Drake Reveals ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Album To Drop By The End Of Summer 2021

Drake fans have been waiting for the Toronto native’s sixth studio album for years. According to the OVO Sound frontman, Certified Lover Boy is actually on the way.

The Ultimate Rap League presented Night of Main Events XI on Saturday, June 12 via the Caffeine app. Drake agreed to make an appearance for URL.

The self-described 6 God was on hand at the showcase to award the Ultimate Madness 3 tournament winner a grand prize of $150,000. The finals came down to Geechi Gotti of California and Rum Nitty of Arizona.

While at NOME XI, Drake took part in an interview conducted by Nunu Nellz and Tsu Surf. That conversation included Drizzy confirming Certified Lover Boy will be out by the end of the summer.

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Drake has been discussing his next studio LP since 2019. Last year, the 34-year-old musician announced on Instagram his then-untitled album would be out in summer 2020.

The “Laugh Now Cry Later” single featuring Lil Durk arrived in August of that year. However, the Top 5 hit was never followed up by a full-length project despite several teases.

In October 2020, OVO released a trailer for Certified Lover Boy on social media. According to the tweet, Drake was prepared to let loose the album in January 2021. NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. even announced Certified Lover Boy was dropping on January 1 before Drake’s camp reportedly denied that was the official date.

Drake’s discography consists of Thank Me Later, Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, and Views. 2018’s Scorpion was his last studio album. Since that time, the Grammy-winning recording artist also released the Dark Lane Demo Tapes mixtape in 2020.

Plus, Drake dropped The Best in the World Pack EP in 2019 and the Scary Hours 2 EP in 2021. The latter extended play saw all three of its songs open in the Top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100, making Drake the first act to achieve that milestone.

Two years ago, the Care Package compilation of previously released songs from 2010 and 2016 debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. Care Package became Drake’s ninth No. 1 on the chart.

Drake has a long history with the battle rap community. In 2020, Billboard’s Artist of the Decade teamed up with Caffeine for a multi-year deal that included the rapper/singer/actor partnering with URL to launch a battle rap channel on the streaming platform.

“Through our partnership with Caffeine and the friendship with Drake, URL has elevated the sport of battle rap,” said URL co-owner Troy “Smack” Mitchell White. “In one year, we shifted the conversation about battle rap from being a backyard-sport that one catches occasionally on YouTube — to a multi-million dollar industry, seen for free in an unprecedented number of homes and has created ancillary businesses that range from media, fashion, cannabis, music, and tech.”

Smack White added, “From the corner of 125th and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd to presidential boardrooms, URL has made moves while still remaining authentic to art. Even our decision to use fresh and hungry artists this year as the driving force of our most preeminent card is evidence that our brand recognizes stars at every stage in their careers.”