Drake Confirms New Album Certified Lover Boy Is Out Friday

Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy is out Friday, September 3, he confirmed in an Instagram post Monday morning (August 30). The post features the official album cover, too, according to Tidal’s chief content officer Elliott Wilson. Announced last August with the Lil Durk collaboration “Laugh Now Cry Later,” Certified Lover Boy was first set for a January release before repeated delays. Today’s confirmation follows a cryptic ESPN promo last week pointing to the September 3 release date.

On August 21, before releasing the SportsCenter teaser, Drake apparently reignited a feud with Kanye West that began in 2008, using his guest verse on Trippie Redd’s “Betrayal” to rap, “Ye ain’t changin’ shit for me, it’s set in stone.” West responded by posting an Instagram Story of an antagonistic text message, and another revealing Drake’s home address (which he quickly deleted).

Though Certified Lover Boy is the full-length successor to 2018’s Scorpion, Drake has released some new material in between, including last year’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes. The project—Drake’s first in a decade not to make a No. 1 Billboard debut—included his attempted dance challenge “Toosie Slide.”

Drake issued the three-song Scary Hours 2 EP in March, and has also joined Smiley and Brent Faiyaz on songs this year. In May, he and Lil Wayne joined Nicki Minaj on “Seeing Green,” a new bonus track that accompanied the belated streaming debut of her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty. Before that, Drake had teamed up on new tracks with Lil Yachty, DJ Khaled, Future, Lil Wayne, and Popcaan. Outside of the studio, he launched his own cannabis brand and was honored at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards as the Artist of the Decade.