodox time of 6 a.m. Eastern Time, breaking the industry standard. “Sorry to all my streamers,” Drake wrote in his announcement on Instagram, referring to the fact that new albums are typically released at midnight on services like Spotify and Apple Music.
It was the latest – and shortest – delay for a long-awaited album. Drake, a perennial chart-topper who prides himself on his tireless productivity, began promising a new release before the opening of his “It’s All a Blur” arena tour, which debuted in July, and onstage most nights he gave updates on his recording progress.
For All the Dogs was originally scheduled to be released on September 22nd, but fans’ anticipation stretched back even further, to the start of summer.
Drake first announced the album in June, with the surprise announcement of a poetry book via full-page newspaper ads in major publications. The ads and the book “Titles Ruin Everything,” written with Kenza Samir, featured a QR code on a picture of two puppies that linked to a website revealing the existence of new music.
It didn’t include a release date, but did include a cheeky Drake lyric from “Headlines,” a song released in 2011: “They say they miss the old Drake, girl, don’t tempt me.”
On Thursday, he called the new album “one of my best ever,” marking the release of the video for “8am in Charlotte,” the latest installment in his long-running Timestamp series, which stars his young son Adonis. The child also contributed a scribbled depiction of a goat — not a dog, according to the artist — that serves as the cover of the album “For All the Dogs.”
The album was previously preceded by the singles “Search & Rescue”, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April (but is not included on “For All the Dogs”), and “Slime You Out”. featuring SZA, which debuted at No. 1 last month and marked Drake’s 12th charting song. This success placed him at number five on the all-time No. 1 chart, along with Madonna and the Supremes, Billboard said.
This year, Drake also appeared on tracks by rappers J Hus, Central Cee, Young Thug and Travis Scott.
Drake has a total of 12 Billboard No. 1 albums, including two from last year – the dance music-inspired “Honestly, Nevermind,” released in June, and the more rap-focused “Her Loss,” featuring 21 Savage from November.
The It’s All a Blur tour, which also features 21 Savage, ends Friday and Saturday at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. With more than 50 arena dates, Drake’s tour was one of many of music’s biggest stars this summer where strong post-pandemic demand and ticket competition led to high prices, angering some fans.
Drake said Friday that he will likely take a break after the tour and album, citing an ongoing stomach problem. “I probably won’t be doing music for a while,” the rapper told listeners on his Sirius XM radio show “Table for One.” “I need to focus on my health.”
“I don’t even know what a little is,” he added. “Maybe a year or so, maybe a little longer.”